“BIDEN PLEASE DROP OUT WE’RE BEGGING YOU,” reads 27-year-old Tristan Loeffler’s debut artwork, facing northbound commuters on Highway 101.
With two geriatrics running for president, it’s no secret America’s youngsters feel disillusioned with November’s looming race—just over half of young voters think Biden should step aside, a Monday poll found.
Inspired by President Joe Biden’s lackluster performance in the debate against Donald Trump last month, Loeffler decided to take a stand Tuesday morning.
Still buzzing from his year-long backpacking trip to Central and South America, the San Carlos resident ordered eight large white banners from Amazon, bought a can of red spray paint from Ace Hardware, and got to work.
Loeffler, who was initially dressed in several layers of flannel and fingerless gloves when The Standard arrived at the footbridge off 18th Street in Potrero Hill, said he set up his sign and camping chair just after 5 a.m.
“I was just very scared after seeing the debate,” he said. “[Biden] just doesn’t have it anymore, and I knew somebody had to say something. I know that he’s had a lot of pressure from his donors and other top Democratic lawmakers, but I just think he needs to hear it from the people.”
He chose this location because it “will get the most views.” He estimated he had garnered around 700 honks and 10 middle fingers in the six hours he had been there.
“To do it here in San Francisco really shows that even in the most liberal place in the world, we still have problems with him,” the bartender and aspiring diplomat said.
‘Unfortunately, I will vote for Biden’
Loeffler, who considers himself a moderate, said he voted for Biden in 2020 and genuinely believed in the Delaware Democrat.
“Unfortunately, I will vote for Biden,” said Loeffler. “Between Trump and anybody else, I will choose anybody else. And the thing is, I don’t believe in Kamala Harris either. Between you and me—and I guess this recorder—she has the charisma of a wet noodle.”
On the same bridge facing south, another sign reads “GOP” with a hammer and sickle through the O—the motif represents a belief that Trump is aligned with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Loeffler, who said unwavering support for Ukraine in the war against Russia was his biggest issue as a voter, said he wasn’t responsible for, or aware of, the other sign’s existence.
Just 25% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents who are 65 and older say Biden should stop running, according to a YouGov poll published Monday—so perhaps it was that group responsible for flipping Loeffler off.