The New York Times editorial board has called on President Biden to halt his campaign following his shaky performance in Thursday’s debate with former President Trump.
“Biden says he is the candidate most likely to confront and defeat this threat of tyranny. His claim is based in large part on the fact that he beat Trump in 2020.” the committee wrote. “That’s no longer enough of a reason why Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year.”
Biden, 81, appeared on the debate stage in Atlanta with a raspy voice and a slight cough. Questions about his age and mental health have been thorns in his campaign, and the debate was seen as an opportunity for him to show he was still capable of serving the nation.
His performance sparked widespread horror among Democrats and reignited debate about whether Biden should step aside and let someone else take on Trump.
Biden’s campaign and the White House have insisted he will not resign. The Times said it’s clear Biden is a different man than he was four years ago, calling him “a shadow of a great public servant.”
“He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term; struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations; struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, mistakes and terrible plans,” the Times reported. “More than once, he struggled to finish a sentence.”
“There is no reason for the party to endanger the stability and security of the nation by forcing voters to choose between Trump’s shortcomings and Biden’s shortcomings,” the committee said.
Still, he said the committee would support him over Trump if Biden doesn’t withdraw.
The committee argued that while seeking a new candidate this late in the campaign is not a decision to be made lightly, it reflects the seriousness of the threat that Trump poses to American democracy.
Similarly, The Economist said: The paper argued that Biden should step aside and make way for someone new, reiterating a statement the paper made in November 2022 saying Biden should not seek reelection. The Economist argued on Friday that Biden’s “last and greatest public act” would be to halt his campaign.
Biden tried to calm panic after Thursday’s misstep by campaigning in North Carolina and delivering a more energetic speech on Friday, but the Times argued that wasn’t enough to save him.
“Biden answered an urgent question Thursday night, and it was not the answer he and his supporters were hoping for. But if the risk of Trump’s reelection is as great as he says – and we agree that it is – then given his commitment to this country, he and his party are left with only one choice.”
The Times reported that canceling the campaign rally was “the highest service Mr. Biden can do to the country he has so nobly served for so many years.”
