“Biden has been a fine president,” the unsigned opinion piece, typical of articles that collectively represent the editorial board’s judgment, said. “Under his leadership, the country has thrived, begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds torn by Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public good Biden can do now is to announce that he will not run for reelection.”
The Biden campaign denied the editorial, citing an incident in which the committee ignored Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, which Biden won.
“The last time Joe Biden lost the endorsement of the New York Times editorial board, it turned out pretty well for him,” Cedric L. Richmond, co-chair of the Biden campaign, said in a statement.
The editorial board passed on Biden in the 2020 primaries, endorsing his two opponents, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (R-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (R-Mass.), but ended up backing Biden in the general election against Trump.
It’s not too late for Democrats to replace Biden, but that would depend on him first agreeing to step down – something he has given no public indication he is considering.
Biden tried to allay concerns about his candidacy at a post-debate rally in North Carolina early Friday. The 81-year-old Biden told supporters in Raleigh that he knows he’s “not young, obviously.”
“I’m not as good at debating as I used to be, but I know what I know. I know how to tell the truth,” Biden said. “I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job.”
Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler also denied that the president was considering resigning.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone about that,” Tyler told reporters aboard Air Force One. “The Democratic voters nominated Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the nominee.”
The Washington Post’s editorial board wrote in a Friday afternoon op-ed that Biden’s debate performance “raises legitimate questions about whether he can serve another four years in the world’s toughest job,” but did not explicitly call for him to resign.
But Post columnist David Ignatius wrote on Friday that “it’s been clear for almost a year that President Biden should not run for a second term.” In September, Ignatius called on Biden not to seek reelection.
