Discussion on Biden and Trump Debates
Buck Sexton, who co-hosts “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” shared his views with SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly on Tuesday. He suggested that if former President Joe Biden had opted out of debating President Donald Trump, it might have stretched all the way to Election Day.
The internal conflict among Democrats was evident as Biden struggled to articulate his standpoint following a challenging debate with Trump in June 2024. Kelly criticized Alex Thompson from Axios during their conversation about a new book addressing claims regarding Biden’s mental fitness during his presidency.
“Last week, I was critical of Alex Thompson. He received an award for his reporting on Biden’s mental condition, which has been somewhat controversial. When he accepted the award at the White House correspondent center, he remarked, ‘We missed it. You missed it,’” Kelly mentioned. “But you didn’t miss anything.”
“They certainly didn’t miss anything,” Sexton responded. “They sacrificed a lot to defeat Trump, and now it seems like they’re trying to reclaim that.”
After Biden assumed office in January 2021, GOP officials warned about his mental health concerns. However, party leaders and some in the media reportedly dismissed these alarms. Biden’s team referred to clips of his health as “cheap lies” and criticized Republicans.
Sexton also discussed the long bets regarding Biden’s capability to continue in office. He mentioned, “Clay, you don’t get it. This has been two years in the making. It was almost as if they were prepared to support him even if he needed help moving around. I’m not entirely right, but it was pretty close.” He noted that party leaders might have been hesitant to replace Biden because they viewed Kamala Harris as a less viable option.
The Democratic tensions heightened after Biden’s debate in June, with calls from critics and lawmakers urging him to withdraw from the upcoming election. Biden later indicated he would step back, supporting Vice President Harris instead.
“If they had maintained the narrative they promoted, they might have helped Biden through the election, avoiding claims of election denial against Trump,” Sexton posited. “Had they declined to debate, at least they might have gained some ground on Election Day, possibly making it closer to Kamala.”
A recent excerpt from the book by Thompson and CNN anchor Jake Tapper claimed Biden had contemplated utilizing a wheelchair due to worsening mobility issues. This revelation drew comments from former aides who voiced their concerns about Biden’s ability to serve and criticized the administration regarding Harris’s performance.
