A political pundit who supported President Joe Biden in the 2020 election is calling on him to resign before 2024 — arguing that the Democrat is simply too old to serve another term.
Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, made this case in an essay on his Substack The weekly dish on Friday, titled “It’s Time for Biden to Leave the Stage.”
Sullivan, an unorthodox conservative who specializes in provoking all parties, noted that he voted for Biden out of his disdain for Donald Trump, and that he would do so again if it came to it — but that he hoped the 80-year-old Democrat would step aside.
‘Every time you hear him talk, he’s also a little off, eyes now barely visible in the old botox-covered, plumped-up face, words often slurred, a ghostly white mane peeking over his collar at the back, off and getting to the point, or strangely loud whispers,” Sullivan wrote.
‘This is the man who, according to the Democratic Party, will be able to fully function as president for another five years until he is 86. No one rooted in human reality believes it, or should believe it,” he added.
Andrew Sullivan called for Biden’s resignation on Friday in an essay on his Substack The Weekly Dish titled ‘It’s Time For Biden To Leave The Stage’
Sullivan, echoing the title of his essay, earlier this week pointed to an incident in which the president abruptly left the stage during a Medal of Honor ceremony.
Sullivan, echoing the title of his essay, earlier this week pointed to an incident in which the president abruptly left the stage during a Medal of Honor recipient’s ceremony.
Critics accused Biden of disrespecting the aging Vietnam veteran, who was left standing awkwardly alone during the final blessing, but the White House insists the exit was planned to limit Biden’s exposure to attendees as COVID cases rise increases.
In his essay, Sullivan suggested a number of viable candidates to step in if Biden withdraws from the race, including Democratic governors Jared Polis, Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker and Wes Moore.
“Senators Warren, Klobuchar or Booker could run for office again, just like Buttigieg. Others will emerge,” he added.
As for Vice President Kamala Harris, Sullivan calls her “an obvious non-starter,” adding, “Which goes a long way toward explaining why we’re stuck where we are.”
“But there’s no reason why she can’t throw her hat in the ring (and Biden should remain strictly neutral),” he added.
For her part, Harris emphasized on Wednesday that she was ready to “take over” for Biden if he became ill and could no longer govern the country.
Sullivan, an unorthodox conservative who specializes in provoking all parties, noted that he voted for Biden out of his disdain for Donald Trump
The vice president outlined the worst-case scenario, but emphasized that Biden is doing well and can continue to serve a second term until he is 86.
Harris, who has suffered from poor approval ratings, defended the president’s age during an Associated Press interview at the ASEAN summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The AP’s Chris Megerian pointed to last week’s AP-NORC poll that found 77 percent of Americans, including 69 percent of Democrats, believe Biden is too old to run for re-election.
A Wall Street Journal poll on Monday showed similar findings, with 73 percent of voters saying Biden is too old to run for re-election, including two-thirds of Democrats.
Harris dismissed the concerns and said Biden was prepared to serve as president until January 2025.
“Let me first say that our president has been an extraordinary leader who has accomplished things that previous presidents hoped, dreamed and promised they would do and failed to achieve,” she said.
Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized Wednesday that she was ready to take power from President Joe Biden, but assured Americans that he could serve as president until he is 86.
“So yes, I see him every day, a significant amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office where I see his ability to understand problems and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can, to make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people have played out,” Harris continued.
“And so I will say to you that ultimately I think the American people want to know that their president is getting results — and that Joe Biden is getting results,” the vice president added.
Harris also responded affirmatively when Megerian asked if she was willing to run for president.
“Yes,” she said.
He then asked her to “describe that process.”
“Well, first of all, let’s — I’m answering your hypothetical question — but Joe Biden is doing well, so that’s not going to work,” Harris said.