‘New York Times’ Editorial Board Calls On Democratic Leadership To Urge Biden To Withdraw

In a post published Tuesday, the New York Times editorial board countered President Joe Biden‘s defense of his candidacy, explicitly urging Democratic leadership to reject Biden and instead rally around a new nominee to unite against former President Donald Trump.

In a new version of its original call for Biden to withdraw following his weak debate performance last week, the board criticized the ongoing “whisper campaign” within the party as insufficient, describing Biden not just as “defiant” and “floundering,” but as “a man in decline” attempting to evade the reality that he is an unappealing candidate.

“[Democrats] need to tell [Biden] that he is embarrassing himself and endangering his legacy,” the 14-member board wrote. “He needs to hear, plain and clear, that he is no longer an effective spokesman for his own priorities.”

Within the article, the board dismantled nearly every argument put forth by Biden and his allies over the past two weeks.

Regarding the argument that three years as president outweigh a 90-minute debate, they responded, “Past performance is no guarantee for future results.”

Addressing the concern that rejecting Biden would disregard millions of primary votes, they advocated listening to the “much larger group” expressing concerns in the polls.

Finally, dismissing the notion that focusing on Biden detracts from defeating Trump, the board emphasized that ensuring victory is precisely why concerns about Biden’s “decline” matter to Americans.

The board argued that Biden has not demonstrated that his shaky tone and hoarse voice during the debate was an isolated incident.

They pointed to his “scripted and controlled” appearances, such as recent radio interviews, and his unscripted moments, such as the ABC News interview, which “offered little comfort.”

The board further elaborated on several arguments from its initial op-ed written shortly after the debate, which was among the first to call for Biden to withdraw.

In its Tuesday piece, the board condemned Trump as a threat to democracy, citing his “cognitive deficiencies and incessant lying,” however, it argued that Biden’s refusal to acknowledge his age-related limitations was overshadowing these concerns.

“He does not seem to understand that he is now the problem – and that the best hope for Democrats to retain the White House is for him to step aside,” it wrote.

The board directly addressed Democratic leadership, mentioning Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

It also referenced Rep. Don Beyer‘s (D-Virginia) reported remarks to colleagues that the president “really has trouble putting two sentences together.”

“[Biden] is engaging in a staring contest with Democratic leaders, and he appears to be winning,” the board wrote.

However, the piece did not advocate for a specific candidate to replace Biden.

In response to the New York Times article, which endorsed Biden for president in the 2020 general election but not in the Democratic primary, Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster remarked: “The last time Joe Biden lost the New York Times editorial board’s endorsement it turned out pretty well for him.”

The editorial board’s reaffirmation of its post-debate call for Biden to withdraw indicates that the columnists, donors and elected officials spearheading the opposition to the president are standing firm, despite widespread Democratic support following Biden’s announcement last week that he will stay in the race.