Renowned figures on major news networks such as CNN, MSNBC, and ABC's "The View" have expressed growing concern over President Biden's performance in the recent presidential debate, suggesting it may be time for him to step aside.
Scores of staunch Biden allies in the liberal media have turned against President Biden following his widely panned debate performance that had pundits and Democrats calling for him to halt his re-election campaign and pass the baton.
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
Shortly after the debate, MSNBC's Joy Reid suggested that the president failed at his job of "settling" the Democratic Party and assuaging their concerns about his ability to win the 2024 election.
"Joe Biden's job was to reassure them tonight," Reid said. "His job was to calm his party, to make them feel that yes, I can do this. I have four more years in me. I have the ability and the stamina and the strength to do four more years. He did not do that. He made them more panicked."
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
Reid also admitted that her phone did not stop buzzing throughout the debate as political operatives, campaign operatives, and Democrats were approaching a state of panic.
A longtime defender, Joe Scarborough said Friday it is time to consider whether President Biden is still up to the task on "Morning Joe."
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
"If he were CEO and he turned in a performance like that, would any corporation in America, any Fortune 500 corporation in America, keep him on as CEO?" the host said.
Later, Scarborough said Biden "tragically did not rise to the occasion last night."
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
Frequent "Morning Joe" guest Donny Deutsch gave a similar take on Biden during the segment.
"If the truth be told, I do not believe that Joe Biden, a great man, a hero — he's 10 times the man Donald Trump is — I don't believe he's our best choice at this point," he said.
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
Van Jones told CNN on Thursday that people are personally feeling "panic" and "pain" after President Biden's debate.
NBC News' Chuck Todd declared that Biden looked like the "caricature" conservatives have painted of him, specifically over his mental acuity.
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
The reaction to Biden's performance was just as dire over on CNN.
CNN analysts discussed growing panic surrounding Biden in the immediate aftermath of the 90-minute face-off with Trump.
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
CNN political commentator and former Obama adviser Van Jones seemed close to tears during the roundtable discussion after the debate.
"I just want to speak for my heart. I love that guy. He's a good man. He loves his country. He's doing the best that he can, but he had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence of the country and of the base. And he failed to do that. And I think there's a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now," he said.
Biden's Supporters in Despair, Demand His Withdrawal
He continued, "We're still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward if he will allow us to do that. But that was not what we needed from Joe Biden, and it's personally painful for a lot of people. It's not just panic, it's pain, of what we saw tonight."
Post-debate, Biden biographer and CNN contributor Evan Osnos said that many Americans who may not follow politics closely were "shocked" by Biden's performance.
Vice President Kamala Harris clashed with CNN's Anderson Cooper Thursday night when the network host told her that "some within your own party" thought Biden should potentially step aside.
As Harris defended Biden as strong on "policy and performance," Cooper, who whispered that his presidency was a "new beginning" in 2021 when he was inaugurated, interrupted to say it was highly disappointing to his supporters.
University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato, a staunch Biden backer, said his showing was abysmal.
"It gives me no joy to say this, but President Biden's performance was the worst by a major party nominee for president in that entire time period," he said.
The longtime Biden supporter said that in addition to Democrats who are "privately calling for a replacement," the current president has lost the confidence of many rank-and-file citizens.
On ABC's "The View," co-host Sunny Hostin, a strong Biden supporter, told the panel, "Most of us are mourning."
"It was really hard to watch and it kind of pains me to say this today, but I think President Biden needs to step down and be replaced," co-host Sara Haines chimed in.
"If we want to defeat Donald Trump in November, I absolutely think that," she continued. "And I think Biden's team saw it coming. I think that's why they pushed for an earlier debate, so they'd have time to change course if needed."
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who worked for the Trump administration but has since emerged as an outspoken critic of her former boss, said she was in "shock" watching the debate.
Hostin conceded Biden "lost that debate."
"Maybe he needs to go," she said.
Liberal columnist Thomas Friedman, a close friend of the president's, wrote in The New York Times that the debate was one of the most "heartbreaking" events he has witnessed in American politics.
"Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for re-election," Friedman wrote.
