USA Today breaks tradition by endorsing Biden
'This is not normal election, and these are not normal times,' editorial board explains in first-ever support of candidate
News Service09:28 October 21, 2020

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden
Photograph: TOM BRENNER


USA Today, one of the largest US newspapers, announced its first-ever presidential endorsement Tuesday to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"Four years ago, the Editorial Board — an ideologically and demographically diverse group of journalists that is separate from the news staff and operates by consensus — broke with tradition and took sides in the presidential race for the first time since USA TODAY was founded in 1982," the editorial board said in a statement.

"We urged readers not to vote for [US President] Donald Trump, calling the Republican nominee unfit for office because he lacked the 'temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.'"

However, after 38-years, the board decided to support the election of Biden "unanimously" in the Nov. 3 elections, saying he offers "a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence."

"If this were a choice between two capable major party nominees who happened to have opposing ideas, we wouldn’t choose sides. Different voters have different concerns. But this is not a normal election, and these are not normal times," the board wrote.

"This year, character, competence and credibility are on the ballot. Given Trump’s refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, so, too, is the future of America's democracy."

Claiming that the endorsement will not have any effect on news reports, the board concluded: "We may never endorse a presidential nominee again. In fact, we hope we'll never have to. "