Five more Democratic House representatives are calling on President Joe Biden to end his 2024 re-election campaign as his team maintains that he is staying in the race. 

In an op-ed for the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) on Friday called on President Joe Biden to “pass the torch” while calling former President Donald Trump an “existential threat” to the country. Four other Democrats, Reps. Jared Huffman (CA) Marc Veasey (TX), Mark Pocan (WI),  and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL), also said on Friday that Biden should step away because of health concerns for the 81-year-old president. 

Casten said that he believed Biden would lose to Trump and that he should let another Democrat challenge him. He suggested that the country might not survive if Biden was defeated. 

“It is with a heavy heart and much personal reflection that I am therefore calling on Biden to pass the torch to a new generation,” Casten wrote. “To manage an exit with all the dignity and decency that has guided his half-century of public service. To cement his legacy as the president who saved our democracy in 2020 and handed it off to trusted hands in 2024 who could carry his legacy forward.”

He said that he believed that Biden would struggle to respond to criticism of his mental and physical health. 

“And as long as this election is instead litigated over which candidate is more likely to be held accountable for public gaffes and ‘senior moments,’ I believe that Biden is not only going to lose but is also uniquely incapable of shifting that conversation,” said  Casten. 

Democratic Reps. Huffman, Veasey, Pocan, and Garcia released a statement on Friday morning calling for Biden to withdraw from the race. 

“We must face the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and fitness are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” they wrote. “These perceptions may not be fair, but they have hardened in the aftermath of last month’s debate and are now unlikely to change. We believe the most responsible and patriotic thing you can do in this moment is to step aside as our nominee while continuing to lead our party from the White House.”

They added that “passing the torch” would inject enthusiasm into the Democratic Party and “reinvigorate the race.” 

The Biden campaign has so far denied any reports that he will drop out. Biden is currently recovering from COVID. His team said he might return to the campaign trail next week. 

Following the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, the Amazon Prime TV series “The Boys” added a content warning to the season 4 finale, which premiered on Thursday.

“This episode contains scenes of fictional political violence,” the update at the start of the episode says. “Any similarities to recent events are completely coincidental and unintentional. Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures Television and the producers of The Boys oppose, in the strongest terms, real-world violence of any kind.”

The show’s official account shared a similar message on Instagram, clarifying that it “is a fictitious series that was filmed in 2023, and any scene or plotline similarities to these real-world events are coincidental and unintentional.”

The episode’s title was originally “Assassination Run,” but it was later changed to “Season Four Finale,” per TV Line.

Season 4 of the series included an ongoing storyline about the planned assassination of President-Elect of the United States Robert Singer. 

The finale’s episode description says: “It’s January 6th as Congress certifies the election results to officially make Bob Singer President and Victoria Neuman his VP. Meanwhile, The Boys try to protect Singer from assassination, not realizing that the assassin is closer than they think.”

At Trump’s campaign rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, a shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, managed to get onto a nearby rooftop and begin shooting roughly 150 yards away from the stage with an AR-style rifle before the Secret Service could stop him. A bullet ripped through Trump’s right ear, causing blood to pour down his face. The shooter also killed one rally-goer and injured two others. A Secret Service sniper reportedly shot and killed Crooks from another building while other personnel rushed to protect Trump and escort him off the stage.

“The Boys” is a satirical superhero TV series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video and based on the comic book of the same name. It follows an eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat individuals with superpowers – called “Supes” –  who use their powers for personal gain. The villains work for a large company that ensures the world sees them as heroes.

The series was nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2021. “The Boys” also won six Astra TV Awards and seven Critics’ Choice Super Awards.

Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

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