Georgia’s largest newspaper calls on Joe Biden to quit race ‘immediately’

Just one day after the New York Times urged President Joe Biden to quit the race, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), Georgia’s largest newspaper, has now called on Biden to withdraw “immediately” from the 2024 presidential race.

In a strongly worded editorial published on Saturday, the AJC The editorial board urged Biden to step down as Democratic nominee before November.

The newspaper’s editorial board stressed the urgency of its call, saying: “It will take a massive and unprecedented series of legal and regulatory actions to get a Biden successor nominated and on every state’s ballot. This is difficult and necessary work that must begin immediately.”

The call comes in the wake of what many observers described as a lackluster performance by the outgoing president during his clash with former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening in Atlanta, Georgia.

The committee wrote that Biden “has shown a greater ability to tell the truth than his opponent,” but added: “the sad truth is that Biden should withdraw from the race, for the sake of the nation he has so admirably served for half a century. »

“In Thursday night’s excruciating 90-minute forum, the president failed to convey a competent and coherent vision for America’s future,” the editorial board continued. “He failed to outline the most fundamental aspects of his agenda. He failed to take credit for the significant accomplishments of his three and a half years in office.”

The context

Biden, 81, has struggled to allay concerns about his age and mental acuity to remain in office for another four years. Throughout the debate, Biden’s performance was marked by verbal missteps and a visibly strained voice. The president, who has long stuttered, appeared to have more difficulty than usual in speaking.

Asked about Biden’s condition during the debate, a member of his team said: News week that the president was battling a cold.

The editorial addressed this issue directly: “President Biden’s surrogates have tried to brush off his debate performance. Aides have claimed he has a cold. Vice President Kamala Harris has argued that the leader of the free world should be evaluated on his entire presidency, not just one. Former President Barack Obama took to social media and said, ‘Bad debate nights happen.’ These responses are insulting to the American people.”

What we know

THE AJC The editorial board offered praise as well as criticism of Biden in its opinion piece. The newspaper acknowledged his achievements but argued that his age became a major concern: “It wasn’t a bad night; It was confirmation of the worst fears of some of Biden’s most ardent supporters – that after 36 years in the US Senate, eight In addition to a term as vice president and a term in the White House, age finally caught up with him.”

The council even drew a parallel with George Washington’s decision not to seek a third term, quoting his farewell address: “Every day the increasing weight of years warns me more and more that the shadow of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome.”

The editorial also describes Trump as a significant threat to democracy, stating: “Trump has already hinted at what his second term might look like. He has spoken of his desire to seek “revenge” on his political opponents, and he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity at a town hall last year that he would be a dictator on the first day of his presidency (but only the first day).”

News week sent an email to the Biden and Trump campaigns on Saturday seeking comment.

Views

THE AJC The editorial likely drew mixed reactions from Democratic Party officials and voters in Georgia, given the state’s prominence as a battleground in recent elections.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms hit back at the X-rated newspaper after it gave reasons why Trump should not run for president: “With all due respect @ajc please continue to cover the news instead of trying to succeed and let the voters decide.”

Rep. Nikema Williams, a Democrat representing Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, also reached out to X, responding to the op-ed’s report, writing, “Biden had a bad debate night, but he was a damn good president. Trump lied all night AND was a bad president for 4 years, has 34 felony convictions, and is a racist with no moral compass — but the @ajc is okay with him running?”

In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally convicted and faces three other criminal charges as he runs for re-election.

And after

“The Democratic voters chose Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the nominee,” Michael Tyler, Biden’s campaign communications director, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday.

The Democratic National Committee is scheduled to meet on August 19 to formally nominate its presidential candidate. President Biden is scheduled to face former President Trump again on September 10 in a debate hosted by ABC News.