In the wake of Biden’s trainwreck performance during last week’s election debate, US, and global newspaper editorial boards have started to seriously question the Democrats plan to keep him as their presidential candidate.
The first debate from the two presidential hopefuls occurred on Thursday, 27 June, and was not a good showing for Biden. Trump’s strategy became clear as the debate began, and that was to attack, attack, and then attack some more, even if, or perhaps especially because, he could ignore uncomfortable questions from the moderators while doing so.
Biden however was stuck on the old formula of debate from a more civilised time when questions of policy and the answers you had regarding them mattered.
However in this day and age of reality TV politics, the appearance of confidence and strength matters more than actual ability to govern. Biden’s slow and sometimes halting responses only played into current perceptions of his age and ability to continue leading the US.
Trump on the other hand, often ignored all questions outright while flinging attack after attack at the floundering president, barely any of which had a connection to truth or policies.
While Trump spoke falsehoods with confidence, Biden was contrasted negatively as he spoke haltingly and in a meandering manner, even with the facts on his side.
In the wake of the debate, editorials across the world have chimed in on their take on the matter.
The Washington Post
“If President Biden had weekend plans, he should cancel them in favour of some soul-searching. His calamitous debate performance on Thursday raises legitimate questions about whether he’s up for another four years in the world’s toughest job. It’s incumbent on this incumbent to determine, in conversation with family and aides, whether continuing to seek reelection is in the best interests of the country.”
“Always a better talker, Mr. Trump tried gamely to make the most of a bad record, while Mr. Biden struggled to speak with authority about a presidency for which he could claim more credit than he is getting.”
The Wall Street Journal
“Well, that was painful—for the United States. President Biden’s halting, stumbling debate performance Thursday night showed all too clearly that he isn’t up to serving four more years in office. For the good of the country, more even than their party, Democrats have some hard thinking to do about whether they need to replace him at the top of their ticket”
The New York Times
“As it stands, the president is engaged in 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”
“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 truth Mr. Biden needs to confront now, is that he failed his own test.”
“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.”
In the aftermath
The conclusion that media across the world have come to, is that Biden needs to go.
Confidence in Joe Biden’s ability to prevent a second Trump term has dropped to an all time low, with many discussing who in fact could replace him as the democratic frontrunner. The only ones who remain confident are those in his campaign team.
Notwhere can be seen more clearly in the Guardians opinion piece, “It’s risky, but Joe Biden needs to give way to someone who can beat Donald Trump”, or in another even more bluntly titled piece, “The true losers of this presidential debate were the American people”
However, beyond things turning into a truly ugly scenario, it is unlikely that Biden will be forced to step down from his position as the democratic incumbent, nor has he given any indication he would do so willingly.
That has not stopped others from speculating on who could replace him, given a chance.
However it is important to know that should Biden step down, the democratic party could become a free for all as various democrats would compete for the nomination. However it is possible that if Biden were to step down, he could negotiate the right to have final say in who replaces him.
But who can replace him?
While editorial boards from media giants have raised doubts about Biden’s ability to handle a second term, media coverage has instead gone into how he could be replaced.
Under normal circumstances should a US president be unable to fulfil his duties it falls on his vice president to step in, however since this situation would require Biden to withdraw from the nomination, Kamala Harris would simply be another runner in the race.
Her position of VP would give her an advantage, but her low popularity would dull it. Currently polls show that her popularity is lower than both Biden and Trump.
Other potential challengers such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro were floated in discussions, says the BBC, however none of those candidates have declared a desire to supplant Biden.
The end result is that while everyone agrees Biden should be replaced, no one has been able to generate a consensus on who that replacement should be. Without that sort of unity within the party, it is unlikely there will be any change when the democratic candidate is locked in on 19 August.
