Prominent NYT Columnist Tells Biden To Step Aside: ‘He Is Not Up For This’

Ezra Klein, a prominent liberal columnist for The New York Times, published an audio essay Friday making his case against President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, saying he should withdraw from the race and allow delegates to pick from a slate of candidates with a better shot at defeating Donald Trump in November.

“We had to wait till this year — till now, really — to see Biden even begin to show what he’d be like on the campaign trail. And what I think we’re seeing is that he is not up for this,” Klein said on his popular semi-weekly podcast, “The Ezra Klein Show.”

You can listen to the episode and read a full transcript of it here.

The possibility Klein lays out is one many loyalist Democrat voters possibly haven’t considered, and his influence shouldn’t be discounted; he has one of the most popular shows on Apple Podcast’s Society & Culture charts, and a 2021 analysis found that among Biden staffers, he was one of the most commonly followed political writers on Twitter, now known as X.

Klein takes time to honor Biden for having a successful first term, applauding him for working the progressive ideas of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) into his policies, passing legislation Democrats have struggled for years to get off the ground and ― despite conservative talking points ― maintaining a strong economy that’s outpacing that of Europe and China.

“I want to say this clearly: I like Biden. I think he’s been a good president. I think he is a good president,” Klein said on his show. “I don’t like having this conversation. And I know a lot of liberals, a lot of Democrats are going to be furious at me for this show.”

“But here’s the thing,” Klein argued. “I can now point you to moments