Top Points:
Media Turn on Biden: Major media outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post have published editorials calling for President Joe Biden to step down due to his apparent cognitive decline and poor debate performance.
Democratic Rebellion: Influential Democrats and their donors, influenced by the media's critique, are urging Biden to step aside, highlighting a significant shift in party dynamics as the August convention approaches.
Media's Influence on Democrats: The swift alignment of Democrats with the media's narrative underscores the party's tendency to take cues from the press, as seen in the differing reactions to Biden's and Trump's health issues during their respective campaigns.
Full Report:
The recent barrage of media scrutiny on President Joe Biden's age has prompted a significant shift among Democrats and their donors, leading to calls for Biden to step down.
The legacy media, notably The New York Times, has launched an aggressive campaign against the 81-year-old president following his poor performance in the last month's debate. In an unprecedented move, The Times published two editorials urging Biden to withdraw from the Democratic ticket just weeks before the August convention. Their first post-debate editorial highlighted the president's inability to meet the demanding requirements of the presidency, while their second reiterated the visible decline in Biden's capabilities.
Despite growing pressure from influential House Democrats and media outlets, Biden remains defiant. On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," he stated unequivocally, "I am not going anywhere."
Biden's confidence might stem from the fact that voters overlooked his cognitive issues four years ago. His past gaffes include confusing his wife with his sister, mixing up words from the Declaration of Independence, and repeatedly forgetting which state he was in. Yet, he was still nominated and ultimately elected in 2020.
Prominent media voices, including The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Washington Post, have echoed The Times' sentiments, calling for Biden to consider stepping aside. These calls have emboldened Democrats who were previously reluctant to challenge the president.
Four years ago, there was no significant effort to prevent Biden from securing the nomination despite evident signs of age-related decline. Concerns about his capability were dismissed even after former Special Counsel Robert Hur suggested Biden was too mentally unfit to face charges over mishandling classified documents. However, the media's current focus on Biden's age and health has triggered a rebellion among Democrats and their financial backers.
The Democrats' swift alignment with the media's narrative underscores their tendency to follow the press's lead. This pattern was evident when the Biden campaign's claim of the president having a "cold" during the CNN debate was met with skepticism. In contrast, media outlets like NBC and The New York Times meticulously documented then-President Donald Trump's COVID-19 risks and traced his contacts after the first 2020 debate.
During Trump's tenure, media outlets warned extensively about the dangers of poorly-ventilated indoor environments and the potential for super-spreader events. Yet, when Biden's campaign casually mentioned his debate-night cold, the media pivoted to questioning his mental health, fueling Democratic efforts to find a new nominee.
Original Story by Tristan Justice, The Federalist