President Joe Biden is already catching flak from within his own ranks over his Friday-night interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.
In assessing another shaky Biden performance, a number of Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with the 81-year-old U.S. president, who told Stephanopoulos that high-profile figures in the party, including Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, “all said I should stay in the race.”
Prior to the recorded interview being aired, some Democratic lawmakers indicated their minds would not be changed by Biden’s appearance, with Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) telling Axios: “There were 40 million people that watched the debate, so it’ll take more than a rally and an interview to prove that he can make the case that Trump is unfit to be president.” Another unidentified lawmaker said the interview will change “zero” minds.
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It appears such predictions were correct.
One Democratic pooh-bah described Biden’s interview as a “huge opportunity missed.” Having requested anonymity to offer a candid assessment, the longtime donor bundler told The Daily Beast, “This was his Alamo, and he’s going down like Davy Crockett.”
Former congressman Crockett perished in an iconic last stand against the Mexican army in Texas, in 1836.
“The question is when and how,” the source said, referring to how Biden might step aside and let Vice President Kamala Harris take over. “The reaction is abysmal—but several donors I know haven’t watched it yet.”
Another Democratic donor bundler told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that Biden “reminded me so much of when my grandfather refused to accept he shouldn’t be allowed to drive anymore and that everyone but him knew about it.” The second donor bundler also said Biden’s delivery was “very alarming,” but not “as bad as the debate” and “it did not help.”
Here’s how one Democratic bundler put it, relayed with permission. #gapol pic.twitter.com/fjukk8DeqT
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) July 6, 2024
Appearing on CNN after the interview, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who was the first sitting Democrat to call for Biden to quit after his debate against Trump, said the interview had not changed his mind, and continued to call for Biden to withdraw. Describing Biden as a “good man” he said the “need for (Biden) to step aside is more urgent tonight than when I first called for it.”
Meanwhile, a House Democrat told NBC News they plan on “breaking my silence soon” because of how “sad” and “completely out of touch with reality” Biden’s performance was.
In his interview, Biden evaded almost any forward-looking answers, despite repeated prodding from George Stephanopoulos. He did not mention inflation once. He continued to meander in his speech, and cut his own answers short for no apparent reason. In one of the more strained exchanges, he refused to take a cognitive test.
One Democratic strategist who saw only online clips of the interview offered a different take.
“The excerpts I saw seemed fine,” the strategist told The Daily Beast. “But people are nitpicking things on Twitter for clout/because they want to force him off the ticket.”
Asked if the president’s performance affected any fundamentals of the race, the second Democrat said they “don’t think so. ‘No’ is an incredibly normal thing to say even if it’s not PR-perfect.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Not all Democrats, however, are turning their back on Biden. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) appeared on CNN to boost Biden’s achievements, saying that Biden has “done it once before and he’ll do it again,” in reference to beating Trump.
“The work he’s done over the previous… years is extraordinary. Trump will destroy most everything… Can Biden beat Trump? Yes.”
