Global headlines urge Joe Biden to exit presidential race after disaster debate
Major US newspapers are calling for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. Here’s what other headlines are saying.
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The New York Times has called on Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his performance in the first debate of the 2024 election campaign set off alarm bells.
The newspaper insisted the 81-year-old incumbent was an “admirable president”, before saying the decision to continue would be a “reckless gamble”/
“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,” its board wrote.
“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’s not the only major masthead to raise concerns.
“Just sad,” read the New York Post. “Prez mumbles, stumbles, freezes in train wreck debate.”
London newspaper The Times led with, “Democrats discussing whether to ditch Biden”, while The Independent described it as a “stumbling performance” that “triggers panic”.
Meanwhile Time Magazine used just one word for its next edition: “Panic”.
Joe Biden vowed to stay in the US presidential race after a widely panned debate performance set off alarm bells and left a panicked Democratic Party establishment in search of a replacement.
As Donald Trump basked in the debate afterglow on a golf course, Biden all but conceded defeat in the head-to-head showdown but refused to drop out of the race for the White House.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious. I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to,” Biden said.
“I don’t debate as well as I used to,” Biden added. “But I know how to do this job.”
It comes as Democratic Party elites, White House officials, major donors and potential replacement candidates huddled to chart a course ahead of the November polls.
The speech at a North Carolina rally sought to allay fears that the debate laid bare his age and diminishing mental acuity, and effectively ended his campaign.
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BIDEN CHANGES TUNE ON DEBATE PERFORMANCE
Immediately after the debate, Biden told supporters at a Waffle House that he didn’t have any concerns about the debate’s fallout, adding he thought he “did well” given it was “hard to debate a liar”.
After an evening of reflection, Biden admitted he had more work to do before the next debate in September.
“I know like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up,” he said.
“I would not be running again if I didn’t believe, with all my heart and soul I can do this job.”
BARACK OBAMA STAND BY HIS MAN
Despite the widespread panic, former president Obama appeared to support Biden remaining on the ticket in November.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Obama said. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”
“Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024
JILL BIDEN ACCUSED OF ‘ELDER ABUSE’
Footage of Mrs Biden gingerly helping her husband down from the debate stage, followed by her bizarre praise that he “answered every question”, led to allegations of “elder abuse” from observers like Wyoming Republican Representative Harriet Hageman.
Mrs Biden said what America saw on the debate stage was “a president with integrity and character who told the truth, and Donald Trump told lie, after lie, after lie,” she said.
Look at DOCTOR Jill Biden having to lead Joe Biden off the stage after the debate. She is guilty of extreme elder abuse. This was shameful to allow and defend: pic.twitter.com/6NLkcUs1sq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 28, 2024
TRUMP SCORES MAJOR LEGAL WIN
Trump had a second reason to celebrate after the Supreme Court ruled that federal prosecutors improperly charged a January 6 defendant; a decision that could overturn dozens of convictions and help the former president’s case to dismiss charges connected to the US Capitol Riot.
The matter was brought to the court in the case of a former police officer Joseph Fischer, a supporter of former president Donald Trump who entered the Capitol in Washington, DC with hundreds of others on January 6, 2021. Writing the opinion for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said prosecutors’ interpretation of the law would “criminalise a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyist(s) to decades in prison.”
‘WE ARE F--KED’: PANIC AS BIDEN FREEZES
Mass panic has engulfed the Democratic Party after Joe Biden’s shaky debate performance against Donald Trump, with senior figures contemplating whether the US President can be dumped as their candidate before the extraordinary rematch he was already on track to lose.
The oldest president in history struggled with a hoarse voice and repeatedly stumbled over his answers during the 90-minute clash with the former president, prompting his allies to question whether he should continue seeking a second term at the age of 81.
Mr Biden’s struggles overshadowed his predecessor’s problems on the debate stage, including Mr Trump’s false assertions about his role in inciting the January 6 riot at the US Capitol and his refusal to fully commit to accepting the results of November’s election.
In the aftermath of the long-awaited head-to-head clash, Democrats described Mr Biden as incoherent and disoriented, with one telling host broadcaster CNN: “We are f***ed.”
But in a brief speech to supporters, the President said: “Let’s keep going. See you at the next one.”
A CNN snap poll found 67 per cent of voters thought Mr Trump won the contest.
WATCH A REPLAY OF THE DEBATE BELOW:
Asked if she was concerned, Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Biden had “a slow start” as she sought to sidestep the importance of a debate which the President had sought.
“People can debate on style points, but ultimately this election and who is the president of the United States has to be about substance,” she said.
In key moments during the debate, Mr Biden bungled his attack lines on Mr Trump over his criminal record, abortion and cost of living. At one point, he seemed to go blank and then bizarrely claimed he “finally beat Medicare”.
The former president – who lost their first debate in 2020 with overly aggressive tactics – appeared content to sit back and let his opponent make mistakes.
“I really don’t know what he said at the end of the sentence. I don’t think he knew either,” Mr Trump said after one of Mr Biden’s stumbles.
Mr Biden’s former communications director Kate Bedingfield said it was a “really disappointing” performance, while ex-president Barack Obama’s campaign strategist David Axelrod said there was “a sense of shock” and that “panic had set in”.
“There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue,” he said.
Fellow former Obama official Van Jones said: “That was painful.”
“He had a test to meet tonight … and he failed to do that,” he told CNN.
“I think there’s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now. We’re still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward.”
Another veteran party strategist who had backed Mr Biden said he was “about to face a crescendo of calls to step aside”.
“Joe had a deep well of affection among Democrats. It has run dry,” the strategist told The New York Times.
But California Governor Gavin Newsom – who has been considered a contender to replace Mr Biden if the party sought a new nominee – said he had no concerns and he would “never turn my back on President Biden”.
During the debate, Mr Biden and Mr Trump sparred over which of them was the worst president in US history, having refused to shake hands or make eye contact with each other.
“He’s not equipped to be President. You know it and I know it,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Biden mounted his most direct attack yet on his predecessor over his conviction in his New York hush money trial, saying that he was accused of having an affair while his wife was pregnant and that he had the “morals of an alley cat”.
For the first time, the President also pointed voters to the three other criminal cases facing Mr Trump, although none of them are now expected to go to trial before the election.
In response, the former president suggested Mr Biden could be prosecuted if he was returned to power, saying: “Joe could be a convicted felon … He’s done horrible things.”
Throughout the debate, Mr Trump repeatedly honed in on the record surge of illegal immigrants across the southern US border, the pain caused by inflation and America’s failed withdrawal from the Afghanistan war.
Before the candidates took the stage, several new polls showed Mr Trump had extended his advantage over Mr Biden even after his criminal conviction. Top election analyst Nate Silver said: “The presidential election isn’t a toss-up.”
The Republican Party will confirm Mr Trump as their nominee in the middle of July, just days after he is sentenced in New York, while the Democratic convention will be held in August.
TRUMP MADE 13 FALSE CLAIMS
Fact checkers have identified 13 claims made by Donald Trump in the debate as false, and two inaccuracies by Joe Biden.
Among the Republican’s most outlandish statements in the first head-to-head before November’s election were that the President would “quadruple” taxes and that his abortion policy allowed for terminations up to nine months.
Mr Biden was pinged for claiming illegal immigration from Mexico had fallen by 40 per cent and he had prevented US soldier deaths abroad.
As expected, the way the US economy has performed during Mr Biden’s term was the focus of several questions, including how each candidate would give relief to tens of millions who were struggling with inflation.
But Trump’s claims that Mr Biden wanted “to raise your taxes four times” were called out by The New York Times team of checkers as wrong.
While Mr Biden has promised higher taxes for top income earners and businesses, he is not proposing to quadruple taxes.
Trump also claimed Mr Biden was “destroying social security” because of the “millions” of people coming to the US.
However, most unauthorised immigrants aren’t able to access Social Security benefits.
Trump also insisted that food prices had “tripled and quadrupled”.
While inflation has seen grocery prices soar, they have not quadrupled overall because of inflation.
When the debate turned to the nation’s Black population, Trump claimed: “And what he’s done (them) is horrible, including the fact that for 10 years he called them superpredators.”
He has previously made this claim – but the term “superpredator” was never used by Mr Biden, but former presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Trump also accused Mr Biden of only creating jobs for “illegal immigrants”.
While the numbers of unauthorised immigrants is up, there is not even close to be enough to fill the number of jobs created under the Biden administration.
On the subject of China, Trump declared “we have the largest deficit with China” which isn’t true – the US trade deficit with China in goods and services was $252 billion last year, the lowest level since 2009.
He suggested Mr Biden was being “paid by China” which was thought to be a reference to payments made by a Chinese company to Mr Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
But there is no evidence any funds went to Mr Biden.
When the debate turned to the legal charges now being faced by Trump, he claimed: “He (Mr Biden) basically went after his political opponent because he thought it was going to damage me”.
But the investigation into Trump began while he was still in office and was brought by the Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg.
Trump also claimed that “hey moved a high-ranking official, a D.O.J., into the Manhattan D.A.’s office to start that case” which is not based on fact.
On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump said “he did nothing to stop it”.
But Mr Biden sent senior CIA officials to Russia to warn them they knew about the military plans, and declassified intelligence to rally support.
Trump’s claims that Iran was “broke by me” is not true – while he did impose sanctions, Iran’s economy didn’t go broke.
Speaking about abortion, Trump said They will take the life of a child in the eighth month, ninth month, even after birth.”
However, that is not the Biden policy and abortion “after birth” would be infanticide.
Illegal immigration featured prominently during the debate but Trump’s claim illegals were living in “luxury hotels” is not correct.
Finally, Trump said “every legal scholar wanted it that way” when discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago.
That’s incorrect – for start, three Supreme Court justices dissented in the 2022 ruling.
Meanwhile, the President claimed illegal crossings from Mexico were down 40 per cent. While they are lower than what had been under Trump, the decrease was not by 40 per cent.
He also spoke about US soldiers dying overseas and said he was the only president who didn’t have that happen – in fact, soldiers were killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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Originally published as Global headlines urge Joe Biden to exit presidential race after disaster debate
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