President Biden backed down and turned it into a fiasco.
Not that anyone thought there was a problem with an 81-year-old president seeking a second term. There is growing debate about whether Biden has the mental acuity and physical strength for the job. Even a majority of Democrats say in polls that he shouldn’t run again.
Over the past few years, I have said at every opportunity that it is a mistake for the president’s advisers to protect him from the media. It looks like he’s unmotivated. That would remove him from the news cycle. That leaves a void to be filled by Donald Trump. It’s a surrender of the pulpit of the world’s biggest bully.
This guy even refused a Super Bowl interview for the second year in a row and ignored a large audience.
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What Biden’s inner circle is doing, of course, is to protect him from gaffes (which he has done throughout his life). Instead, he made a statement that received little attention. Even as the military launched retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, the commander-in-chief remained silent.
President Biden sits in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday, February 9, 2024 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
In my opinion, it’s a small price to pay to make mistakes in order to get on camera and provide the video that drives television and the web. Biden may be working hard behind the scenes, but if voters don’t see him leading the way, they’ll wonder why he’s disappeared — especially among the top voters. While his opponents are constantly interacting with journalists.
It’s not enough to take a few questions from reporters and answer them briefly, often over the roar of helicopters.
Biden struggled with his memory last week. He spent an agonizing 30 seconds trying to think of “Hamas” until a reporter told him the name. He confused Emmanuel Macron with the late François Mitterrand. He then told the same anecdote, explaining what German Chancellor Helmut Kohl told him in 2021, except the leader passed away four years ago.
Then the special prosecutor’s report arrived.
The good news that he was not indicted for mishandling classified documents was quickly overshadowed by Robert Hur’s clarification of the president. The phrase that stings the most is “a well-intentioned older man with a poor memory.” He was so poor that no jury found him guilty.
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Biden couldn’t remember how many years he served as vice president or the year his son died, Hoare said. The president, Kamala Harris and the White House said there was no need for such gratuitous insults to Herr, who was originally appointed by President Trump. Attacking prosecutors is a well-worn tactic, used by Trump and Bill Clinton.
it doesn’t matter. The special counsel has publicly endorsed the public’s concerns and fears about the president’s mental health, and his staff did not have to give him a five-hour press conference in the two days following Hamas’ massacre of Israelis. .
But that’s when Biden made things even worse. According to some media reports, he became furious, swore privately, and decided to hold an unusual press conference (reporters were given a 20-minute warning), pouring kerosene on the fire. .
In the words of New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, Biden sounded angry, narrow-minded and defensive — “a grumpy grandpa.” He expressed her anger, saying, “There’s even a statement that she doesn’t remember when her son died. Why would you bring that up?”
Much of the mainstream media, along with many allies in the Democratic Party, reached a critical moment last week when they recognized that President Biden’s memory is a serious problem for the 81-year-old as he seeks re-election. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
He then turned his anger toward the media, becoming belligerent and mocking.
“I’m a good guy, I’m old, I know what I’m doing. I was president. I got this country back on its feet,” Biden said.
As for his memory: “Look at what I’ve done since I became president. None of the things I passed, nobody thought I would pass. How did that happen?” You know, I guess I just forgot what was going on. ”
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CNN’s MJ Lee opened up a long and confrontational line of questioning before being cut off by the president, saying, “Many Americans are watching and have expressed concerns about your age, but-”
Mr. Biden declared, “That’s your decision.” “That’s your decision. It’s not the press’s decision.” But it certainly showed up in poll after poll.
“They expressed concern about your mental strength,” Lee said. “They say you’re too old. Mr. President, in December you told me that you believe there are many other Democrats who can defeat Donald Trump. So why should it be you now? What is your answer?”
Former President Donald Trump speaks in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on February 9, 2024. (Spencer Pratt)
“Because I’m the best person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job I started,” he retorted.
Oh, and he described Egyptian leader Abdel al-Sisi as the president of Mexico.
It was a train wreck. His worst qualities were showing. What was supposed to be a two-day uproar over the report turned into a chaotic melodrama as reporters clamored for recognition.
I have a feeling that this is a turning point. The 77-year-old Trump has had his share of gaffes that have upset Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, but Biden seems to be walking and talking more feebly, but it’s too late for Democrats to change their game. It’s too late. The president has nine months to convince the country that he intends to hold the office.
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footnote: Politico says: According to the report, “party leaders have warned Biden aides that the president cannot back down in the wake of the special counsel’s report that stoked concerns about the president’s age and mental capacity.・President Biden has mainly stated that he has made a major contribution to the policies to date. [shielded] He needs to step away from interviews and press conferences and appear more publicly.
“They want to see him engage with the press and voters in punchy interactions that are off-script and off the beaten path. That will allay concerns about the president’s mental acuity. They say it’s worth the risk.” It’s a possible gaffe that could reinforce the image that he is in decline. ”
Welcome to all of you who think Biden should do more media work. Will he accept that advice?
