New York Times calls on Biden to abandon campaign in editorial

The New York Times Editorial Board is calling on President Joe Biden to leave the race for the White House following his performance in the New York presidential debate. CNN .

“The President appeared Thursday night as a shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Donald Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures, and his frightening plans. More than once, he struggled to finish a sentence,” the Council wrote. It continued: “The greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for reelection.”

There are Democratic leaders who would be a “compelling and forceful” alternative to Trump, the Council said.

“There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s shortcomings and Mr. Biden’s. It is too big a gamble to simply expect Americans to ignore or disregard Mr. Biden’s age and frailty that they see with their own eyes,” the Times said.

The Council goes on to say that it will still support Biden as its “unequivocal choice” if the choice remains between him and former President Donald Trump, but said the president is “not the man he was four years ago” and called it a “reckless gamble ” Biden’s justification for running.

Biden campaign responds

President Joe Biden’s campaign has pushed back against the New York Times Editorial Board’s call for the president to drop out of the 2024 race following his debate performance.

“The last time Joe Biden lost the support of the New York Times editorial board, things ended up going very well for him,” a senior aide told CNN .

The Times had endorsed two 2020 Democratic presidential candidates: Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren.