Former Biden White House communications director and now-CNN contributor Kate Bedingfield probably felt even more depressed over what transpired last Thursday night than most. She was part of Biden’s debate preparation team against Donald Trump in 2020. Ms. Bedingfield was quite confident pre-debate that Biden was prepared and had the experience to take on Donald Trump again. That lasted less than five minutes when Biden, who looked and sounded like death, shuffled out and delivered one of the worst debate performances in presidential history. He acted like his age, looking weathered, aloof, and incapable of providing coherent lines to defend his record and attack Trump.
It was a total nightmare for Democrats who haven’t stopped worrying that this event was an election killer, with talk of replacing Biden on the ticket. Axios’ Alex Thompson has been reporting how this White House is in a state of panic and the anger from Biden’s top allies at staffers who would permit the president to humiliate himself on a national stage like this.
“There is incredible frustration, especially among the people who really love Joe Biden—that have been with him for a long time—that if people within the inner circle knew that he had some of these moments, that knew that there was even a five percent chance that what happened on Thursday night was going to happen, and they let him go on that stage and humiliate himself in front of the entire world and they let him do it anyway,” said Thompson on CNN today. “There is tremendous anger and sadness among the people that have worked for Joe Biden, believe in his legacy, that they let him go out there and do it anyway.”
“There is incredible frustration especially among the people who really love Joe Biden…that if ppl w/i the inner circle knew that he had some of these moments, that knew that there was even a 5% chance that what happened on Thursday night was going to happen, and they let him… pic.twitter.com/WeSkTWOwvq
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 3, 2024
Bedingfield had to push back, noting that this is why she believes the inverse of this narrative, adding that she knows the folks around the president would not have let him—Biden—go out there and get slaughtered. She believes last week was an “aberration” and, incredibly, thinks this was the first time that Biden had exhibited signs of mental decline.
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That’s nonsensical, Ms. Bedingfield. Three-fourths of the country now thinks Joe is too old to be president. Carl Bernstein expounded on at least 15 times over the past 18 months where the president’s age and mental health have been visibly degraded.
This is the first time she feels Biden looks and acts his age—come on now. This is why the Democrats are in such trouble with their messaging. I’m sure there are some who feel the same way. They’re coping. And I don’t think this is going to get better. As of now, Biden is heading for defeat, and the party is paralyzed on what to do.
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