The New York Times editorial board is calling on Joe Biden to drop out out of the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous debate against Donald Trump on Thursday.
The CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta, Ga. was Biden’s opportunity to show voters he is still fit to lead amid questions about his age and mental competency.
However, the president failed to do that, instead his performance throughout the 90 minute debate worsened Democratic fears that he is not the man for the moment heading into a crucial election where democracy is on the ballot.
“At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term. Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago,” the editors wrote.
“The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations,” they continued. “He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.”
The editors said if Biden does not drop out, the board would endorse him over Trump. But, they went on to call Biden’s candidacy a “reckless gamble” saying there are other “Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency.”
“It is the best chance to protect the soul of the nation — the cause that drew Mr. Biden to run for the presidency in 2019 — from the malign warping of Mr. Trump,” the editors wrote. “And it is the best service that Mr. Biden can provide to a country that he has nobly served for so long.”
