Just a day after the New York Times Editorial Board published an article suggesting that President Joe Biden step away from the 2024 campaign for the White House, another major metropolitan daily has stepped in, giving its own pitch for a candidate to leave the contest.
But the Philadelphia Inquirer’s pitch isn’t directed toward Biden.
"Lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump’s usual bombastic litany of lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for office," the Inquirer wrote. "In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump."
Trump, the Inquirer’s Editorial Board argued, has spent the better part of the last eight years sowing discord. Even Thursday night, Trump insisted that the United States is a "failing" country, a "third world nation" in which "we’re living in hell" and "very close to World War III."
The editorial also noted that Trump continually lied during the debate, and that he refused to say he would accept the results of the 2024 election. (During the debate, Trump did say that he would accept the results "if it’s a fair and legal and good election.")
The Inquirer editorial is no endorsement of Biden, opening with an ice-cold assessment. "President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race," it says, referencing the New York Times article, as well as the gamut of comments from Democrats — and others — disturbed by his poor debate performance.
The Times editorial called Biden’s candidacy a "reckless gamble" risking the "stability and security of the country." The New York Times also noted that Biden asked for the debate and set the rules before "[failing] his own test."
Unlike the Times editorial, the Inquirer does not address the idea of Biden stepping aside and endorsing a successor, simply suggesting that he’s currently the best person for the White House. Though the Inquirer acknowledges Biden’s advanced age and insists that he "must show that he is up to the job," it also credits him for a record of accomplishments on infrastructure, COVID, climate change goals and supporting the public welfare.
But more than anything, the piece is a repudiation of Trump’s entire candidacy and presidency, from his stacking of the judiciary with far-right judges (and potential continued stacking of the Supreme Court), to the allegations of corruption and graft within the Trump administration, to his inactions during height the COVID pandemic, to his two impeachments and status as a convicted felon facing three more criminal indictments.
"He is running for president to stay out of prison," the Inquirer board wrote. "If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?"
The Trump campaign has so far not commented on the editorial.