Gov. Phil Scott calls on Biden to drop out

President Joe Biden has lost another prominent supporter in Vermont.

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican who voted for the Democratic president in 2020, said Friday he didn’t think he could vote for Biden again this year. Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Scott said, confirmed his fears that neither Biden nor former president Donald Trump were “fit” for office, although for very different reasons.

“I’ve seen the decline in President Biden, in his health,” Scott said. “It’s obviously his decision to make, but I think he should step aside. I don’t think he’s competent to serve another four years.”

Pressure is building in Washington for Biden to decline the Democratic nomination as fears mount that he will lose to Trump in the general election. Last week, Vermont’s junior senator, Peter Welch, became the first Democratic senator to publicly call on Biden to leave the race. Vermont’s senior senator, independent Bernie Sanders, has urged the president to stay the course.

Scott’s office later said that it’s too soon to say who the governor would vote for, given uncertainty about what Biden will do.

But a spokesperson emphasized it is clear who the governor will never cast his ballot for — and that’s Trump.

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