Just a day after the New York Times urged President Joe Biden to leave the race, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC), Georgia’s largest newspaper, has now called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race “immediately.”
In a strongly worded op-ed published Saturday, the AJC’s editorial board urged Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee before November.
The newspaper’s editorial board emphasized the urgency of their plea, stating, “Doing this will require a massive and unprecedented string of legal and regulatory actions to get a Biden successor named and placed on each state’s ballot. This is difficult and necessary work that must start immediately.”
This call comes in the wake of what many observers described as a lackluster debate performance by the incumbent during Thursday night’s face-off with former President Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia.
The board wrote that Biden “has shown a greater capacity to tell the truth than his opponent,” but added, “the unfortunate truth is that Biden should withdraw from the race, for the good of the nation he has served so admirably for half a century.”
“Throughout the excruciating 90-minute forum Thursday night, the president failed to convey a competent and coherent vision for the future of America,” the editorial board continued. “He failed to outline the most fundamental aspects of his platform. He failed to take credit for the significant accomplishments of his 3½ years in office.”
The Context
Biden, 81, has struggled to quash concerns regarding his age and mental acuity to serve another four years in office. Throughout the debate, Biden’s performance was marked by verbal missteps and a noticeably strained voice. The president, who has long managed a stutter, appeared to struggle more than usual with his delivery.
When questioned about Biden’s condition during the debate, a member of his staff told Newsweek that the president had been battling a cold.
The op-ed addressed this directly: “President Biden’s surrogates attempted to brush off the debate performance. Aides claimed he had a cold. Vice President Kamala Harris argued the leader of the free world should be evaluated on the totality of his presidency, not one night. Former President Barack Obama took to social media and said, ‘Bad debate nights happen.’ These responses are insulting to the American people.”
The AJC Editorial Board is publishing a front page editorial Sunday calling on President Joe Biden to step aside after Thursday’s debate in Atlanta. In an impassioned campaign rally on Friday, Biden tried to convince American voters that his alarming performance on a debate stage… pic.twitter.com/CwyRWVQxNL
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) June 29, 2024
What We Know
The AJC editorial board had praise as well as criticism for Biden in its op-ed. The newspaper acknowledged his accomplishments but argued that his age has become a significant concern: “This 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 U.S. Senate, eight more as vice president and a term in the White House, age has finally caught up to him.”
The board even drew a parallel to George Washington’s decision not to seek a third term, quoting from his farewell address: “Every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome.”
The op-ed also described Trump as a significant threat to democracy, stating: “Trump has already hinted at what his second term might look like. He has spoken of a desire to seek ‘revenge’ against his political opponents, and he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in a town hall last year that he would be a dictator on day one of his presidency (but only on day one).”
Newsweek sent an email to Biden and Trump’s campaign Saturday seeking comment.
Views
The AJC’s editorial has likely elicited mixed reactions from Democratic Party officials and voters in Georgia, given the state’s importance as a battleground in recent elections.
Former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, fired back at the newspaper on X after giving reasons why Trump shouldn’t run for president, “With all due respect @ajc, please stick to covering the news instead of trying to make it and let the voters decide.”
Congresswoman Nikema Williams, a Democrat representing Georgia’s Fifth District, also took to X, to respond to the report of the op-ed, writing, “Biden had a bad debate night, but he’s been a damn good President. Trump lied the entire night AND was a bad President for 4 years, has 34 felony convictions & is a racist with no moral compass— but the @ajc is good with him running?”
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May. He is the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally convicted and is facing three other criminal indictments while running for reelection.
What’s Next
“The Democratic voters nominated Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the nominee,” Michael Tyler, the communications director for Biden’s campaign told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday.
The Democratic National Committee is set to convene on August 19 to make its official presidential nomination. President Biden is scheduled to face off against former president Trump again on September 10 in a debate hosted by ABC News.
