President Joe Biden’s performance during the first presidential debate stirred calls for him to step down from the race, including from the New York Times editorial board.
On Friday, the newspaper published a harsh op-ed titled “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.”
“At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office,” the op-ed read in part.
“Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago.”
Biden’s aide said that the 81-year-old President was suffering from a cold when he faced former President Donald Trump Thursday.
The Democratic presidential nominee seemed struggling with gaffes and a raspy voice raising concerns about his physical and cognitive ability to serve another four years.
Communications Director for Biden’s campaign Michael Tyler said there have been “no conversations about” abandoning the race.
“The Democratic voters nominated Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the nominee,” Tyler told reporters.
