President Joe Biden’s performance in the presidential debate last Thursday has drawn much criticism. Many have claimed that he looked lost and confused. Others have suggested it revealed a decline in his abilities. With most polls showing he lost the debate to former President Donald Trump, a growing number of people have suggested that he should be replaced as the Democrat’s nominee. However, the Philadelphia Inquirer took an alternative position over the weekend and suggested that Trump, not Biden, should withdraw from the race.
“PresidentJoe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race,” the Inquirer’s editorial read. “But lost in the hand wringing wasDonald 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 suggestion that Trump should step down from Philadelphia’s main newspaper comes after four major newspapers from around the country called for Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal all suggested Biden should step down.
“At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term. Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago,” read the New York Times editorial.
“Mr. Trump at least looked vigorous and reminded voters of the pre-Covid economy. Mr. Biden looked like a feeble man no American should want going head to head with Mr. Putin or China’s Xi Jinping,” the Wall Street Journal wrote.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, however, disagreed. Despite briefly acknowledging Biden’s troubling performance, the publication considered Biden a lesser threat and provided a number of reasons why Trump should indeed leave the race.
“To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is noshining city on the hill. It’s just mourning in America,” the Inquirer editorial board wrote. “Throughoutthe debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a ‘failing’ country. He called the United States a ‘third world nation.’ He said, ‘we’re living in hell’ and ‘very close to World War III.’
“Yes, Biden had a horrible night,” read the editorial. “He’s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be. But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his best.”
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Philly’s newspaper’s editorial redundantly praised Biden and bashed Trump. It concluded with the idea that the country would be better off without Trump running for president.
“There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president,” the Inquirer’s editorial proclaimed. “The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be.”
