Biden Facing Calls to Resign and Let Kamala Take Over?

Prominent pollster Nate Silver has issued a stunning call for President Joe Biden to step aside, citing concerns about the president’s competence and ability to handle “high-stakes” global crises. In a blunt statement on social media, Silver suggested Vice President Kamala Harris should take the reins for the remaining months of Biden’s term.

“Is there any particular reason to assume Biden is competent to be president right now?” Silver wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “It’s a very difficult job. It’s a dangerous world. Extremely high-stakes decisions in Ukraine. He should resign and let Harris serve out the last 2 months.”

Is there any particular reason to assume Biden is competent to be president right now? It's a very difficult job. It's a dangerous world. Extremely high-stakes decisions in Ukraine. He should resign and let Harris serve out the last 2 months.https://t.co/02huFqQT3W pic.twitter.com/ZLWqcbkAYW

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 20, 2024

The remark follows Biden’s heavily criticized appearance at the G-20 summit in Brazil, where he repeatedly avoided questions from the press. According to a Washington Post report, frustrated reporters resorted to tactics like writing questions on a large pad of paper to grab his attention.

This is not the first time Biden has faced scrutiny for dodging the media. His last direct engagement with reporters came weeks before the pivotal November election, one he labeled “the most important in our nation’s history.”

Silver Shifts the Blame

Silver, best known for founding FiveThirtyEight and his sharp political analysis, did not hold back in assigning blame for the Democrats’ crushing defeat to Donald Trump earlier this month.

“Trump’s win is mostly Biden’s fault, not hers,” Silver wrote on his Substack, defending Harris. He criticized the Biden campaign’s leadership, saying, “Nobody in the senior ranks of the Biden campaign should ever work in politics again.”

Silver highlighted Harris’s challenging role throughout Biden’s presidency, saying she was set up to fail. “He gave her tough assignments—the border, perhaps Democrats’ worst issue, and voting rights, an issue on which the White House probably knew it wouldn’t make any progress,” he wrote. “Even up to the bitter end, Biden was stepping on her message.”

Silver’s critique of Biden extends beyond campaign missteps. His analysis noted how Biden’s campaign reportedly feared a Trump landslide of 400 electoral votes if Biden stayed in the race. “This was a predictable disaster,” Silver lamented.

Sympathy for Harris

In a rare show of support, Silver expressed empathy for Harris, who is now positioned as the Democratic Party’s figurehead in the aftermath of their loss. “I have a lot of sympathy for Kamala Harris’s position—maybe more than I’ve had for any losing candidate in some time,” Silver admitted.

Harris has largely stayed silent about her future plans, but insiders suggest she may still be considering a leadership role in rebuilding the Democratic Party.

What’s Next?

Silver’s blunt critique has reignited discussions about Biden’s fitness to lead. His call for resignation is unprecedented from a figure whose reputation rests on data-driven predictions, not political provocations.

While Biden has yet to respond, the broader implications of Silver’s remarks are clear: the Democratic Party faces a turbulent period of introspection, and Kamala Harris may yet emerge as its reluctant standard-bearer.