Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy analyzed President Joe Biden’s post-debate political future on “Hannity” Friday night.
Fox News guest host Kayleigh McEnany said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, Meeting A group of Democratic senators formed after the first presidential debate to pressure Biden to give up his reelection bid in 2024. Kennedy told McEnany afterward that he was “not sure” Biden’s pre-taped interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos was enough to change things.
“Kayleigh, I’m not sure that an interview like the one the president had tonight means much at this point. We can’t let this cat back out,” Kennedy said. “People saw what they saw in the 90 minutes of the debate, and I think most people understand that aging makes things worse, not better, so they think it’s just a matter of time before President Biden stumbles again.”
“Fair or not, I think most Americans have made their decision,” he continued, “that President Biden is elderly, that he has probably been suffering from some kind of neurodegenerative disease for some time, that the White House and many members of the media-industrial complex have been covering it up, and that that cover-up is harmful, in my opinion, for whatever it’s worth.”
“President Biden is politically dead as fried chicken. He can resign. He can be replaced. Let me finish my thoughts,” Kennedy said, to which McEnany began responding. “Or he could run and lose. As one commentator pointed out today, you can’t run successfully for president of the United States if your campaign slogan is, ‘I’m just a little dim sometimes.'”
McEnany told Kennedy that his assessment of Biden was “correct” and wondered aloud what the president’s advisers were telling him. She noted that when pressed by Stephanopoulos, Biden denied his plummeting poll numbers and questioned whether the Democratic incumbent’s campaign was “just telling him what he wants to hear.” (Related: ‘It’s not getting better’: ABC’s Martha Raddatz discusses fallout after Biden’s first post-debate interview)
“In these difficult times, we shouldn’t look to Washington, D.C. for wisdom or comfort. You know, most people in Washington, D.C. would unplug their life support to charge their cell phones,” Kennedy said. “Most people in Washington, D.C. are worried right now about how the president’s problems will affect them personally. I’m more interested in what the American people think.”
Senator Kennedy told McEnany that he took “no pleasure” in discussing Biden’s decline and that these were “difficult times.” He reiterated that voters “saw what they saw” during the debate and said they were “deeply concerned.”
