Washington Post Readers Send Letter To Jill Biden To Tell Joe To Drop Out

Washington Post readers sent letters to First Lady Jill Biden, urging the first lady to convince her husband and tell him to withdraw from the race.

"We turn to you, Ms. Biden, with our request to urge your husband to end his campaign for the presidency," self-described "Democratic women" from Philadelphia said in the letter.

"It is time for the younger generation to take charge in a manner that will stop Mr. Trump in his tracks and build on your husband’s legacy rather than allow it to be destroyed," another Philadelphia reader wrote.

A reader from Lexington, New York signed the letter, adding that he agreed with 72% of registered voters who told CBS that Joe Biden is no longer mentally fit to serve.

"If it’s true that you have more influence on him than anyone, I implore you to coax him to drop out now, while he’s still able to do so with dignity," he wrote. "Encouraging him to ‘get back up’ after being ‘knocked down’ surely appeals to his impulses to ‘fight.’ But it is only going to prolong the abuse he will suffer." 

Robin Marquis, a reader in Alexandria, said that she has "lost all respect for Jill Biden" following her husband's debate performance last month. 

"The president is not a toddler to pacify," Marquis wrote. "He should not be protected nor surrounded by folks who are unwilling to tell him the truth. Ms. Biden needs to step up and have that tough conversation. I am sure she has the power to influence his decision. There is no shame in facing the truth. It just takes courage."

An NBC News report from June 29, the day after the debate, cited advisors that say Jill holds all the cards. 

"[A] person familiar with the dynamics said Biden will ultimately listen to only one adviser. The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady. If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course."

Shades of Nancy Reagan.

US First Lady Jill Biden during a campaign event at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, on Friday, June 28, 2024. US President Joe Biden said he is committed to winning the November election, brushing aside mounting calls from prominent Democrats to step aside following his disastrous debate against Republican Donald Trump. Photographer: Cornell Watson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Joe Biden –  meaning, Jill – remains adamant he will stay in the race, despite calls from Democrats to step aside. 

On Monday, Obama's former chief strategist David Axelrod, one of the most influential figures in the party today, admitted he can't see a scenario in which Biden wins in November.  

"There are certain immutable facts of life," Axelrod said in an interview with CNN. "Those were painfully obvious on that debate stage. The president just … hasn't come to grips with it. He’s not winning this race. He seems not to grasp what the big concern is that people have.

Axelrod's casting his doubts publicly could be a game-changer.

You can read what other readers had to say to Jill here.