Sen. Bernie Sanders recently acknowledged that while Joe Biden may not be a particularly strong orator or debater, he still firmly believes that Biden will secure the Democratic presidential nomination in November.
In an interview with Semafor, Sanders admitted that it wasn’t a good night for the Biden campaign, but pledged his unwavering support for him regardless of the circumstances. Sanders stated,
“He’s not a great debater, he’s not necessarily a great speaker,”
He added,
“People are just gonna have to say: Okay, you know what? Yeah, he’s old. Yeah, he’s not as articulate as he should be. But you’re voting for somebody whose policies will impact your life.”
Despite calls from The New York Times editorial board for Biden to withdraw from the race, Sanders maintained his support and suggested that Biden must better communicate how his policies will improve the lives of working-class Americans.
Sanders affirmed his belief in Biden’s candidacy by saying,
“Biden is the candidate,”
and further declared,
“I suspect he will be the candidate. I’ll do my best to get him elected.”
Sanders also expressed disappointment at Biden’s performance on certain issues saying,
“He was not focused. He did not defend a very strong record,”
and suggested,
“He should have been loud and clear in telling the American people that he was the first president in American history ever to walk on a picket line.”
In response to increasing calls for him to step down or be replaced as the Democratic nominee, Biden reassured his supporters at a rally on Friday that he has no intentions of withdrawing from the race. He admitted,
“I don’t walk as easily as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to,”
but emphasized,
“But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth.”
The New York Times, in its editorial, criticized Biden’s current state compared to four years ago and described his candidacy as a ‘reckless gamble’ with American democracy. The Times argued,
“Mr. Biden has said that he is the candidate with the best chance of taking on this threat of tyranny and defeating it,”
but pointed out that beating Trump in 2020 is not enough reason for Biden’s nomination this year.
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