White House Report Card: Biden urged to take valedictory wave and fade away

This week’s White House Report Card finds President Joe Biden fighting for his political life and under continued pressure to quit his reelection.

Letters, calls, press conferences, and rallies did little this week to stop the demands from Democrats and donors to drop out, the result of the party’s realization that his mental issues are getting worse and threatening to turn the White House and Congress over to Republicans.

Democratic pollster John Zogby graded the week a “B,” but added that he believes it is time for Joe to go. Zogby even swept aside his own polling, showing the race tied to suggest that the president consider his efforts and speeches this week a “good valedictory, a perfect time to withdraw from the race.”

Conservative analyst Jed Babbin graded the week a “D-minus” and, like a lot of Republicans, stood back to enjoy the Democratic chaos. Looking ahead to the next campaign debate, set for September, he said, “It’ll be fun to watch.”

John Zogby

Grade: B

President Joe Biden led a united NATO during its Washington summit this week and he won praise for his efforts on the North America-Europe alliance.

He announced continuing ‘progress’ on a ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza war, and inflation went down last month.

He delivered two very solid speeches at the NATO Summit and performed well before the press and the nation at his press conference.

I think it was a good valedictory, a perfect tone to withdraw from the race and let someone else carry the banner without drama. He simply cannot go on, better to go out a winner.

Fittingly, a new PBS poll has him leading former President Donald Trump. We do, too. But time to move on.

Jed Babbin

Grade: D-

President Joe Biden had another really bad week for all his jaw-jutting refusals to withdraw from the presidential race. The Democrats? They look a lot like what Winston Churchill said when he remarked that he’d never seen so many rats swimming to a sinking ship. Rep. James Clyburn [D-SC], one of the president’s chief supporters, said that Biden might be failing physically, but mentally, he’s on top of his game. Seriously?

Biden’s continuation in the race seems more and more like elder abuse. At one point this week he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin,” and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump.” It got so bad at Biden’s “Big Boy” press conference at the NATO summit that even CNN had to post an article fact-checking his biggest lies, such as his claim that former President Donald Trump had told him that Trump had just found out about NATO.

The liberal media, having actively hidden Biden’s senility, had a burst of conscience and came out against him. Now, they’re realizing that his opponent is Trump and getting back in line to prop him up. But what will they do when Biden blows himself up in the next debate with Trump? It’ll be fun to watch.

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John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Their firm polls for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.

Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.