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We as a nation are in a great deal of trouble.
Last night's debate revealed that we currently have a choice for president between an egomaniacal dictator wannabe in Donald Trump, and a person who is physically struggling and considerably slower than he used to be in President Joe Biden.
I had previously said in this very publication that Biden seemed to be "perfectly fine" mentally, even if more restricted physically. I also suggested that the Trump campaign could be falling into a trap by suggesting that Biden was enfeebled. It is evident after his debate performance that, while this remains an exaggeration, Democrats have definitely been covering up a more serious decline in Biden's abilities.
This is not to say that I would not vote for Biden over Trump. If those remain the two names on the ballot, I will 100 percent vote for Biden over his deranged challenger, as Trump represents a much more serious threat to the rule of law and to our democratic system and values than Biden's clear mental and physical slowing does. It's worth noting that, as neuroscientists will tell you, older adults may display a verbal decline that doesn't necessarily mean they are less capable of making decisions.
But appearances do matter when a president has to represent the country and stand for us in front of other nations. Also, the presidency is an extremely taxing job—physically—and last night Biden seemed incapable of doing that job for another year, much less four years.
We are currently facing an existential crisis. Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters represent a unique threat. Despite obviously looking younger and more energetic than Biden in the debate, Trump showed that he is hardly of full mental capacity himself. He made statements that violated any standard of sensibility, saying, for instance, that "everyone" supported the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs and wanted abortion to be decided by the states, rewriting history in terms of his COVID response, making up fantasies about scaring off Vladimir Putin, and uttering lie after lie with impunity. Trump definitely isn't all there, but only because he never has been.
Most importantly, of course, Trump refused (once again) to say that he would respect the results of the election and (again) made false claims about the election of 2020. He would also begin massive deportations and go after his political opponents, including Biden. These threats are so serious that they make his other extremely bad ideas—a 10 percent tariff, pardoning the Jan. 6 terrorists, lowering environmental standards for companies—pale in comparison.
Trump must be defeated. But after last night, it is evident that the odds of Joe Biden defeating him are probably 25 percent at best.
Can Biden be replaced, then? The answer is essentially: not without him voluntarily stepping aside. Which is why top Democrats need to go to the White House and have that conversation with him.
Republicans did something like this in 1974 with Richard Nixon. Seeing the evidence stacked against him during the Watergate hearings, they knew Nixon could not survive an impeachment vote and trial. So former GOP presidential candidate and conservative icon Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), went to the Oval Office with the Republican leaders of the House and Senate and spoke with Nixon, telling him it was time to step down. Nixon announced his resignation the next night.
In that case, there was shame associated with the resignation. But there doesn't have to be. George Washington himself famously emulated his idol Cincinnatus in choosing to step down from the presidency and not seek a third term, beginning a precedent that would later be enshrined by the 22nd Amendment. Fulfilling a campaign promise, James Polk stepped aside after one term, despite what was viewed as an administration with many accomplishments.
President Biden has done an absolutely outstanding job, in my view—considerably better than I expected of him. To be honest, my main reason for voting for him in 2020 was to get Trump out (and it would now be to keep Trump out). The president can step aside with honor. Like with Washington, it would be viewed as a remarkably selfless act—giving up power for the good of the nation.
Democrats are now coming to the realization that this is exactly what should be done. Andrew Yang started a hashtag on X calling for Democrats to "#swapJoeout." There have also been reports of congressional Democrats and other party leaders supporting this position.
I know there will remain those like Keith Olbermann who will stay on the Biden wagon and bash me for saying this, but we need to take what we just witnessed seriously. Biden is a good man. If he steps aside and lets the party choose a new candidate, he'll be a great one.
Ross Rosenfeld is a political writer and educator based on Long Island. Follow Ross on Substack.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
