For the second time in as many days, a major newspaper on Sunday called on President Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee, adding to the pressure on the Biden campaign to convince wealthy donors and voters that his disastrous debate performance wasn’t the death knell for his reelection run.
As the fallout from the Thursday night debate against former President Donald Trump continues to plague Mr. Biden, the president was reportedly hunkering down Sunday with his family at Camp David to discuss the future of his reelection bid.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution over the weekend published a front-page editorial urging Mr. Biden, 81, to bow out of the race and allow a younger, more competent candidate to step up. On Friday, The New York Times called on Mr. Biden to leave the presidential race.
During Thursday’s 90-minute debate in Atlanta, Mr. Biden stared vacantly or slack-jawed, froze mid-thought, spoke in a barely audible raspy voice and gave meandering answers.
Calling his debate performance “excruciating,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board wrote, “Retirement is now necessary.”
“The unfortunate truth is that Biden should withdraw from the race, for the good of the nation he has served so admirably for half a century,” the board wrote.
The left-leaning editorial board said Mr. Biden failed to convey any vision for a second term and was unable to detail accomplishments from his nearly four years in office.
In the lengthy editorial, the paper said that it has no confidence Mr. Biden can beat Mr. Trump in November and that Democrats have a deep bench of candidates to choose from.
“Biden deserves a better exit from public life than the one he endured when he shuffled off the stage Thursday night,” the paper wrote.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden tried to reassure wealthy donors at a posh fundraiser in New Jersey on Saturday, claiming that his abysmal performance won over independent voters.
“Research during the debate shows us converting more undecided voters than Trump did, in large part because of his conduct on Jan. 6,” he told the crowd. “People remember the bad things during his presidency.”
The event was held at the private home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and raised $3.7 million, according to the Biden campaign.
Mr. Biden insisted that his polling numbers among Democrats moved up during the debate. However, several polls released over the past two days, including a CNN flash poll immediately after the debate, show Mr. Biden’s support dropping among voters.
The president admitted he had a bad showing at the debate, but remained undeterred.
“I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to fight harder,” Mr. Biden told the crowd.
First lady Jill Biden also attempted to reassure the crowd, saying Mr. Biden acknowledged a poor performance Thursday night, which she attributed to a cold.
“You know, Jill. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel great,” she recalled him telling her.
The Bidens were spending Sunday at Camp David to assess the future of his campaign, NBC News reported, citing Democratic sources.
“The decision-makers are two people — it’s the president and his wife,” one source told the outlet, “Anyone who doesn’t understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn’t knowledgeable about the situation,” one source told the network.
Mr. Biden’s trip to the presidential retreat in Maryland — where he spent a week preparing for Thursday’s debate — had been planned in advance. The campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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