Greg Landesman is interviewed in his office in the Longworth Building in Washington, DC, on Nov. 3. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images)
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump “trumped” talks about whether President Joe Biden should drop out of the presidential race, Ohio Democratic Rep. Greg Landesman told CNN on Tuesday.
Landsman, whose seat has been described as “competitive” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said last week that he was “increasingly” joining Democrats who have publicly called on Biden to step down after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month.
However, that was before the attempted assassination of Trump turned the presidential race upside down.
On “CNN This Morning” Tuesday, Kasie Hunt asked Landesman: “Are you prepared to tell President Biden that you think he should step down?”
“No. First and foremost, what we all witnessed on Saturday was an assassination attempt on the life of former President Trump,” Landsman responded. “That, as you can imagine, eclipsed the conversations we were having at home.”
Landsman said he had conveyed his concerns to party leaders and would leave the decision to them and Biden.
“I have expressed to the leadership my concerns about the president’s ability to fight Donald Trump,” Landsman said. “They will make the decision, or he will make it, hopefully with their input.”
In his comments last week, Landsman said he wanted to talk to his Ohio constituents before making a decision on the president’s political future.
Speaking to Hunt, Landsman also took issue with J.D. Vance, Trump’s pick for vice president, criticizing his “inflammatory” language and claiming it contradicted the message of unity Trump is trying to convey.
“As someone from southwest Ohio who grew up around the same time and probably five miles from J.D. Vance (we’re both from Butler County), it’s hard to elect someone who’s so divisive and uses inflammatory language,” Landsman said.
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