“The debate was a wake-up call; we’ve got to be honest about that.”

Rep. Pat Ryan this week became the first congressional Democrat from New York to publicly call on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, arguing the risk of a second Donald Trump presidency is just too great.

Trump “is unfit for office and has to be stopped, he cannot go anywhere near the White House again. And so I believe it's our patriotic duty as a party to put forward the strongest candidate to defeat him,” Ryan told Spectrum News in an interview Thursday morning.

What You Need To Know

  • Hudson Valley Congressman Pat Ryan on Wednesday became the first congressional Democrat from New York to publicly call on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race

  • Ryan rejects an argument from the Biden camp that it is the elites trying to push him out

  • Asked if it would be helpful if Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries were to echo his concerns publicly, Ryan told Spectrum News, “I think everybody is accountable to their constituents, to the Constitution, and they have to make what they think is the right decision for their constituents.”
  • Ryan represents a competitive district, one of several in New York that could determine which party controls the U.S. House come next year

Ryan, who is one of a handful of lawmakers so far to call for Biden to step aside, rejects an argument from the Biden camp that it is the elites trying to push him out, citing what he has heard while back home in the Hudson Valley.

“This is a broadly, widely held view among my constituents. This is not elites; in fact, I think it's the opposite,” he said. “This is working people, Americans across the full spectrum geographically, politically, ideologically, ethnically, racially, demographically.”

Who should replace the president atop the ticket? Ryan is not saying, arguing Democrats have a sizable bench.

Asked if he believes Biden is fit to serve the remainder of this term, Ryan said, “I think the president has done an exceptional job delivering, and I think it's now time to look forward to that next term, and that’s why I made the call that I did.”

Ryan represents a competitive district, one of several in New York that could determine which party controls the U.S. House come next year.

There are widespread concerns on Capitol Hill that Biden could be a drag on down-ballot races, potentially costing Democrats a chance of winning the U.S. House and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries a chance at becoming Speaker.

Asked if it would be helpful if Jeffries were to echo his concerns publicly, Ryan told Spectrum News, “I think everybody is accountable to their constituents, to the Constitution, and they have to make what they think is the right decision for their constituents.”

To Biden, Ryan argues, stepping aside could be an opportunity for him to cement his legacy.

“This is a chance — it’s a really Washingtonian moment — to say for the greater good of the country, 'I’m going to set my own personal goals or ambitions aside and do what I think is right,' ” he said.