Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, has given up on publicly calling for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Landsman told "CNN This Morning" he is not prepared to tell Biden to withdraw his candidacy.
"An attempted assassination on former President Trump's life, and it's not OK — none of us should be OK about it," Landsman said. "And that overtook — as you can imagine — the conversations that I was having at home. I spent most of Sunday with constituents talking through what it means, and you know, overwhelmingly, I heard folks say, we really do need to dial it back."
Trump's ear was grazed by the would-be assassin's bullet and former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed shielding his family from the attack. David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, sustained critical injuries during the assault; both were listed in stable condition as of Sunday.
Authorities fatally shot the suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, moments after he opened fire on the former president and his supporters.
The assassination attempt capped a politically charged past few weeks, underscored by the continuing fallout from Biden's shaky and halting debate performance against Trump on June 27. Since then, congressional Democrats have attempted to strong-arm the president to exit the race amid concerns about his physical and cognitive fitness and his ability to defeat Trump in November.
While Landsman was not among the Democrat lawmakers publicly urging Biden to bow out, he said earlier this month that his reelection bid "may be just too high of a hill for him to climb."
"To be able to make the case against [former President Donald Trump] should not be that hard," Landsman said at the time. "Biden has to do it. If he can't do it, then he's gotta let somebody else do it."
Landsman said Tuesday he made his concerns known to party leadership and maintained the decision on whether Biden remains in the race is theirs to make.
"But now, as you know, at least for this week, all eyes are on former President Trump and we're genuinely glad he's OK," Landsman said. "That was terrifying."
For his part, Biden has said he intends to stay in the race, despite the chorus of Capitol Hill Democrats who have called for him to step down as the party's presidential nominee.
"We gotta finish the job," Biden said at a Michigan campaign stop last week. "I promise you I am OK."
A new Morning Consult poll found Trump has retained his lead over Biden following the shooting that nearly claimed his life. Among a survey of 11,328 registered voters, Trump maintains a 44%-42% edge, which was unchanged from the week prior.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.