MILWAUKEE – The Democratic National Convention is set to be a week of “chaos and confusion” following President Biden’s disastrous debate performance that opened the floodgates to calls for him to bow out of the race, and the assassination attempt on former President Trump, Illinois Republican Rep. Darin LaHood told Fox News Digital.
“This dump Biden movement, it builds every single day… Democrats know they can’t win with Joe Biden on the ticket. Now that’s a problem for them. We need to stay focused and disciplined with President Trump’s message and JD Vance’s message,” LaHood told Fox News Digital from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I think it’s going to be chaos and dysfunction,” LaHood said of what he expects out of the DNC. “Let me just contrast that with Milwaukee. I’ve never seen a convention or unity or activism or energy in the first two days of this convention.”
The Democratic National Convention will kick off next month in LaHood’s home state of Illinois, starting on Monday, Aug. 19, in Chicago. The Democratic Party is in the midst of an election freefall, as elected Democrats, including California Rep. Adam Schiff, continue calling for Biden to bow out of the race due to concerns over his mental fitness to face Trump this year.
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Rep. Darin LaHood questions witnesses during a House committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement this week. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Biden is urged to drop out ahead of the DNC, when delegates will officially nominate their pick for the 2024 presidential election.
“The debate performance by President Biden was abysmal and disastrous,” Congressman LaHood said. (Getty Images)
LaHood pointed to two “monumental things that have happened in the last three weeks,” that have spurred the chaos in the Democratic Party’s fight to retain the White House.
“The debate performance by President Biden was abysmal and disastrous, and so it highlighted his lack of mental acuity. But it also showed that President Trump, where he stands on the issues and how strong he came out of that debate. Second that with the, you know, terrible events of last Saturday and what occurred, and we will never forget President Trump saying, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’ and his leadership and his courage,” he said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi talks with President Biden after he signed a bill in the East Room of the White House, June 13, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“That’s given everybody here at this convention a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm, and that is palpable here at this convention. And so we’ve had a really flawless convention. The unity here, that togetherness, is really apparent. And I think that will be in stark contrast to Chicago,” he continued.
On the message of unity, LaHood pointed to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis all proclaiming their support of Trump and Vance following their primary challenges.
“You saw President Trump’s opponents, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, come forward last night to talk glowingly about President Trump. So that unity, I think, is going to continue with JD Vance,” he said.
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Former President Trump is moved after shots were fired at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday evening during a rally in Pennsylvania has also taken center stage at the RNC, galvanizing the party as they demand political rhetoric be dialed back as to not incite violence. LaHood, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News Digital that he spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., about investigating the attempt.
Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face as Secret Service agents take him off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I’ve been in touch with him about making sure that we have a select committee or a task force that’s put in place immediately, starting next week, when we’re back in session to get to the bottom of this. As a former federal prosecutor, we need to follow the facts and evidence. Our role in Congress is an oversight role on the executive branch. That includes the Secret Service. There were mistakes made here, make no doubt about it, and we need to make sure people are held accountable, this never happens again, and that we get to the bottom of this. And I think that’ll happen quickly,” he said.