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As President Joe Biden steadfastly insists he will remain the Democratic nominee to prevent Donald Trump from reclaiming office, The New York Times Editorial Board has intensified its plea for him to withdraw from the race. The board urged Democrats on Monday to “tell him that he is embarrassing himself and endangering his legacy.”
Biden’s faltering debate performance in Atlanta has led The Times and other media outlets to call for his withdrawal. On June 28, the editorial board wrote, “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.”
On Monday, the board implored Democrats to reconsider their support for Biden. “From the grassroots to the highest levels of the party, Democrats who want to defeat Mr. Trump in November should speak plainly to Mr. Biden,” the editorial board stated. “They need to tell him that his defiance threatens to hand victory to Mr. Trump. They need to tell him that he is embarrassing himself and endangering his legacy.
He needs to hear, plain and clear, that he is no longer an effective spokesman for his own priorities.” The board emphasized the need for a candidate who can “stand up” to Trump and present an alternative vision. Additionally, Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia recently remarked that the president has “trouble putting two sentences together,” echoing the board’s concerns.
Beyer’s assessment follows special counsel Robert Hur’s earlier description of Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Despite acknowledging Biden’s “impressive record,” the board argued that the stakes were too high not to consider a change. “The question confronting voters is not whether Mr. Biden has been an effective president, but whether he can beat Mr. Trump in November and govern effectively thereafter,” the board asserted.
On the Republican front, the board labeled Trump “manifestly unfit to serve as president” and urged him to drop out as well, citing his cognitive deficiencies and persistent dishonesty. Describing Trump as the “worst president in modern American history,” the editorial board warned of a potentially more unrestrained Trump administration, with threats such as the weaponization of the Justice Department and increased assaults on women’s reproductive rights.
“His belligerent, erratic, go-it-alone approach to foreign policy will undermine the nation’s interests and its security, encouraging Vladimir Putin and other authoritarians around the globe,” the board cautioned. The editorial sparked a strong response online, with some critics arguing it is “too late” to make a change and others defending Biden’s performance. “No, this ridiculous talk of replacing him and disenfranchising PRIMARY VOTERS is the freaking problem,” wrote @TSoulrebel671 on X.
“You guys looking forward to being a target of Trump’s retribution? Cos it looks like that’s what you want,” @dj_ewi commented to The Times. “This is ridiculous and it’s too late to change without disenfranchising voters,” wrote @BillLiley. “We are not voting for a personality like the people of a cult. We are voting for an administration, of good people who value the rights of all people protecting democracy. This is not a normal election!”
“Biden has one bad debate and some of you want to see the death certificate,” said @MayberryDo94345. “Trump tells lies and makes word salad every day where are your calls for him to step aside?”
