Rep. Pat Ryan: Biden, it’s time to step aside. For the good of our country.

A year and a half ago, I raised my right hand and took the oath of office to represent the Hudson Valley in Congress. As I stood there, on the very same ground at West Point where I took a similar oath 20 years earlier, surrounded by community leaders, friends and family — especially my two young boys, Theo and Cam — I felt the full weight and responsibility of this position.

That oath wasn’t to any party, special interest or politician. As an American — as a patriot — I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; and to do everything in my power to deliver for my Hudson Valley community.

Donald Trump is a threat to American democracy

I believe that Donald Trump represents an existential threat to our Constitution and the very ideals this country was founded on. He’s a convicted felon who tried to overturn the 2020 election. He wants to criminalize abortion, give more tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations, and gut Social Security. The Heritage Foundation's 900+ page Project 2025 plan, which could be the policy basis of another Trump term, is straight out of the authoritarian playbook and would rip fundamental freedoms away from millions of Americans while giving even more money and power to the elites who’ve been running this country for far too long.

Trump is not fit to serve.

Joe Biden's service to our country has been remarkable

But it’s my job to be honest about my own party as well. Let me start by being very clear: President Joe Biden has dedicated his entire life to serving the American people, and for that the nation owes him a debt of gratitude. I believe he is a patriot and a person of great integrity.

From capping the price of insulin to investing in our infrastructure, from creating millions of good-paying jobs with the CHIPS Act to helping millions of veterans through the PACT Act, Biden has delivered for Hudson Valley families, time and again. That doesn’t mean I’ve agreed with him on everything. I’ve strongly and publicly pushed for him to secure and restore order at the border, and called out the Afghanistan withdrawal as both a strategic and moral failure.

Ultimately, my responsibility to my constituents, articulated in that solemn oath, is to always put their interests — and the interests of the country — first.

In countless conversations, especially over the last few weeks, I’ve heard again and again that folks are losing faith and trust in our democracy. They feel both parties have failed them.

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They intuitively understand the existential threat posed by the prospect of another Trump presidency, but are also deeply concerned about Biden’s ability to make the case against Trump and defeat him in November. And I agree.

Let me be clear: I am asserting no moral equivalency between Biden and Trump. Trump is an insult to the flag I risked my life to defend. He doesn’t belong within a country mile of the White House. If the two of them are on the ballot this fall, I’ll be voting for Biden.

But I’d be doing a grave disservice to the hundreds of thousands of people I have the honor to represent if I said Biden was the best candidate to face Trump this fall.

Biden must yield to a new generation of Democratic leaders

For the good of our country, for the future of our kids and grandkids, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on his promise to be a “bridge” to a new generation of leaders.

I hope with all my heart he’ll listen; not just to me, but to the many Americans yearning for a leader who will put country over party. Who will give us reason to be hopeful and optimistic about our politics again. And who will ensure we decisively defeat Trump and all he stands for.

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But whatever may come next at the top of the ticket, I promise this: I’ll fight every day to deliver for our community. I’ll keep pushing to lower the cost of living, bolster public safety, and protect our fundamental American freedoms. I’ll keep working to deliver a Hudson Valley community we can all be proud to call home.

And I’ll work with any patriot who wants to join me in putting country before party to get it done.

Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat, represents New York's 18th Congressional District.