In the wake of Joe Biden’s performance at the CNN debate last Thursday, much of the conversation has been about whether or not he can still reasonably be the Democrat Party’s 2024 nominee. But now the conversation seems to be starting to shift to whether or not he can remain president of the United States until the end of his term.
In The Atlantic on Wednesday, staff writer Adam Serwer was blunt in his assessment: “Biden Must Resign.” The sub-headline was similarly clear: “If the president wants to protect American democracy, he should hand over his office to Kamala Harris.” How long will it take for other media outlets to demand the same?
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Charles C.W. Cooke and Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review to discuss the media ratcheting up the pressure on Biden and the likelihood of a resignation.
Calls for Resignation
The United States is set to celebrate its 248th birthday on Thursday, and Richard Nixon remains the only president in American history to resign from office. Serwer makes reference to that fact straight off the top of his article:
Joe Biden must resign the presidency. The last person to do so was Richard Nixon, who left in disgrace after abusing the powers of his office. Nixon had to resign because he led an assault on American democracy. Biden must resign for the opposite reason: to give American democracy its best chance of surviving…
Megyn noted Serwer “doesn’t sound like a Trump fan,” which makes his position all the more interesting. And he is not alone. The Boston Globe editorial board also took a side in the ever-growing conversation about Biden’s competency on Wednesday, writing:
This is a moment when the Democratic Party itself, never particularly good at behaving like a party, must step into the fray. Current and former party leaders should be doing their best to persuade the president that the end of his long and grand political career is near.
“This is from The Boston Globe editorial board – it’s not a columnist,” Megyn said. “This is a very big deal when you’ve got The New York Times editorial board saying it, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, now The Atlantic, now The Boston Globe… 99 percent of them say he must step down or at least give up his candidacy.”
But it’s not just the media. On Tuesday, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC that he would support Vice President Kamala Harris running for president if Biden stepped aside. “We should do everything we can to bolster her, whether it’s in second place or the top of the ticket,” the influential Democrat said.
The Chances of a Resignation
Megyn said it feels like time is running out for Biden. “You’ve had more Democrats on the record saying Biden needs to step down, we’re going to lose with him,” she said. “And now there is reporting that dozens of Democratic lawmakers are considering signing a letter demanding that he withdraw from this race. I don’t think he has more than a week left.”
While there are questions about who the Democrats will run if Biden suspends his reelection campaign, there is no question about who becomes president if he resigns. “I never thought I’d advocate for the elevation of Kamala Harris to anything, but [Biden] is not fit for the job,” Megyn admitted.
Dougherty said situations like this are why there is a vice president. “This shouldn’t just end with an announcement that Joe Biden is going to leave the race and let Democrats decide,” he said. “This should end very promptly with Joe Biden’s resignation or his removal from office and Kamala Harris becoming president of the United States. That is why we elect vice presidents.”
Cooke agreed that Biden should go, but he is not sure he will. “I think he should step down from the presidency even though it will put [Harris] in the White House,” he said. “But I just don’t think he will get that far to voluntarily resign.”
If he wants to leave office on his own terms, Megyn noted, voluntary resignation may be the only way. “He won’t [resign],” she said. “But I think it could be part of the deal that they make with him.”
In her view, that “deal” could look something like this: “There are calls for the 25th Amendment to be invoked. If you step down, we will let you leave with your head held high. We will celebrate you at the Democratic convention as the savior. Your legacy will be intact. You won’t be ‘Joe Bader Ginsburg,’ and you can go out peacefully as opposed to ending your presidency early.”
Ultimately, Megyn concluded, “that could be one of the bargaining chips brought down.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Cooke and Dougherty by tuning in to episode 829 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.