Dear First Lady Biden:
We, the American people, desperately need you. We need you to save our country from the possibility of another four years of Donald Trump. We need you now.
But first, I have to thank you for convincing your husband to run for president in 2020. He was the only person who could beat Donald Trump, and he did, and he did exactly what the country needed. He led us out of the COVID-19 crisis, rebuilt our economy to be the strongest in the world, restored American leadership, and racked up more legislative victories in four years than most presidents accomplish in eight, most of them with bipartisan support.
Joe Biden will be remembered as one of America’s best and most effective presidents after just his first four years in office, and he will undoubtedly accomplish even more if given another four years.
But Dr. Biden, you need to know that his chances for a second term are far from certain, even more so after his performance in last Thursday’s debate with Donald Trump.
Fair or not, voters aren’t really paying attention to your husband’s successes or his plans for a second term. They’re primarily paying attention to whether he can serve a second term. That’s the only reason they watched the debate.
Most of us agree that Joe Biden is, in fact, mentally and physically capable of serving another four years, and that it’s unfair to judge his entire career on one misstep onstage.
But still, that was the certainty Americans needed on debate night, the vote of confidence they needed to enthusiastically support a second term for Biden, and even you would admit they didn’t get it.
Unfortunately, once that bad impression is made, it is impossible to change it. An energetic appearance at an election rally While we can’t conjure up images of an inspiring 2024 State of the Union address the next day, or hope for a better outcome in the second debate, nothing can erase the painful memory of what we all saw on June 27th, pitting a dishonest but energetic man against a sincere but incoherent man.
As you have said many times, this is the most important election of our lifetimes, because so much is at stake: the Constitution, the rule of law, the freedoms we fought so hard to protect, and our very democracy. We cannot risk letting Donald Trump anywhere near the Oval Office again. Until last week, we knew Joe Biden could avert that disaster. But not anymore.
So I need you to convince your husband that the only way forward now is to accept reality. Most Americans no longer believe he can beat Donald Trump. So he must step aside and declare an open convention so the Democrats can nominate a young, strong candidate who can beat Trump. Saving the country is more important than saving Joe Biden’s political career.
Please, Mrs. Biden, convey that urgent message to the President. Only you can do that.
Bill Press is the host of “The Bill Press Pod” and author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”
