President Biden bizarrely called House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, “dead on arrival” after the speaker criticized Johnson for trying to “radically reform” the Supreme Court in an election year.
When a reporter quoted Johnson as saying in the House of Representatives that his reform plan was “failed on arrival”, Biden bizarrely responded, “That’s him.”
“He was dead on arrival,” he said, as reporters shouted questions on the runway about Johnson’s response.
“This is incoherent and pathetic (and of course reposted by Andrew Bates),” said Johnson spokesman Taylor Halsey. Post to XHe blasted the senior deputy White House press secretary, who for weeks had strenuously denied reports that his boss was preparing to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Johnson later video On his X account, Biden posted excerpts of Biden’s remarks, including a video of his disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump, in which Trump is heard saying, “I have no idea what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
Biden, 81, last week ended his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.
In an Oval Office address last Thursday, President Trump, after delivering a fiery speech a few weeks earlier about a ruling that granted the president absolute immunity for official conduct, suggested he would soon “call for reform of the Supreme Court, because this is so important to our democracy.”
Johnson said the president’s proposed reforms to the Supreme Court, including term limits and ethics rules, “would upset the balance of power and undermine not only the rule of law but also the American people’s confidence in our judicial system.”
“This proposal is the logical conclusion to the ongoing efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration and congressional Democrats to delegitimize the Supreme Court,” Johnson said Monday. “Their calls to expand and staff the Court will soon be renewed.”
“It’s indicative that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our country since its founding simply because they don’t agree with some of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions,” he added. “This dangerous gambit by the Biden-Harris Administration failed the moment it passed the House of Representatives.”
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas, 77), the first sitting member of Congress to publicly call on Biden to step down, greeted the president after he descended the short staircase aboard Air Force One.
According to Touchdown’s tally report, Biden smiled and shook hands with Doggett before taking a selfie with Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).
“Happy to welcome President Biden to @AUStinAirport – a true statesman and patriot. We are now heading to the LBJ Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and reaffirm our commitment to a more equal and just future,” Doggett posted on Page X of their exchange.
Doggett initially endorsed Biden but then withdrew his support after his performance in last month’s debate between Biden and Trump brought concerns about his age to a head.
“I represent the heart of the district once represented by Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, Johnson made the difficult decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same,” Doggett said earlier this month.
Dozens of Democrats in both houses of Congress later followed suit, publicly calling on Biden to surrender and pass the baton.
Ultimately, Biden announced on July 21 that he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate.
Biden flew to Texas to speak at the Johnson Presidential Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
In 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek reelection, a move Republican Richard Nixon ultimately won that year, leaving him in office about 295 days before Election Day.
Biden’s withdrawal came with unprecedented timing – 107 days before Nov. 5 and just over two weeks after Democrats were set to hold a de facto nomination vote to confirm him as their nominee.
The House Speaker has previously cast doubt on Biden’s mental competence and suggested Democrats were plotting to cover up Biden’s missteps.
“I did not want to speak publicly about my personal interactions with the president because I was concerned about appearing weak on the world stage at a very dangerous time.“, Johnson said this last week on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Now that the secret is out, the Republican chairman’s comments will confirm what everyone else knows and has seen: Democrats have been engaged in a major cover-up here,” he added.
