President Biden insisted Thursday he’s not stepping aside despite pressure to exit the presidential race after last week’s disastrous debate, which highlighted concerns about his mental and physical fitness to continue the job.
It’s not just donors, commentators, and some Democrat lawmakers who are urging him to bow out of the race, even liberal media which for years defended Biden, 81, on these issues, is now turning on him.
One recent—and brutal—example of this came from The Economist’s July 4 cover, which featured a walker with the presidential seal on it and the words, “No way to run a country.”
The corresponding piece by the editorial board argued Biden is “unfit” to be president.
"It was agony to watch a befuddled old man struggling to recall words and facts. His inability to land an argument against a weak opponent was dispiriting. But the operation by his campaign to deny what tens of millions of Americans saw with their own eyes is more toxic than either, because its dishonesty provokes contempt."
The board continues, "Democrats argue, rightly, that Mr Trump is unfit to be president. But the debate and its aftermath have proved Mr Biden unfit, too. First, because of his mental decline. Mr Biden can still appear dynamic during short, scripted appearances. But you cannot run a superpower by autocue. And you cannot put an international crisis on hold because the president is having a bad night.”
"Should someone who cannot finish a sentence about Medicare be trusted with the nuclear codes?" the outlet wondered.
The presidential debate was awful for Joe Biden, but the cover-up has been worse. The dishonesty of his campaign provokes contempt. He must withdraw https://t.co/WRijh0GgBX pic.twitter.com/5GK1oaI2wS
— The Economist US (@EconUS) July 4, 2024
The Economist wakes up 4+ years late pic.twitter.com/56QGBkaT4M
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 4, 2024
Oh my, The Economist cover is brutal. 💀😬 pic.twitter.com/vLLXglNNji
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 4, 2024
Was The Economist reporting on Biden's condition before the debate, when it was every bit as obvious as it is now? https://t.co/52IEknI0H3
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) July 4, 2024
The editorial board’s position follows similar pieces from The New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Boston Globe.