Republicans in Congress are citing President Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection as evidence that he is unfit to serve the rest of his term and calling for the president to resign from office immediately.

“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve — And never was,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform soon after Mr. Biden abandoned his reelection campaign. 

Trump added that Mr. Biden only became President because of “Lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.” 

“All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t,” Trump wrote.  

Mr. Biden still has 183 days left in office before the next President is sworn in on January 20, 2025. 

The chair of the Senate Republican campaign arm, Senator Steve Dains, called for Mr. Biden to resign “out of concern for our country’s national security,” he said in a statement on X. 

“If Joe Biden is no longer capable of running for re-election, he is no longer capable of serving as President,” he wrote. “Being President is the hardest job in the world, and I no longer have confidence that Joe Biden can effectively execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief.”

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri chimed in as well, sharing Mr. Biden’s statement announcing his recusal, adding, “Then RESIGN your office. If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President.”

Mr. Hawley’s message echoes a statement from Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Senator Vance, who, hours before Mr. Biden’s announcement, questioned how Mr. Biden could “justify remaining President” should he decide to step down from the race. 

“Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief,” Mr. Vance wrote on X. “There is no middle ground.” 

Soon after Mr. Biden’s announcement, Trump reportedly told CNN on a phone call that Mr. Biden will go “down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.” 

He also suggested that he thinks Vice President Harris will be easier to beat in the election than Mr. Biden. 

Polls which examine Ms. Harris’s chances in a race against Trump showed mixed results. Some showed her coming slightly behind and others showed her ahead by a slim margin.