Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed President Biden’s Oval Office speech, calling it “barely incomprehensible.”
“Villain Joe Biden’s Oval Office speech was so bad I could barely understand it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Criminal Joe Biden and liar Kamala Harris are a huge disgrace to America. There has never been a time like this!,” the 78-year-old former president wrote in a follow-up post.
In a prime-time address, Biden, 81, insisted he would remain in the White House until January despite concerns about his fitness to serve as president.
He also explained his decision to abruptly end his reelection campaign, arguing it was time to “pass the baton to a new generation” to unite the Democratic Party.
Trump, 78, who had just finished a raucous rally in North Carolina minutes before addressing the nation, listened to Biden’s remarks from the plane.
“Trump Force One…hey Joe…you’re fired!” Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita wrote on X, along with a photo of a serious-looking Trump standing in front of a television in the former president’s Boeing 757.
Many commentators and politicians described Biden’s speech as “sad.”
“Politics aside, it’s sad to watch Biden stutter with hollow eyes and a weak voice,” former Arkansas Governor and Republican Mike Huckabee wrote on X, saying he wished Biden had used the nationally broadcast speech to address the violent anti-Israel protesters who besieged Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
“I agree with him that violence cannot be tolerated, and I was hoping he would condemn the violence perpetrated by Hamas supporters in Washington today,” Huckabee said.
CNN analyst Van Jones was nearly in tears after Biden’s speech.
“The boy who stuttered did a great job,” Jones said on television, fighting back tears.
“Most heroes fight to the end. He threw himself on his sword,” the political analyst said of Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
“He’s old, but he’s got heart,” he added, noting that some of the policies Biden wants to accomplish during the remainder of his term, such as reforming the Supreme Court, are unlikely to happen until after his term is over.
Republican political activist and CNN analyst Scott Jennings said Biden doesn’t appear to have much power left.
“He’s out of gas,” Jennings said of Biden’s appearance.
“Most of this looked like street talk to me,” he claimed.
“Hopefully he’ll be OK over the next few months.”
