Sunrise Movement protesters gathered near Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home to demand that she urge President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency. Simon Aaron, left, and Josiah Edwards, center, chant.
Robert Gautier | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Sunrise MovementA leading youth environmental group that strongly supported President Joe Biden in the 2020 election called on Biden on Friday to withdraw from the 2024 race against former President Donald Trump.
“The risks are too great and we cannot afford to ignore the warning signs,” Al-Shaini Ajay, secretary-general of the Sunrise Movement, said in a statement.
“The act that will define Joe Biden’s next climate legacy is passing the baton to a new candidate,” Shiny Adjei said.
Her call for Biden to step down came a day after the president announced his intention to continue the campaign at a press conference, and shortly after the number of Democrats calling for him to step down had grown to nearly 20. As of Friday morning, 18 House Democrats and one Senate Democrat had publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“For the sake of our democracy and the future of our planet, we must defeat Trump in November,” Shiny Adjaye said.
“A Trump victory would destroy President Biden’s historic climate achievements, including the Beat Inflation Act and the American Climate Corps. A second Trump presidency would inflict catastrophic and irreversible damage to our climate,” she added.
Shiny Adjei noted that in 2020, Sunrise Movement volunteers reached out to 3.5 million young voters, urging them to vote for Biden over Trump.
“Plain and clear,” she said, the group intends to convince young people to support whoever ends up being the Democratic nominee.
“Having another candidate who can energize our young volunteers could help us reach up to twice as many voters this fall,” Shiny Ajayi said.
This is an evolving story, please check back for updates.
