Joe Biden Savaged by New York Times Editorial Board: 'Leave the Race'

The New York Times editorial board has joined calls for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee before November.

An op-ed published by the newspaper Friday was in reaction to the president's performance during the first presidential debate of the 2024 season the night prior, where Biden faced former President Donald Trump since the first time the two candidates ran for office in 2020.

The editorial board wrote that Biden "has said that he is the candidate with the best chance of taking on" the "threat" the Trump poses to American democracy, and acknowledged the president's victory four years ago over the presumptive GOP nominee.

"His argument rests largely on the fact that he beat Mr. Trump in 2020," read the op-ed. "That is no longer a sufficient rationale for why Mr. Biden should be the Democratic nominee this year."

"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," the editorial border continued. "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 essay was titled, "To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race."

The Context

Biden, 81, had a hard time squashing concerns regarding his age and cognitive ability to serve another four years after Thursday's appearance. The president, who has a well-known stutter, struggled through several gaffes throughout the night, and his voice appeared low and raspy early on. A Biden aide told Newsweek that the president was suffering from a cold.

Calls for Biden to step down from the race have come from several sources, including some progressive members of the Democratic Party. Other liberal commentators, such as The Atlantic columnist Mark Leibovich, called the president's performance a "disaster."

Michael Tyler, the communications director for Biden's campaign, said Friday that there have been "no conversations about that whatsoever" about the president ending his reelection bid.

"The Democratic voters nominated Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the nominee," Tyler told reporters aboard Air Force One.

What We Know

The Times editorial board had an equal amount of praise as it did criticism for Biden in its essay, writing that he "has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal."

"But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election," read the op-ed.

The board also described Trump as "a significant jeopardy" to democracy and said that the "stakes" are far too high in November for Biden to continue to run.

"If the race comes down to a choice between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, the sitting president would be this board's unequivocal pick," the board wrote. "That is how much of a danger Mr. Trump poses. But given that very danger, the stakes for the country and the uneven abilities of Mr. Biden, the United States needs a stronger opponent to the presumptive Republican nominee."

Views

The Times' op-ed garnered backlash from several notable commentators. Mark Jacob, former editor metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Did the New York Times call on Trump to leave the race after he was convicted of 34 felonies? I don't remember seeing that."

"We get it. You didn't get your interview," wrote Brett Meisela, co-founder of the liberal news outlet MeidasTouch. "Get over it. Btw, where's your op-ed telling Trump to drop out for being a convicted felon, or trying to overthrow our democracy, or being an adjudicated rapist?"

Progressive commentator Mehdi Hasan responded to reports of the Times' op-ed as well, writing, "I don't disagree with any of this but every paper should be calling on Trump to stand down for being... a convicted criminal."

Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in May. He is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally convicted and is facing three other criminal indictments while running for reelection.

The former president, who turned 78 earlier this month, has also faced questions regarding his age and mental capacity. His debate performance on Thursday was criticized for being filled with false statements and attacks against his political opponents.

Newsweek sent an email to Biden's campaign Friday seeking comment on calls for the president to be replaced.

What's Next?

The Democratic National Committee will gather on August 19 to make its official presidential nomination. Biden is scheduled to face off against Trump again on September 10 in a debate hosted by ABC News.

Update 06/28/24, 8:10 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.