NYT editorial board urges Biden to withdraw his candidacy after disastrous Atlanta debate

The editorial board of The New York Times has just asked President Joe Biden to withdraw his presidential candidacy after his questionable performance in the debate against Donald Trump hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Ga.

In a blunt and Democratic-biased opinion, the NYT board highlighted that Biden, despite the criticism, has been an "admirable president," but he needs to step aside in the face of the "threat" to democracy posed by Trump.

"Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal," noted the NYT editorial board, which has supported Democratic candidates for the past 68 years. "But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election."

The NYT board later noted that the president is taking "a reckless gamble."

"There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency. There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr. Biden. 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 board noted, which further noted that the Democratic president failed his own test of challenging Trump to debate to prove he is physically and mentally fit for the most important office in the U.S. and probably the world.

"It should be remembered that Mr. Biden challenged Mr. Trump to this verbal duel. He set the rules, and he insisted on a date months earlier than any previous general election debate. He understood that he needed to address longstanding public concerns about his mental acuity and that he needed to do so as soon as possible," the editorial read. "The truth Mr. Biden needs to confront now is that he failed his own test."

In closing, the NYT board stated what, for them, is the path Democrats must follow to defeat Trump in November: recognize that Biden can no longer be the nominee and find a replacement in record time.

"The clearest path for Democrats to defeat a candidate defined by his lies is to deal truthfully with the American public: acknowledge that Mr. Biden can’t continue his race, and create a process to select someone more capable to stand in his place to defeat Mr. Trump in November."

The NYT editorial board's tendentious stance should come as no surprise: the last time they endorsed a Republican presidential candidate was in 1956, when they backed the re-election of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Since then, the newspaper has only endorsed Democratic candidates in presidential elections.

While the NYT editorial is generating a lot of reactions from analysts, media and journalists, there was one eye-catching response that stood out.  Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman, had little praise for the New York paper and posted a screenshot of the editorial with the words: "Fuck that."