Scientific journal ‘Nature’ endorses Biden

The scientific journal Nature has endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president, citing what it calls President Trump’s attacks on “so many valuable institutions,” including the press, the courts and science agencies.

“Challenges such as ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling global warming and halting the proliferation and threat of nuclear weapons are global, and urgent. They will not be overcome without the collective efforts of the nation states and international institutions that the Trump administration has sought to undermine,” the journal’s editorial board wrote.

The endorsement specifically points to the president’s “shameful record of interference in health and science agencies,” which it says will result in long-term damage to the public’s trust in those institutions. The journal faults the president and the Trump administration for its lack of a comprehensive contact-tracing and testing program earlier in the pandemic, as well as Trump’s derision of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

In contrast, the journal cites Biden’s commitment to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords and invest in renewable energy, as well as his campaign’s coronavirus response plans that would emphasize following CDC advice.

“Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent in next month’s presidential election, is the nation’s best hope to begin to repair this damage to science and the truth — by virtue of his policies and his leadership record in office, as a former vice-president and as a senator,” the editorial states.

“Joe Biden must be given an opportunity to restore trust in truth, in evidence, in science and in other institutions of democracy, heal a divided nation, and begin the urgent task of rebuilding the United States’ reputation in the world.”

The move comes the month after Scientific American also endorsed the former vice president, the first presidential endorsement in its 175-year history.