(NewsNation) — The New York Times editorial board says it’s time for President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race.
“The greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election,” the editorial released online Friday evening said.
Biden’s halting debate performance Thursday night showed him to be “the shadow of a great public servant,” said the Times.
“There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency,” said the paper. “It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr. Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes.”
The Biden campaign quickly responded to the editorial.
“The last time Joe Biden lost the New York Times editorial board’s endorsement it turned out pretty well for him,” campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said. In 2020, the Times took the unusual step of endorsing two candidates during the fight for the Democratic nomination: Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Biden acknowledged his poor debate performance at a Friday rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.” Biden said.
One of the Times’ highest-profile columnists, Thomas Friedman, made the same call earlier Friday.
“Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for re-election,” Friedman wrote.
Another high-profile columnist also called on the president to leave the race.
“Biden needs to step aside, for the sake of his own dignity, for the good of his party, for the future of the country,” wrote Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic. “This debacle of a debate was a low point. It needs to be a turning point.”
“He had a bad first quarter, but the game’s not over,” responded Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., during his appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “The performance last night I’ve never seen before, and I kinda doubt that I’ll see it again.”
Also Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said “our nominee is Joe Biden, I’m looking forward to voting for him in November.” Newsom also dismissed questions about whether he would consider replacing Biden, telling reporters, “I will never turn my back on him.”
Before the Times editorial was released, former President Donald Trump jumped on Biden’s debate performance, saying Democrats have no better choices while calling the Democratic incumbent “the most incompetent president” in U.S. history.
There is no evidence Biden is willing to end his campaign. It would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside. Almost every Democratic National Convention delegate is pledged to Biden under the party’s bylaws.
The Times’ call for Biden to exit the race comes with a caveat: “If the race comes down to a choice between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, the sitting president would be this board’s unequivocal pick. That is how much of a danger Mr. Trump poses.
“It is the best chance to protect the soul of the nation — the cause that drew Mr. Biden to run for the presidency in 2019 — from the malign warping of Mr. Trump. And it is the best service that Mr. Biden can provide to a country that he has nobly served for so long,” the editorial concluded.
The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this story.