U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva traces his doubts about President Joe Biden’s ability to mount a successful re-election campaign to the first 20 minutes of his stumbling performance in the June 27 presidential debate.
In those few minutes and throughout much of the next 90 minutes, the president stammered, spoke hoarsely, fumbled his way through key issues, flubbed his description of health care matters, and was frequently unable to clearly articulate his differences with former President Donald Trump.
“I quite honestly thought we had stepped into a very dangerous situation,” Grijalva recalled in an interview Tuesday with the Arizona Daily Star. “In the sense that we have to hold onto our majorities in the Senate, build one in the House and hang onto the presidency. I saw all that in jeopardy.”
Grijalva doubled down Tuesday on his view — first expressed to the New York Times on July 3 — that Biden should quit the race, despite the president’s repeated and increasingly strident statements that he has no intention of dropping out.
Other leading progressive Democrats such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York have supported Biden staying in the race. Grijalva continues to insist that the party needs to explore “all options” for its 2024 standard-bearer to try to avert a political bloodbath for Democrats in November, saying, “We cannot afford to lose.”
But Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat who has undergone treatment for lung cancer this year, also stressed that if Biden stays in the race, “as a Democrat, I’m going to have to respect that and support that.”
He expressed no frustrations at Biden’s stubbornness about staying in the race, although Grijalva is now one of at least eight House Democrats to have called for Biden’s withdrawal. He was only the second Democratic House member to do so at the time of his Times interview.
Here are some questions and answers from the Star’s interview with Grijalva about Biden, Trump and the campaign:
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., walks away after greeting President Joe Biden at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in August 2023.
Q. Some of Biden’s defenders in his party have piled on other Democrats who called on him to drop out. They’re saying the Democrats who want him out are hurting their party so close to Election Day in November. Some have even questioned the loyalty of such Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, called them “vultures” in a recent Washington Post interview.
A. It wasn’t any of that. It was that we need to win. We cannot afford to lose. What is at stake is that this fascist (Trump) would be running things in the country. My comments are not directed at minimizing or criticizing Biden.
Right now, questions about his capacity are coming from a core constituency of Democrats — young Democrats. We need to understand this is going to be a tight race regardless. We can’t afford to throw any votes away.
Q. How do you think Biden has done until now?
A. He’s done a great job, given the odds he was up against coming into his presidency. Nobody can question that. The question going forward is can we repeat that? Can we hang on to the presidency, hang on to the majority of the House? (Actually, Republicans control the House by a tiny margin, although Democrats control the Senate by a tiny margin). I think those are in jeopardy.
Q. If Biden quits the campaign, who would you suggest as an alternative? Would you like to see an open Democratic convention?
A. I’m not recommending a particular candidate to take his seat. We need to look at options. I can’t say yet (about an open convention).
Q. Some Biden supporters criticize the media for dissecting every detail of Biden’s mental frailties while downplaying Trump’s persistent falsehoods and reputedly extreme views.
A. I don’t disagree with that. There’s a double standard. I’m not blaming the media entirely. The (Biden) campaign strategies that ignore these truths, that don’t call him (Trump) a liar or criminal, lets him skate away. That’s a mistake. You haven’t come hard at Trump and he comes hard at us.
I haven’t seen that as part of the campaign. I think we have to do that, to have a chance to beat this guy. You can’t let him off the hook. The fact he is a pathological lying criminal and nobody makes a big deal out of it doesn’t make it right.
Q. Do you really think Trump could turn this country into a fascist dictatorship if elected for another term?
A. Not in four years. But he could set up the (authoritarian) structure, the regulatory scheme. He could put people in positions. He could embed a bunch of young fascists. He’ll do damage in four years. Hopefully, we hang onto the Senate, (take back) the House or both. Especially in the House, we could provide a block, a means to not only slow down but to stop some of the craziness.
A discussion with incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva
