A Biden campaign staffer reportedly intervened to halt interviews with a New York Times reporter over the weekend after voters at a Las Vegas rally for Vice President Kamala Harris made critical comments about President Biden. Simon Levien, a politics fellow at the New York Times, was covering the event when a Nevada Biden campaign staffer followed him and asked voters to “end their interviews” once their remarks turned critical of Biden.
Levien recounted an incident involving an undecided voter, Stephen Stubbs, who expressed a desire for Biden to step aside and let Harris be the presidential nominee. The staffer interrupted, saying, “I’m going to stop it here, sorry, if I can. It’s a Biden event. Is that okay?” Levien later asked the staffer why she interrupted the interviews, to which she replied that she was “just doing her job.”
This incident occurred on Friday, just one day after the CNN Presidential Debate between Biden and former President Trump in Atlanta. Biden faced a wave of criticism for his debate performance, with calls for him to step aside ahead of the November 2024 election. Both the New York Times’ and Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s editorial boards urged the president to exit the 2024 race.
The New York Times’ editorial board wrote, “At Thursday’s debate, the president needed to convince the American public that he was equal to the formidable demands of the office he is seeking to hold for another term. Voters, however, cannot be expected to ignore what was instead plain to see: Mr. Biden is not the man he was four years ago.” They continued, “The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures, and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence.”
The editorial board acknowledged Biden’s accomplishments, stating, “Mr. Biden has been an admirable president. Under his leadership, the nation has prospered and begun to address a range of long-term challenges, and the wounds ripped open by Mr. Trump have begun to heal. But the greatest public service Mr. Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.”
Despite the criticism, the Biden campaign confirmed to Fox News that the president has no plans to withdraw from the race and remains committed to a second debate in September. Jill Biden, the First Lady, privately assured donors that “Joe’s ready to go” ahead of the debate, according to reports.
Biden acknowledged his poor debate performance at a rally in North Carolina, saying, “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job; I know how to get things done. And I know what millions of Americans know: When you get knocked down, you get back up.”
The incident involving the Biden campaign staffer raises questions about the campaign’s handling of critical voices and its approach to media interactions. It also highlights the ongoing debate about Biden’s fitness for a second term, a topic that has garnered significant attention following his recent debate performance.
As the 2024 election approaches, the Biden campaign will likely face increased scrutiny and pressure to address concerns about the president’s age and capabilities. The campaign’s response to these challenges will be crucial in shaping public perception and determining Biden’s chances of securing a second term in office.
Source: New York Times, Fox News
