Renowned pollster Nate Silver, founder of ABC’s FiveThirtyEight, has joined a chorus of voices urging President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race following what he termed “incoherent comments” made during Biden’s first post-debate interview on Friday.
Silver, known for his data-driven analyses, expressed his concerns publicly on social media platform X after viewing Biden’s interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, which aired Friday evening. Criticizing Biden’s responses, Silver pointed out what he called “incoherent answers” and highlighted a factual error regarding polling data from The New York Times.
“This is a pretty incoherent answer including a non-sequitur [complaining] about a New York Times poll, which he incorrectly claims had him down 10 points before the debate,” Silver wrote on X, alongside a clip of the interview. He clarified that The New York Times survey had actually shown Biden down 3 or 4 points.
In his initial column on Friday, Silver had speculated on whether Biden’s electoral prospects could be modeled accurately, given ongoing public skepticism following the president’s lackluster debate performance.
“I wimped out in today’s column and deleted a line saying he should formulate a plan to transition the presidency to [Vice President] Harris within 30-60 days, but I’m there now,” Silver added later on X. “Something is clearly wrong here.”
Silver’s call for Biden to step aside echoes growing sentiments among some Democrats who fear the president’s faltering public appearances could jeopardize the party’s chances against former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
“The most generous way to put it is that he doesn’t seem in command, and that’s an extremely hard sell when you’re Commander in Chief,” Silver remarked, underscoring the gravity of Biden’s leadership role.
According to Silver, internal polling indicates a significant portion of the public believes Biden may withdraw from the race, a sentiment he believes will intensify as pressure mounts within the Democratic Party.
Despite calls for withdrawal, Biden and his team have remained steadfast in their commitment to continue the campaign. The ABC interview, viewed as pivotal for Biden’s campaign recovery, aimed to shore up support and reassure his base amid mounting criticism.
During the interview, Biden declined to commit to a cognitive test, a decision Silver labeled “disqualifying on its own.”
As the fallout from the debate persists, Silver predicted further challenges for Biden’s campaign in the days ahead, emphasizing that the president’s approval ratings were among several pressing issues facing the administration.
“At this point it’s only like their 4th most important problem,” Silver commented, suggesting that the White House’s dismissal of negative polling data could exacerbate existing challenges.
Biden’s next steps in navigating these challenges will be closely watched as the election season intensifies, with Democrats and political analysts alike scrutinizing his ability to rally support and maintain momentum.