Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer took to social media to slam critics who say President Biden cannot win the battleground state of Michigan.
“Anyone who claims I’m saying we can’t win Michigan is a big liar,” Gov. Whitmer said in a post on X on Monday. “Let’s keep trying.”
The post follows a Politico report on Monday detailing a call between Michigan’s Democratic governor and the Biden campaign, in which Whitmer reportedly told the presidential campaign that the state was unwinnable after Biden’s poor performance in last week’s debate.
Biden campaign remains silent as party reeles from ’embarrassing’ debate performance
“The time for just thoughts and prayers is over,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a video posted to social media on Wednesday about the deadly shooting at Michigan State University. (Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer/Screenshot)
Politico reported that the call, between Whitmer and Biden campaign chair Jennifer O’Malley, centered around frustrations over Whitmer’s emergence as a possible successor to Biden following her debate performance.
One source told Politico that Whitmer denied any attempt to throw Biden out of the election, while another added that the governor had warned the campaign that she no longer believed the president could win in the state.
The call reflected the reaction of many Democrats to Biden’s debate performance, which immediately sparked a wave of concern that the president was too old and infirm to compete against former President Trump in November’s election.
President Joe Biden (R) and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, participate in the CNN presidential debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
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But Biden’s campaign strongly disputed that notion, insisting the president would continue to campaign and striking a more optimistic tone about his position on the race.
Meanwhile, amid the sudden panic, prominent Democrats rushed to the president’s defence, with former House Majority Whip James Clyburn reiterating his support for Biden and arguing that Biden’s poor performance in the debate was due to “over-preparation”.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also defended Biden after the debate, arguing that voters would notice Trump’s dishonesty more than his flaws.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer outlined legislative efforts to lower fuel prices during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on April 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“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 Sunday. “You have sincerity on one side of the screen and dishonesty on the other side.”
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