As the aftermath of the first 2024 presidential debate settles, The Chicago Tribune, based in the host city for the Democratic National Convention, is pleading for President Biden to drop out of the race.
"Biden was an encapsulation of what many Americans have come to know very well as they care for aged parents, partners, friends, grandparents and colleagues: a man now struggling to maintain a line of thought and keep track of complex facts, a man who gets flustered under deadline pressure, a man who has become vulnerable and yet, at the same time, far less self-aware," the editorial board of The Tribune wrote.
The editorial added that everyone now sees a second-term for President Biden as "a ridiculous idea," writing that Biden should "be a single-term president who now has seen the light when it comes to his own capabilities in the face of the singular demands of being the President of the United States."
They continued to cast an even darker shadow over the intentions of the Biden Administration, writing that the White House "painted a picture of fictional cognitive vitality" of the 46th president’s current cerebral capability, and that they "have been covering up a reality that they must have seen."
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, alongside other Democrats, defended Biden’s performance last Thursday. "I will never turn my back on President Biden," Newsom told "CBS News." "I don't know a Democrat in my party that would do so."
The Tribune questioned the loyalty of the left, asking why they would continue to support Biden despite his debate performance.
"To pretend he is the party’s best choice for four more years? For a party that loves to accuse Republicans of mendacity, it’s pretty rich," they wrote.
The Tribune suggested that perhaps this was the party’s plan "to test Biden’s abilities" with enough time to "make a change" before this year’s convention in August.
"Democrats have a big problem to solve before they come to this city for a convention that they’ve been desperately trying to script as precisely as possible, but that is shaping up to be considerably more dramatic than anticipated," the editorial stated.
As the dust settles in the aftermath of the debate, polls across the nation are signaling a change in the perspective of voters.
A Fox News poll revealed that 87% of young voters in America believe Biden is "too old to be effective" as president for a second term.
Al Mottur, former member of Hillary Clinton’s campaign and Democratic strategist said, "I think [Biden] intends to stay in the race, but if he decides not to, then it is ultimately up to the delegates at the DNC convention and that gets very, very messy and will result in a lot of chaos."
