A former journalist who covered President Joe Biden when he first won election to the U.S. Senate in 1972 said in an op-ed published Wednesday that Biden “should never have sought a second term.”

Biden has faced growing calls to step down as the Democratic nominee after he stuttered and made several gaffes during a June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. Former journalist Curtis Wilkie said: Editorial Mississippi Today reported that the president should not have sought a second term due to his apparent mental decline. (Related article: Ex-Clinton pollster says replacing Biden with Kamala won't help Democrats; voters give administration 'low marks' on issues)

“President Biden should never have sought a second term,” Wilkie wrote. “Because I have known Joe Biden longer than any reporter who has covered him, I have a rare perspective on the debate that has dominated American politics. I have long seen how the relentless demands of the presidency have tormented other occupants of the White House. And, like Mr. Biden, I share the infirmities of old age that plague both of us and are beginning to diminish our physical and cognitive capacities.”

Curtis Wilkie, who has covered eight presidential elections, wrote that Biden should step aside.

“I've known Joe Biden longer than any reporter who has covered him, so I have a rare perspective on the debate that is dominating American politics.”https://t.co/0jjTmS34GM

— Adam Ganucheau (@GanucheauAdam) July 17, 2024

“This is not a new concern for me, one born out of the President's poor performance in last month's debate,” Wilkie continued, “and I came to this conclusion in March 2023 during a lengthy conversation I had with two old friends who were much closer to Biden politically than I am.”

Wilkie, who is two years older than Biden, said he has experienced similar problems to those the president has demonstrated in public.

“I began having incidents where I couldn't remember the names of people I knew well,” Wilkie wrote, “or simple words would go unnoticed and resurface hours later. When my mind would go blank during a conversation, I would apologize, laugh, and blame my aging brain. I was assured it was nothing, but it was annoying.”

“I'm beginning to see the same handicaps in Biden,” Wilkie continued. “He gets names wrong, he can't remember them at all. He seems bland at times. His enthusiasm seems waning.”

Biden has said he has spoken multiple times with people who have died, including twice in February claiming to have spoken with former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who died in 2017, and former French President François Mitterrand, who died in 1996. In September 2022, Biden asked Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski to be present at a conference on hunger, which took place weeks after Walorski and two staff members were killed in a car accident. (RELATED: 'It's a terrible situation': Biden predicts 'bloodshed' if president holds onto certification)

“I wish Biden had followed through on his promise to be a 'transition president' in 2020. He succeeded in driving Trump out of the White House, and his presidency was largely successful and disaster-free,” Wilkie wrote. “A few months ago, Biden would have been able to give a statesmanlike speech, prepared to serve out his four years in office and hand the job over to a younger generation, and step down with a heartfelt 'mission accomplished.'”

Biden has suffered multiple falls during his time in office, including a fall at the Air Force Academy in June 2023, a bicycle fall in June 2022, procedure I've flown Air Force One many times.

“Instead, his Democratic Party faces its worst nightmare: a landslide victory for Trump and his MAGA supporters in November. And instead of leaving a strong personal legacy, Biden may be remembered in the history of this tumultuous time as a self-serving man, weakened by age, who clung to office for too long,” Wilkie concluded.

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