It is frightening that Biden does not know what he recently did
In the weeks before the 2022 midterms, conservative columnist George Will issued a rare and pointed challenge to the Democratic Party: that both its president and vice president were unfit to seek another term. Writing from a tradition of principled conservatism, Will framed his argument not as partisan attack but as a sober reckoning with the demands of high office — a reminder that fitness for power is a question that transcends party loyalty. His words arrived at a moment when the nation was already weighing what kind of leadership the next chapter of its history would require.
- A prominent conservative voice broke from typical partisan lines to argue that Biden's confusion over his own student loan policy revealed something more troubling than a verbal stumble — a genuine gap in presidential awareness.
- Harris drew equally sharp criticism, with Will suggesting her public statements on policy sounded less like command than like improvisation, raising urgent questions about the depth of her preparation for the presidency.
- Will's warning carried institutional weight, amplified by his new platform at NewsNation and its parent company Nexstar, which also owns The Hill — giving his call for Democratic renewal broad media reach.
- Rather than simply attacking, Will urged Democrats to treat the approaching midterm results as a mandate for honest self-examination, warning that nominating a weakened ticket would imperil the country regardless of what Republicans chose to do.
- The column landed as an early tremor in the 2024 conversation — a signal that the question of Democratic fitness was already live, and that it would not be confined to partisan critics alone.
In early November 2022, George Will used his platform to make a blunt case: President Biden and Vice President Harris should not seek the Democratic nomination in 2024. For Will, the argument was rooted in a specific and troubling episode — Biden's apparent confusion about whether his student loan forgiveness program had been enacted through legislation or executive action. The president seemed genuinely uncertain about what he had just done on a matter of enormous consequence. Will treated this not as a gaffe but as a warning sign, arguing that a leader who cannot reliably recall his own recent actions must be presumed unfit for another term.
His critique of Harris was no less severe. In Will's telling, the vice president spoke about policy as though encountering it for the first time — lacking the fluency and depth that the office demands. He described her as starkly unqualified, a judgment he rendered without apparent hesitation.
The column's deeper argument was directed at the Democratic Party itself. Will acknowledged that Republicans might nominate their own flawed candidate — but insisted that was no justification for Democrats to follow suit. After the midterms, he urged the party to resolve not to insult or endanger the nation by running a ticket it could not honestly defend.
The timing added dimension to the moment. Will had recently joined NewsNation, a cable network owned by Nexstar Media Group, which had also acquired The Hill. His argument thus traveled across multiple platforms with considerable institutional backing. For a prominent conservative intellectual to call for the replacement of an entire Democratic ticket — before that ticket had even formally assembled — marked a notable early entry into what would become a long and turbulent 2024 conversation.
George Will, the longtime Washington Post columnist, made a stark argument in early November 2022: President Biden and Vice President Harris should both step aside and not seek the Democratic nomination in 2024. Writing with the directness that has defined his career, Will framed the case as one of basic fitness for office.
His concern about Biden centered on a specific moment that fall—what he called a "boulder" of evidence rolling past the electorate. The president had recently claimed he had passed a massive student loan forgiveness package "by law," then corrected himself to say he had gotten it passed "by a vote or two." Will seized on this as more than a typical Biden verbal stumble. The confusion wasn't merely embellishment or a slip of the tongue. It was something darker: the president appeared genuinely uncertain about what he had just accomplished on a policy of enormous consequence. "What vote? Who voted?" Will asked. "It is frightening that Biden does not know, or remember, what he recently did regarding an immensely important policy."
This wasn't abstract concern. Will argued that if Biden couldn't reliably recall or understand his own recent legislative achievements, he must be presumed vulnerable to future episodes of similar bewilderment. The columnist concluded that Biden should leave office on January 20, 2025—the end of his current term—rather than run again.
But Will's critique extended beyond the president. He turned his attention to Harris with equal severity, describing her as "starkly unqualified" to succeed Biden. When Harris spoke on policy matters, Will wrote, she sounded "like someone giving a book report on a book she has not read." The vice president, in his view, lacked the depth of understanding necessary for the nation's highest office.
Will's conclusion was a warning aimed squarely at the Democratic Party. He acknowledged that Republicans might well nominate someone whose unfitness had been demonstrated. But that was no excuse for Democrats to do the same. After the midterm elections that were about to take place—he was writing just before Election Day—the party should resolve not to "insult and imperil the nation" by nominating a candidate of comparable weakness.
The timing of Will's column was notable. He had recently joined NewsNation, a startup cable network, as a senior contributor. NewsNation itself was owned by Nexstar Media Group, which had acquired The Hill the previous summer. Will's argument, then, was being made across multiple platforms and with the reach of a major media company behind it. His voice carried weight in Washington circles, and his call for Biden and Harris to exit the race represented a significant moment in the emerging 2024 conversation—a prominent conservative intellectual arguing that the Democratic ticket should be replaced before it even formally began.
Citas Notables
It is frightening that Biden does not know, or remember, what he recently did regarding an immensely important policy.— George Will
Vice President Harris is starkly unqualified to be considered as his successor.— George Will
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What made Will focus on that particular student loan moment? It seems like one misstatement among many.
Because it wasn't just a misstatement. He was arguing Biden didn't understand what he'd actually done on a major policy. That's different from misspeaking—it suggests a gap in memory or comprehension that could happen again.
And he thought Harris was unqualified. On what basis?
He said she sounded like she was reciting positions without understanding them. Not that she lacked experience, but that she didn't seem to grasp the substance of her own portfolio.
This was 2022. Why would a conservative columnist care whether Democrats nominated a weak candidate?
Because he was arguing it would damage the country. He seemed to think both parties had a responsibility to field serious candidates, regardless of partisan advantage.
Did Will think Republicans would do better?
He acknowledged Republicans might nominate someone unfit too. His point was that two unfit candidates wouldn't be better than one—it would be worse for the nation.
What was the practical effect of his column?
It gave intellectual cover to Democrats who were already worried about Biden's age and Harris's standing. Will wasn't alone in these concerns, but his voice lent them credibility among moderates and establishment figures.