Boston Globe editorial board calls for Biden to bow out of race following ‘historically bad’ debate

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Another major city newspaper has called on President Biden to abandon his re-election bid following his highly criticized debate performance against former President Trump last week.

The Boston Globe editorial board on Wednesday published a column arguing that at this point, Biden running for office is too big of a risk, and that he must step aside soon so that a more suitable Democratic candidate can be nominated. 

"For the good of the country, his party, and his legacy, Biden must do this. And soon," it declared.

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The Boston Globe editorial board called on President Biden to abandon his re-election bid this week. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The Globe’s editorial began by slamming Biden’s team for not being able to "adequately" explain "why his performance was historically bad, beyond that he had a cold." It went on to reject his allies’ defense that keeping Biden is still the country's least risky move to beating Trump and that trying to select a new party nominee would be too risky.

"Maybe. But in the view of this board, and a growing number of other editorial pages and Democratic officials, the greater risk lies in allowing Biden to continue as the party’s standard-bearer," the board wrote. "Serious questions are now in play about his ability to complete the arduous work of being leader of the free world. Can he negotiate with a hostile Republican Congress, dangerous foreign powers, or even fractious rivals within his own Cabinet? The nation’s confidence has been shaken."

The Boston Globe editorial board’s column follows those of other editorial boards from major news outlets that criticized Biden’s debate performance and argued it’s time for him to leave the race.

The day after the debate, the New York Times editorial board called the president’s continued campaign a "reckless gamble," and declared that "the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial board advocated for an end to Biden’s campaign over the weekend, stating, "The shade of retirement is now necessary for President Biden."

The Boston Globe editorial mentioned that polls before the "disastrous debate" were already bad for Biden, and that now "the chances that he can win over wavering independent voters, much less hold onto loyal ones, are rapidly fading."

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Voters, lawmakers and media outlets have expressed concerns over President Biden's age and capability to serve a second term after the debate. (Getty Images)

The board stated that the one "ray of hope" is for Biden to "graciously bow out" and "free his delegates" to be given to new candidates — "from Vice President Kamala Harris to the governors of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California, to name only a partial list."

After detailing the process of how a subsequent, short-term delegate race could work, the board stressed that Biden is the only thing standing in the way of the party’s success here and again, urged him to leave, advising the Democratic Party to get involved if necessary. 

"He must walk away from the race on his own, something he seems disinclined to do. His wife and children are said to oppose the idea as well. But with the nation’s future at stake, this is not a decision that should be made by one family alone. This is a moment when the Democratic Party itself, never particularly good at behaving like a party, must step into the fray," the editorial stated. 

It also mentioned the line that the party should use to convince the president to leave.

"If he leaves the race now, his party will hail him as a hero. If he stays in and loses, it will be a disaster for the country. Democrats could lose both houses of Congress, removing any check on Trump’s excesses and freeing him to appoint another right-wing justice to the most conservative Supreme Court in decades," the board argued. 

Former President Trump and President Biden debate on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

The board also advised that if his team is still set on proving Biden’s fitness to run, "they would have him do multiple interviews with reporters who have been critical of him.

"They would have him do more campaign events that aren’t tightly controlled, without the help of a teleprompter. They would put him in public positions that demonstrate he can think on his feet."

The editorial concluded by encouraging prominent Democratic officials to speak up against Biden running again, declaring, "the time for silence has passed."

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The White House and Biden campaign did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

However, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during Wednesday's press briefing that Biden will "absolutely not" step down.