Chicago City Wire

In an interview with pundit Chris Hayes, Congressman Mike Quigley called on President Joe Biden to step down, saying his legacy was set and that "the only thing you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this." Quigley's statement was part of a July 5 post on X.

"Mr. President, your legacy is set," said Quigley, U.S. Representative of Illinois's 5th congressional district (D). "We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude. The only thing that you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this."

According to Quigley, "I had a hard time getting to the point as anyone who respects him so much." His statement was just a piece of an interview on MSNBC with Chris Hayes.

Screenshot All in with CHris Hayes July 5 post on X | X

That interview on Hayes’ program came just hours before Biden’s interview with ABC News, when Biden said the debate was "a bad episode," and that he was "exhausted." Biden stated, "I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and – and a bad night." He added that he had a bad cold that he thought might be COVID-19 and said he was feeling terrible. This is why the six days at Camp David didn’t help him recover from the Europe trip 11-12 days before the debate, according to the ABC News transcript.

MSNBC included Quigley’s comments in a roundup piece focusing on several Democrats calling for Biden to step aside in this election and let someone else be the presidential nominee. The list of top Democrats calling for Biden to drop out includes Washington Rep. Adam Smith; New York Rep. Jerry Nadler; California Rep. Mark Takano; New York Rep. Joe Morelle; Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig; Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton; Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva; Julian Castro, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett; and former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, according to the MSNBC list published on July 6.

Quigley has represented Illinois’ fifth congressional district since 2009. Before his election to Congress, Quigley was a Cook County Commissioner from 1998-2009. He grew up in Carol Stream, Illinois, and attended Roosevelt University, the University of Chicago, and Loyola University Chicago. He teaches a course on intelligence and national security at the University of Chicago when he’s not in session, according to his official biography on his congressional website.