Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, offered President Joe Biden a small grace period to prove his competency for reelection.
While Biden is attempting to weather the onslaught of calls from within his own party to drop out of the presidential race, Golden is hoping to take a less reactionary approach and allow the president some time to prove he is capable, and that his debate performance June 27 was an aberration.
"I think that Joe Biden needs to be answering some serious questions for himself, and I think that he is reading the situation incorrectly," Golden told Maine Public Radio on Wednesday. "And it's not for me, as I've made clear, whether or not he can beat Donald Trump. It's about whether or not he is prepared to lead the country for another four years."
Golden, a former Marine, made headlines last week when he published an opinion piece in the Bangor Daily News where he not only predicted a Trump victory in November but said he would be "OK with that."
As of Thursday, 56% of Democrats said they think Biden should drop out of the race and "let someone else run" according to a Washington Post/ABC News-Ipsos poll.
"I'm asking the same questions that I know millions and millions of Americans are asking themselves, which is, What is the physical and mental state of health of the president of the United States?" Golden said. "I will not vote for someone if I don't think they are physically or mentally equipped to lead this nation. And I do not know the answer to that question at this time."
Golden, 41, said he can't vote for Trump because of a lack of moral character.
"I'm confused why people think that it's up to the legislature or the Congress or to the House Democratic caucus to decide what Joe Biden is or is not going to do in the coming weeks or months," Golden told Maine Public Radio. "People can stand around and talk about their feelings one way or the other. But I think it has very little bearing on the final analysis or outcome here."
Golden is a moderate three-term incumbent in a district that has voted for Trump in the past two presidential elections.