House Democrat says Biden ‘didn’t seem to recognize’ him just weeks ago

President Joe Biden and Rep. Seth Moulton at the State of the Union address in 2023

Rep. Seth Moulton, a five-term Massachusetts Democrat who competed against President Joe Biden during the 2020 primaries, said the commander in chief “didn’t seem to recognize him” just weeks ago.

Moulton was among the first House Democrats to call on Biden to step aside in the wake of his disastrous debate performance in June.

More than two dozen lawmakers have joined him since then.

In a Boston Globe op-ed published Friday, Moulton recounted an interaction he had in a “small group” with Biden in Normandy, France, at the beginning of June, when the president and scores of lawmakers were commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“For the first time, he didn’t seem to recognize me,” Moulton wrote. “Of course, that can happen as anyone ages, but as I watched the disastrous debate a few weeks ago, I have to admit that what I saw in Normandy was part of a deeper problem.”

Moulton said the case for Biden to step aside had grown more urgent following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, referencing the president’s frequent verbal flubs.

“The assassination attempt on Trump last weekend makes him even harder to beat, and it makes prosecuting the case about why he is a danger to democracy more tricky — though no less essential — because the wrong word choice can quickly be used against you,” Moulton wrote.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the interaction.

On Friday, following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention, eight more Democrats came forward with calls for Biden to drop out.

The president has refused to do so, despite reporting that suggests he’s lost the confidence of Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate.