New York Times editorial board calls on Biden to resign
The New York Times editorial board published a shocking op-ed calling on Biden to drop out of the race, joining a growing chorus of concerned politicians and commentators.
“The clearest path for Democrats to defeat a candidate defined by lies is to be honest with the American people: accept that Biden cannot continue the campaign and create a process to select someone more qualified to take his place and defeat Trump in November,” the editorial board wrote.
The op-ed acknowledged that ending the president's campaign “goes against every one of Biden's personal and political instincts.”
The article emphasized that it was Biden himself who challenged Trump in the debate.
“The truth Mr. Biden must now face is that he failed his own test,” the committee wrote.
During a conversation with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival, venture capitalist Peter Thiel said he would vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Thiel, a former Trump supporter, said he would do so reluctantly. NBCUniversal News Group is a media partner of the Aspen Ideas Festival.
The presidential debate was watched by 51.3 million people, down from recent events
About 51.3 million people tuned in to watch the first debate of the 2024 presidential campaign, according to media analytics firm Nielsen, a sharp drop from past debates and the smallest audience since the 2004 debate between then-Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush.
Nielsen's viewership estimate was slightly higher than that of host CNN, which said Friday that 47.9 million people watched the Biden-Trump debate across broadcast, cable and streaming.
While television viewership remains sizable, Nielsen estimates it's down about 30% from the 73 million viewers who watched the first Biden-Trump debate in 2020. That estimate puts the latest debate's viewership at 51.3 million, slightly more than the third Bush-Kerry debate but less than all of the debates from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 campaigns, according to data from Nielsen's Election Information Center.
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Vulnerable Democrats remain silent after Biden debate
Democrats running in what are expected to be tightly contested races this year were largely silent or avoided questions about today's first presidential debate as the party grapples with the fallout from Biden's shaky performance.
Several Democratic Senate candidates in key states took to social media to share footage from recent campaigns or highlight other policies rather than comment on the debate. Staffers for several of those campaigns did not respond to requests for comment about the debate. And several candidates did not directly answer a question about whether Biden should remain the party's presidential nominee.
“I'm focused on my campaign, I'm not a pundit,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, told News 5 Cleveland when asked if he and other party leaders should call for Biden to step down. “I've never dictated to my colleagues how they should spend their free time or how they should interact with other politicians.”
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President Trump applauds today's Supreme Court ruling on January 6th defendants
President Trump this afternoon praised today's Supreme Court decision in favor of the January 6th defendants who were seeking to dismiss obstruction charges for their participation in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Our great Supreme Court did the right thing,” Trump said at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, referring to the 6-3 ruling in favor of defendant Joseph Fisher on January 6.
Trump also said those involved in the riots were being persecuted because of his presidential campaign, but that many of the allegations against them predated the election.
“All of this persecution of them is happening because I'm running for president. And all of this is happening to me,” Trump said.
Bill Clinton highlights Biden's record in post-debate post
Former President Bill Clinton commented on Biden's performance in today's debate, noting his “steadfast leadership.”
“For three years, Joe Biden has given us solid leadership, he's brought us stability in the post-pandemic era, he's created a record number of new jobs, he's made real progress toward solving the climate crisis, he's successfully worked to curb inflation and he's lifted us out of the quagmire that Donald Trump left behind,” Clinton said. “And that's what really matters in November.”
Clinton's tweet came shortly after Obama also voiced his support for Biden on X.
Biden celebrates Pride Month with event at Stonewall Visitor Center
“Happy Pride!” Biden said at the start of his speech at the opening of a visitors' center commemorating New York's Stonewall Inn.
The Stonewall Inn was the site of a police raid in 1969 that helped propel the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
“LGBTQ+ people are the most inspiring people I know,” Biden said, speaking with just as much energy as he did at a rally in North Carolina earlier today, a stark contrast to his performance at last night's debate.
Biden also recounted a childhood story about the first time he saw two men kiss. He said his father said, “Joey, it's simple. They love each other.”
Biden introduced Elton John at the end of his speech.
Debate performance threatens to overshadow Biden's New York event with LGBTQ voters
Biden will attend the dedication ceremony at the Stonewall National Monument Visitors Center in New York City, but some LGBTQ people in attendance said his performance at last night's debate could mar the celebrations.
Scott Dewey, an account executive at software company SAP, one of the center's sponsors, called last night's debate “humiliating.”
“I felt really sorry for Biden, but at the same time I thought, 'Oh, are the Democrats trying to sabotage him by doing this so soon?'” Dewey, who is gay, told NBC News.
“Oh my goodness, it's a disgrace,” Dewey added. “He's too old and last night totally proved it.”
Biden campaign launches digital ad accusing Trump of 'only thinking about himself'
Following last night's debate, the Biden campaign is running a paid digital campaign using clips of Trump's debate remarks to portray the former president as a self-serving candidate.
The 29-second ad includes snippets of Trump's remarks from last night's debate, where he spoke on topics including abortion, the job market and the storming of the Capitol, as well as a brief caption from the Biden campaign describing the former president as a candidate who doesn't care about veterans, democracy, Black families or reproductive rights.
“Donald Trump only cares about himself,” the ad says, “and if he wins, he'll only benefit himself, because he doesn't care about you.”
Trump mocks Biden at first post-debate rally
In his first post-debate remarks at a rally in Virginia, Trump mocked Biden's performance, saying the president “had no idea what the hell he was doing.”
“As you saw on television last night, we won a major victory over a man who is trying to destroy our country,” Trump said. “Villain Joe Biden has been resting, working and studying all week at Camp David, but he's studied so much that he has no idea what the hell he's doing.”
“The issue is not his age, it's his ability,” the former president added. “He's not respected anywhere in the world.”
