Political commentator and HBO host Bill Maher has suggested that President Joe Biden should drop out of the 2024 presidential election to allow the Democratic Party to have Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) run against former President Donald Trump.
In a New York Times guest essay released on Monday, Maher wrote, “If our presidential politics were a TV show, it would be a series past its prime in desperate need of new characters.”
Addressing concerns regarding Biden’s age, Maher acknowledged that he “can’t ignore the obvious; none of us can.” However, the political commentator claimed that Biden’s disastrous debate performance was not a “tragedy” but was actually “a blessing in disguise.” He suggested that the debate performance provides Biden with an opportunity to drop out of the campaign and allow the Democratic Party to choose a new candidate for president.
Maher suggested that an open convention could generate excitement within the Democratic Party and give Democrats a better opportunity to win the election.
“Democrats could not buy, with all of George Soros’s money, the enthusiasm, engagement and interest they would get from having an open convention,” Maher stated.
Maher suggested that Newsom could replace Biden in the 2024 presidential race, offering a distinct alternative from Biden, who has been plagued with concerns regarding his cognitive abilities.
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“He is forceful, is never at a loss for words or stats, never stumbles, is never intimidated,” Maher said regarding Newsom. ” He’s unbullyable, and that’s important against Mr. Trump.”
Maher added that Biden’s refusal to drop out of the 2024 campaign is “an act of supreme selfishness.”
Maher’s op-ed in The New York Times follows the 81-year-old president’s performance at CNN’s presidential debate last Thursday, which was widely criticized as a disaster. Biden appeared to struggle multiple times while answering questions from the moderators, including a viral moment when he appeared to completely freeze and lose his train of thought.
In the days following last week’s debate, top Democrats and mainstream media outlets have urged the president to drop out of the 2024 campaign and allow another Democrat to take his place.
“There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr. Biden,” The New York Times’ editorial board said in an article calling for the president to drop out. “It’s too big a bet to simply hope Americans will overlook or discount Mr. Biden’s age and infirmity that they see with their own eyes.”
