To the Editor:
Regarding “Defiant Biden Says Only ‘God Almighty’ Can Kick Him Out of Race” (nytimes.com, July 5):
Anyone with older loved ones knows there are good days and bad days, which is why President Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos means nothing in the grand scheme of things.
We’ve already seen plenty of evidence in interviews that both Biden and Donald Trump could slip into age-related incoherence at any time. Majorities of Americans have repeatedly said in polls that they don’t want Biden or Trump to be re-elected. The stakes in the next election couldn’t be higher.
The longer Democrats continue to force Biden upon us, the more certain it becomes that Trump will win and the loss of American democracy and the rule of law as we know it.
Jeff Crider
Palm Desert, California
To the Editor:
George Stephanopoulos gave President Biden an opportunity to answer the questions clearly and sharply, but he failed.
When asked, “Did you watch the debate afterwards?” he replied, “I don’t think I did.”
The debate was the most important public event of his campaign, yet he didn’t know if he had seen the replay! The answer revealed memory problems and perhaps confusion about what answers would be treated, so he gave no answer to the yes or no question.
Biden will have to undergo immediate neurological and cognitive testing, the results of which will be made public. Poor results could require him to withdraw his candidacy, but it would also raise the question of whether he should step down from the presidency.
He can avoid that scenario by withdrawing now, avoiding further traumatizing the country by simply showing that he is not strong enough to serve as both a candidate and president.
Sidney Wiseman
Highland Park, Illinois
The author is a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University/Feinberg School of Medicine.
To the Editor:
The most hilarious example of Donald Trump’s galactic ego was displayed in his astonishing claim that “I alone can fix this!”
But in an interview with George Stephanopoulos, President Biden essentially said, “I’m the only one who can beat Donald Trump!” and his closest advisers appear co-dependent on this fanciful claim.
Democrats are blessed with a fantastic roster of elected officials ready and able to defeat Trump, and excited voters across the political spectrum are eager to feel the enthusiasm and optimism to get behind a new team of candidates.
Now is the time for a dramatic restoration of democracy in America. Paradoxically, Joe Biden is the only person who can make it happen — but only by standing back to make it happen.
Elliot Daly
Princeton, New Jersey
To the Editor:
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, President Biden said, “If the Almighty God came down and said, ‘Joe, step down from the election,’ I would step down from the election. The Almighty God is not going to come down.”
What if Almighty God had already told the President to withdraw from the election, and the President didn’t realize it was a call from Almighty God? I, and many of the 50 million+ people who watched the June 27 presidential debate, heard Almighty God say just that. Apparently, the President and Jill Biden didn’t get it.
Lord, try again. How about a more direct approach?
Jim Bellis
Kfar Vradim, Israel
