Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has joined the growing list of business leaders calling for President Biden to step aside and let another Democrat run as the party’s nominee in 2024.
In a blog post on Friday, the billionaire entrepreneur heaped praise on Biden for his accomplishments while in the White House, but said, “Now is the time that he should consider what’s at stake and step back from another run.”
“Standing down now wouldn’t have to mean the end of a lifetime in public service, either,” Branson said of Biden. “He could still do enormous good in the world. But his desire to carry on has created a dangerous distraction from the issues this presidential race should really focus on. It’s not too late to make the right decision now and step aside — for America, and for the free world.”
THESE BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE CALLED ON BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE
A Virgin spokesperson said Branson, who is a citizen of the U.K., typically does not comment on politics in the U.S., “however he felt, as a business leader outside of the U.S. looking in, the need to speak up this time given how this impacts the rest of the world.”
Branson is the latest high-profile business leader to publicly urge Biden to drop his re-election bid after the president’s disastrous performance in the June 27 debate against former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
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Following the debate debacle, which sparked widespread concerns about Biden’s mental acuity, a number of Democratic megadonors in the business world came forward asking Biden to pass the baton, including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and Walt Disney heir Abigail Disney.
Biden has remained defiant and says he will not step aside because he believes he is the best person to beat Trump.
However, pressure is building for the Democrat to exit the contest after he made a series of gaffes Thursday during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., and during his press conference afterward.
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