The New York Times executed a 180-degree turn on its own reporting — which just six months earlier had assured readers that President Joe ...
The New York Times executed a 180-degree turn on its own reporting — which just six months earlier had assured readers that President Joe Biden was in top form — and declared in a Tuesday headline, “A Weary Biden Heads For The Exit.”
Just three paragraphs in, the message is clear: the same people who were actively helping prop up an obviously diminished Biden — even in the final weeks before he was unceremoniously ushered off the stage and out of the 2024 presidential race — clearly understand that he would not have been able to withstand the stress of the rest of the campaign, much less another term in the White House.
From Tuesday’s piece:
Time is catching up with Mr. Biden. He looks a little older and a little slower with each passing day. Aides say he remains plenty sharp in the Situation Room, calling world leaders to broker a cease-fire in Lebanon or deal with the chaos of Syria’s rebellion. But it is hard to imagine that he seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years.
Just six months prior, the narrative was obvious: Biden is fine, and people should ignore those pesky viral videos that show him looking lost because they are creating unnecessary problems.
The article, published on June 21, was titled, “How Misleading Videos Are Trailing Biden As He Battles Age Doubts” and argued that the videos — most of which were even more damning when viewed uncut — were “edited or lacking context.”
The article asserted that Biden was none the worse for wear and then blamed conservative media for manipulating videos to convince the American people otherwise.
In the last two weeks, conservative news outlets, the Republican National Committee and the Trump team have circulated videos of Mr. Biden that lacked important context and twisted mundane moments to paint him in an unflattering light.
Critics pointed out the quick turn, showcasing the articles side by side and noting just how quickly the proverbial worm had turned.
“What a difference 179 days make for The New York Times. From: ‘videos of Mr. Biden circulating during this year’s campaign are clearly manipulated to make him look old and confused.’ To: ‘it is hard to imagine that he seriously thought he could do the world’s most stressful job for another four years,'” conservative communications strategist Steve Guest said via X.
RedState’s Bonchie added, “The Times four months ago: ‘Those videos of Joe Biden falling asleep and slurring his words are cheap fakes. Of course he can serve another four years.’ The Times now: ‘How could anyone have imagined Joe Biden could ever serve another four years?'”