Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has told President Biden’s campaign that the state is no longer winnable following Biden’s dismal performance in last week’s debate, Politico reported Monday.
The news emerged following a call between Whitmer and Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, in which a source familiar with the call told the outlet that Whitmer expressed frustration at her name being floated as an alternative to Biden after the debate.
She rejected any attempt to remove Biden from the race, as a growing number of Democrats are calling for. Another source told Politico that she had generally warned Dillon that Michigan was no longer winnable for Biden following his debate performance.
Whitmer’s reaction is similar to that of other prominent Democrats who have publicly cheered for Biden but privately reportedly panicked and questioned his candidacy.
Biden campaign remains silent as party reeles from ’embarrassing’ debate performance
Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has told President Biden’s campaign that the state is no longer winnable following Biden’s dismal performance in last week’s debate, Politico reported Monday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former House Majority Whip James Clyburn (R-N.Y.) reiterated their support for Biden in television appearances on Sunday.
Biden debate debacle: 10 surprising media reactions, from MSNBC panic to ‘The View’ calls for change
Pelosi Biden struggled in Thursday’s debate solely because of former President Trump’s onstage “lies,” while Clyburn argued Biden’s poor performance was simply down to “being over-prepared.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former House Majority Whip James Clyburn (R-Fla.) reiterated their support for President Biden in television appearances on Sunday. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“The reality is that the reaction to Donald Trump’s lies is what people are watching, and in the debates they have to spend half the time denying what he’s saying because he has no idea about the truth,” Pelosi said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “On one side of the screen you have sincerity and on the other side you have dishonesty.”
Battleground Democrats abandon Biden after ‘disastrous’ debate performance
Clyburn, who served as the House Democratic vice leader until last year, also dismissed Biden’s embarrassing arguments in an interview with Bash, saying Biden Defeat Trump He will step down in November and serve as leader of the free world for the next four years.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed President Biden’s struggles in Thursday’s debate on former President Trump’s onstage “lies,” but Clyburn argued Biden’s poor performance was simply down to “being over-prepared.” (Getty Images)
“I’ve seen this before. I’ve worked on debate prep before, and I see this fall into what’s called overpreparation,” Clyburn said. “We saw that happen the other night. We saw Joe Biden struggling with the words he had, the phrases he had, even the numbers. And yet today he arrived in North Carolina, he let loose, he captivated the audience.”
