The New York Times opinion section did not stand in President Joe Biden’s favor after his performance during Thursday night’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
The president spoke in a raspy voice and appeared to trail off from questioning throughout the debate, driving Democrats and the liberal media into a panic. The 81-year-old’s performance beside the energetic former president has further indicated to voters that he is not fit to serve a second term.
The Times published headlines Friday morning calling on the president to step down from the 2024 race. Twelve writers ranked the candidates’ performances and came to an overall conclusion that Trump left the debate victorious.
One of those twelve writers, John Barro, said Biden “failed at his key task” by proving to voters he is still fit to serve a second term. Most of the writers, including David French, said Trump won the debate by a landslide.
“It was a debacle for Biden,” Times opinion writer Lydia Polgreen said. “He was barely audible at times. He flubbed answers on his strongest issues, from abortion to democracy. Trump just lied, lied and lied, and no one — certainly not the moderators and, worse, not even Biden — rebutted him in the smallest way. Trump blustered and glowered. He attacked Biden viciously and looked like a bully. This is the choice Americans are facing. This was a disaster for America.”
The New York Times opinion section sure isn’t standing in Biden’s favor now pic.twitter.com/Res6CBZn4h
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) June 28, 2024
“Biden’s demeanor and performance were so unsettling that they overwhelmed nearly every other factor. True debate on substance was rendered nearly impossible,” writer Kristen Soltis Anderson said.
Three opinion writers wrote a headline titled, “After the Debate: ‘I Don’t Think Joe Biden Should Be Running,'” which described the panic among Democrats due to Biden’s “raspy” and “crisp” portrayal on the debate stage.
“This was the worst. I think we should just say Biden is too old to be running for president of the United States,” “Matter of Opinion” podcast host Ross Douthat said. “You could say he has a cold, which I think was put out. I myself have a cold at the moment. I’ve had one for a little while. It’s a bad cold. I’m also running on very little sleep because I have a newborn child. Still, I’m pretty sure that I am more equipped to be President of the United States than Joe Biden based on that performance.”
Opinion columnist Thomas Friedman said the debate drove him to “weep,” lamenting to say the president “has no business running for re-election.” He called on the Democrats to choose a new candidate at the Democratic National Convention to save their chances of defeating Trump in November. (RELATED: Joy Reid Says Democrats Are ‘Approaching Panic’ By Biden’s ‘Extremely Weak’ Debate Performance)
“I had been ready to give Biden the benefit of the doubt up to now, because during the times I engaged with him one on one, I found him up to the job. He clearly is not any longer,” Friedman wrote. “His family and his staff had to have known that. They have been holed up at Camp David preparing for this momentous debate for days now. If that is the best performance they could summon from him, it’s time for Joe to keep the dignity he deserves and leave the stage at the end of this term.”
“If he does, everyday Americans will hail Joe Biden for doing what Donald Trump would never do — put the country before himself,” the column continued.
Contributing opinion writer Frank Bruni argued Biden proved himself “incapable” to take advantage of Trump’s alleged lies. He described his “frozen” demeanor and inability to finish a sentence several times throughout the night.
“But from the moment the debate began, he seemed unsteady. Off. His expression was often frozen. His voice was often flat. He garbled words. He corrected himself midsentence, over and over again. He’d clearly memorized key talking points — key phrases — but he repeatedly used them without providing adequate context, swerved from one to another without any transition, halted sentences before they reached their destination, started sentences without giving them any bearings.”
Liberal pundits acknowledged Biden’s disastrous performance and his failure to give Democratic voters hope he can serve four more years. Voters expressed distrust of Biden’s ability to be in office in several polls throughout his presidency, citing his age and mental capacity.
Biden’s aides immediately told the corporate media the president spoke in a raspy voice due to a cold. His team never mentioned any illnesses prior to the debate.
