A day after the election debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the editorial committee of the influential liberal New York Times called on the US president to withdraw from the race for the White House. Meanwhile, Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler announced that the president is not considering such a step and plans to participate in the next debate. The president himself also announced further fighting.
On Thursday it took place first debate of US presidential candidates – a Democrat, the current head of state, Joe Biden, and a Republican, former president Donald Trump. During the 90-minute conversation, the candidates argued, among other things: on abortion issues, Inflationforeign policy. However, both often strayed from the topic, jumping from one thread to another and often exchanging sharp accusations and invectives. The media and commentators almost unanimously agreed that Biden did not do the best in this clash.
Joe Biden performed badly in the debateJustyna Zuber/Fakty o Świecie TVN24 BiS
An appeal to Biden
An editorial published Friday evening and titled “For the good of the country, President Biden should withdraw from the race,” said Biden “was a shadow of a leader” in Thursday's debate.
“Mr. Biden was an admirable president. Under his rule, the country prospered and began to address a series of long-term challenges. But the greatest public service he could do today would be to announce that he would not participate in the elections,” the editorial wrote.
Debate Between Joe Biden and Donald TrumpPAP/EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
During Thursday's debate, Biden often seemed lost, stuttered, confused millions with billions, spoke softly and sometimes incomprehensibly, sometimes didn't finish sentences and stared blankly into space.
The editorial committee of “NYT” consists of leading journalists and commentators of the daily. Earlier, a similar view was expressed in the NYT by writer and publicist Thomas Friedman.
“I still know I can do this job”
Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler also said Friday that the president is not considering dropping out of the race. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that there are no discussions within the president's campaign about withdrawing his candidacy. He added that Biden plans to participate in the second debate, scheduled for Sept. 10, hosted by ABC.
Tyler responded to calls from liberal commentators and activists for Biden to drop his re-election bid after his sharply criticized performance in Thursday's debate.
President Biden himself referred to his weakness in the duel with Trump on Friday during an election rally in North Carolina. At the same time, he announced that he did not intend to stop fighting. – I know I'm not young. I know I don't walk as easily as I used to. I know I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I know I'm not as good at debating as I used to be (…) But I still know I can do this job, he said.
On the same day, Biden received assurances of continued support from his Democratic predecessors as president – Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Biden spoke after the debate. He says what he's going to doTVN24
Trump on “great victory”
Trump, in turn, appeared at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he declared a “huge victory” in the debate and mocked Biden's performance, saying he “prepared so well he didn't know what the hell he was saying.”
However, he stated that Biden's problem is not age but “incompetence” and pointed out that other Democrats who could potentially replace the president as the Democratic candidate do not have better ratings in pollsthan Biden.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/EDWARD M. PIO RODA