The board wrote Biden needs to 'build confidence with the public by doing things that he has so far been unwilling to do convincingly,' like unscripted events
Biden skipping Super Bowl interview perplexes CNN host: ‘What’s he afraid of?’
CNN anchor Jake Tapper tore into President Biden for skipping the traditional presidential Super Bowl interview this year, asking Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., what the president is "afraid of."
The New York Times editorial board slammed President Biden’s press conference that he gave in response to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s assessment of his "poor memory."
The editorial – published Friday – declared that Biden’s assurances during the presser that his memory is "fine" "didn’t work," and that they raised "more questions" about his sharpness.
The board then advised Biden that he needs to "do better" to convince the American people that he’s up to the job, especially as former President Trump has a "very real chance of retaking the White House."
PROMINENT DEMOCRATS, JOURNALISTS INSIST BIDEN IS TOTALLY FINE, 'AGE IS HIS SUPERPOWER'
The New York Times editorial board claimed that Biden's press conference in response to Special Counsel Robert Hur's report made voters' trust in the president's mental strength even worse. (Reuters / Getty)
The piece began by noting polls showing how a majority of American voters in battleground states "agreed with the statement that Mr. Biden’s ‘just too old to be an effective president,’" and that Hur’s report will further "test trust that the American people have in their president."
It then claimed that Biden’s response to that report made things even worse.
"Mr. Biden’s performance at his news conference on Thursday night was intended to assure the public that his memory is fine and argue that Mr. Hur was out of line; instead, the president raised more questions about his cognitive sharpness and temperament," the board declared.
It added that "he delivered emotional and snappish retorts in a moment when people were looking for steady, even and capable responses to fair questions about his fitness."
Summing it up, The Times said, "His assurances, in other words, didn’t work. He must do better."
It added that "the stakes in this presidential election are too high for Mr. Biden to hope that he can skate through a campaign with the help of teleprompters and aides and somehow defeat as manifestly unfit an opponent as Donald Trump, who has a very real chance of retaking the White House."
The board also rebuked the immediate stance that some of Biden’s allies have taken, noting they’ve been "going to the usual Washington playbook of dismissing the special counsel’s report as partisan."
President Joe Biden held a press conference on Thursday in response to Special Counsel Robert Hur's description of his age and memory. (Reuters)
It said, "Regardless of Mr. Hur’s motivation, the details that he presented spoke to worries voters already had," and offered a strategy requiring Biden to face this reality and overcome it.
The Times recommended that Biden "reassure and build confidence with the public by doing things that he has so far been unwilling to do convincingly," like campaigning in "unrehearsed reactions" and do more "town hall meetings in communities and on national television."
It also offered, "He should hold regular news conferences to demonstrate his command of and direction for leading the country," noting that he has "less substantive, unscripted interaction with the public and the press than any other president in recent memory."
The criticism didn’t stop there, with the Times adding that Biden’s "age and his absence from the public stage has eroded the public’s confidence. He looks as if he is hiding, or worse, being hidden."
The editorial concluded with a pessimistic assessment of the Biden administration as it stands, admitting, "This is a dark moment for Mr. Biden’s presidency, when many voters are relying on him to provide the country with a compelling alternative to the unique danger of Mr. Trump."
It concluded, "Mr. Biden has been a wise and steady presence. He needs to do more to show the public that he is fully capable of holding office until age 86."
The White House did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
