'Time is of the essence': Rep. Scholten explains reason behind comments on Biden

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With trouble at the top of the Democratic ticket, West Michigan Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D - MI District 3) made it clear where she stands, asking President Biden to "pass the torch" in a social media post Thursday.

She became the first congressional leader in Michigan to suggest his time in office should come to an end.

This showed a major shift in her perspective, after telling FOX 17 at the beginning of the month she supported the President in his re-election bid.

On Friday, she explained to FOX 17's Max Goldwasser what changed and how she thinks the party should move forward.

Q: Why did you take the lead on this, and why do it now?

A: "Well, time is of the essence really is what it comes down to. I think we all saw what we saw on the night of the debate. For me, it was a real eye-opening moment that raised a lot of concerns."

Q: “What did you see during that debate that changed your mind?"

A: "It was alarming, right? I think it was, you know, a lot of people say, 'panic.' I have said before, I did not feel panic in that moment, but I did feel deep concern over what we were going to do. I was always raised, 'if you see something, say something.' I don't want to look back on this moment and know that I could have said something.”

Q: “How can you say you're not panicking when there's this much uncertainty within the party and the Democratic National Convention is less than six weeks away?”

A: “I don't panic. I plan. That's why I'm making a statement now. That's why, through measured conversations, you know, pragmatic research, and a detailed and prepared response, we're making sure that we're doing everything possible to be as as organized as unified as possible heading forward.”

Q: "At the end of your statement, you said it's time to 'pass the torch.' Who should the torch be passed to?”

A: "I think, fortunately, we still do have a process through which we can choose a replacement through a democratic process. That's why I'm choosing to make these statements now. We have a convention through which we can nominate a different candidate, if Joe Biden chooses to step aside. That's where this statement comes in."

A (pt. 2): "This is really about the democratic process and giving people the best possible chance that they have to have the strongest leader that they can vote for in the election come November.”

Q: “And would that be Kamala Harris?”

A: “Again, I think there needs to be a democratic process to choose who that person would be.”

Q: "(Biden's) got as as long of a resume, and as decorated of a resume, as anyone in the political space. But in a world of recency bias, it seems like he'll most be remembered for holding on for too long. How do you think this is going to impact his legacy?”

A: “To be perfectly honest, it's one of the reasons why I also felt it was it was time to make this public call. There's a lot of people I've talked to who do support the President, and it's painful. It's painful to see these types of things tarnishing his legacy. I hope that he will do the right thing and step aside.”

Q: "Let's put ourselves in the future here. We're at the Democratic National Convention. What is the best case scenario for you and the party?"

A: "I think the best case scenario is we have a slate of some of the best and brightest talent that the Democratic Party has to offer, making their case to the delegates who were selected through the democratic process and making the case to the delegates about who should be the next top of the ticket. I hope that that includes the Vice President and some other top talent that we have from around the country."

The Democratic National Convention will be held August 19-22 in Chicago.

If you'd like to watch the full conversation between Rep. Scholten and our Max Goldwasser, you can click the video below.

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