After the first round of the U.S. presidential debate ended on June 27 local time, in the past two days, a number of well-known U.S. media, including the New York Times and the Atlanta Constitution, have published opinion articles, pointing out that the incumbent President Biden should withdraw from this year's election for the sake of national interests and in order to defeat former President Trump. Biden's campaign has pushed back harshly against those comments.
Trump (left) and Joe Biden (right) have the first round of presidential debates on June 27
On the 28th, the editorial board of the New York Times published an opinion piece entitled "In order to serve the country, President Biden should withdraw from the campaign". At the outset, Biden repeatedly pointed out that this year's election is "about the future of American democracy" and that Trump "has proven himself to be a major threat to democracy — a capricious, self-serving figure who does not deserve the public's trust."
Biden then wrote that he believes he is the candidate with the best chance of defeating Trump, an argument based largely on the fact that he won the 2020 election, while the current first round of debate has revealed a "very obvious fact: Biden is not what he was four years ago." During the debate, Biden "struggled to explain what he will accomplish in his second term." He struggled to respond to Trump's provocations. He worked hard to hold Trump accountable for his lies, failures, and chilling plans. More than once he struggled to finish his sentence. ”
The editorial board of the New York Times published an opinion piece calling on Biden to withdraw from the race
Immediately after, the New York Times appealed, "The greatest public service Biden can do right now is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election." ”
"For now, the president is taking a reckless gamble. Democratic leaders are better equipped to come up with clear, convincing and forceful alternatives to Trump's second presidency. There is no reason for the Democrats to risk the country's stability and security by forcing voters to choose between the respective inadequacies of Trump and Biden. The stakes are too high to expect Americans to ignore or trivialize what they see firsthand as Biden is old and frail. ”
The New York Times editorial board went on to say that if the election ends up choosing between Trump and Biden, it will remain unequivocal in favor of Biden in light of the "Trump threat." "But given this danger, the risks to the country, and the instability of Biden's capabilities, the United States needs a stronger adversary than the Republican candidate. The decision to call on the Democrats to nominate a new candidate so late in the campaign is not a rash move, and it reflects the scale and gravity of Trump's challenge to American values and institutions, and Biden's inadequacy to stand up to him. ”
The editorial board of the Atlanta Constitution published an opinion piece calling on Biden to withdraw from the race
On the 29th, the editorial board of the Atlanta Constitution published an opinion piece entitled "It's Time for Biden to Pass the Torch", with the subtitle "In order to defeat Trump, for the good of the country, the president must withdraw from the election."
The article cites the example of George Washington, the first president of the United States, who "gracefully abdicated for the good of the country" at the age of 64, and "now, it is necessary for President Biden to retire." Biden's performance in the debate was "painful" and he said he "failed to convey a reasonable and coherent vision for America's future."
The article writes that Biden's aides, Vice President Harris, former Democratic President Barack Obama and others excused Biden's poor performance with colds, accidents and other reasons, "These responses are an insult to the American people." "It wasn't a bad night; It confirms what Biden's most ardent supporters fear most — that after 36 years in the U.S. Senate, eight years as vice president and one term in the White House, age has finally caught up with him. ”
"There are still four months to go before the general election. If he really wants to defeat Trump, he must pass the baton to the next generation of Democratic leaders and urge the party to nominate another candidate at the August convention in Chicago. Achieving this will require a series of large-scale, unprecedented legal and regulatory actions to identify Biden's successor and put it on the ballot in each state. This is a difficult but necessary job that must begin immediately. ”
In response to these questions, the Biden campaign team has also responded one after another.
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Biden campaign, said, "The last time Biden lost the support of the New York Times editorial board, the results were pretty good for him." The New York Times backed two other Democratic presidential candidates in 2020, but Biden ultimately won.
Keisha Lance Bortens, a senior campaign adviser to Biden and former mayor of Atlanta, harshly criticized the editorial board of the Atlanta Constitution, arguing that "voters should decide." "I can think of many reasons for a candidate to withdraw, including trying to violently overturn the election results, asking the secretary of state to add another 11,000 votes, felony convictions, sexual assault, and Fulton County indictments," she posted, alluding to Trump's legal battles. ”
(Editor: The Old Man and the Sea)