People online let out a chorus of groans after “The West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin laid out a very novel plan for who Democrats should replace President Joe Biden on Sunday.
In an opinion piece for The New York Times titled “How I Would Script This Moment for Biden and the Democrats,” the celebrated producer and screenwriter suggested the party should put retiring Utah Republican, Sen. Mitt Romney, at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Claiming his proposal had an air of “originality” and a “sense of sacrifice,” Sorkin wrote that “nominating Mr. Romney would be putting our money where our mouth is.”
“A clear and powerful demonstration that this election isn’t what our elections are usually about, but about stopping a deranged man from taking power.”
Sorkin would go on to muse about Romney’s decidedly right-wing stances, brushing off the politician’s positions on abortion access, public education, labor unions and more.
“The choice is between Donald Trump and not-Trump, and the not-Trump candidate needs only one qualification,” he wrote. “To win enough votes from a cross section of Americans to close off the former president’s Electoral College path back to power.”
While Sorkin was behind one of the most beloved political shows of all time, his vision of unity was not met kindly by the public.
On X, the social media platform formerly Twitter, users flooded their timelines with backlash, with many asking why the Times would publish the Oscar winner’s political fan fiction in the first place.
Just hours after Sorkin floated his plan, President Biden announced his decision to halt his bid for reelection.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” the president wrote in a statement.
See more of the funniest reactions to Sorkin’s op-ed right here: