We are officially halfway through 2024 and the big question now is whether President Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee by the end of this week.
We know the media revolt against him is well underway. Paper after paper is suddenly reporting on the story that has been obvious to just about everyone with eyes and ears: Joe Biden is struggling and his age has caught up with him. No one is enjoying watching this, or covering this, or reporting this, but we have been forced to by Jill Biden, and by the cabal around him, and by the candidate himself.
On this program, we reported on Joe Biden’s obviously faltering mental cognition more than two years ago in episode 339. We talked about it on the show before we did it saying, ‘Look, it feels kind of mean, it feels a little rude, but it’s a story.’ And not a lot of people were doing it back then. But that was at a time – June 2022 – when the Democrats could still have realistically held a competitive primary.
Instead, many in the larger media, members of the president’s staff, and, yes, members of the president’s family didn’t want you to believe your lying eyes. Now, in the wake of Biden’s disastrous debate performance, the media elite have woken up and are in full-on panic mode as they attempt to push out this president.
The Media Fallout
Here is a small sampling. From The New York Times: “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.”
The editorial board wrote, in part: “As it stands, the president is engaged in a reckless gamble.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote “It’s time for Biden to pass the torch.”
From The New Yorker: “For the President to insist on remaining the Democratic candidate would be an act not only of self-delusion but of national endangerment.”
Editor David Remnick, evoking Mark Twain’s quote, “It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it,” wrote: “On Thursday night, it was Joe Biden’s turn. But, unlike the rest of us, he went to pieces on CNN, in front of tens of millions of his compatriots.”
Both The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal editorial boards didn’t go that far, but they said bowing out should be seriously considered by the president.
Maureen Dowd and Tom Friedman at The New York Times have called for Biden to step aside. Their colleague Ezra Klein – who has been calling for an open convention since February – took a victory lap. Biden’s favorite TV show host Joe Scarborough said it was time for the president to consider leaving this race to help his party defeat Donald Trump.
And this didn’t come from just America. Britain’s largest current affairs magazine, The Economist, called on President Biden to step aside.
And yet, there is always the one. The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board took a different tack, instead calling on Trump to leave. It wrote, “Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.”
Money Matters
The thing is, it is not just the media. Reports indicate donors are unhappy too, and a call between the Biden campaign and a large group of them is scheduled for this evening. Money talks.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 827 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.