Biden loses his train of thought, calls Harris 'Vice President Trump' in solo press conference
President Biden has faced growing drop-out pressure from Democratic lawmakers, donors and from some voter polling after his debate flop against Donald Trump.
I have defended this man. If he's still the nominee in November I'll still vote for him. But god dammit this is fucking terrible.
I do not have hope for him being replaced but I sure think he should be. Whoever is telling him that he should keep running is guilty of elder abuse.
I do not have hope for him being replaced
Congresscritters, even just a few, coming out for him to step down is massive. It might happen.
If it happens, it's a guaranteed loss.
Enough DNC hand-wringing, let the stammerer and ponderer safeguard democracy and then you can Bernie him.
Well put.
You are a literal disgrace to this country especially when Chase Oliver is here to fight thems horrible candidates. You will vote for someone you know is a failure because reasons and you aren't brainwashed? Vote Chase Oliver, more than enough of us hate Trump and Biden and he stands for real things, check him out before you downvote me https://www.votechaseoliver.com/
Honestly, that this is the headline from the meeting is kind of ridiculous.
I absolutely think Biden should step down and hand the torch to whoever is best able to make the case for their beating trump between now and the convention.
But he was always slipping up with word switches over his career.
He was actually very on top of the policy nuances in this Q&A - 1,000x better than Trump could have dreamed of being.
The one word switch in an hour of nuanced policy discussions as the headline is more a failure of the media than Biden.
Even though he def should be making way as his decline is going to get worse and more info is going to come out.
Focus on the substantive part of the meeting, not the one meaningless gaffe.
Has he had an appearance recently that hasn't had at least one? Maybe we should ask the leader of Ukraine, President Putin.
The media was seething because they can't just run another word flub every day. Biden turned their repeated questions about minor misstatements into a policy discussion.
They don't want to run the story "NATO meeting a success" because it doesn't get as many clicks as "Biden secretly nuts". They've become tabloids.
He was actually very on top of the policy nuances in this Q&A - 1,000x better than Trump could have dreamed of being.
Well yeah because trump has the mind of a 3rd grader and spews out word salads with no substance to every question because he doesn't understand any of the questions.
This is legitimately scary. Trump does this every second, now Biden is doing it every other conference. 4 years ages anyone, let alone the man in charge of NATO, the biggest economy, and running for re-election.
I am genuinely starting to be at a loss. I understood the life long stutter, I understood people age differently, I understood that soundclips and sneaky edits can make things look bad, but Jesus Christ. Is this the same day as the "President Putin"?
The whole issue is that leftists have seen this side of Biden for years but we were always told to be silent because we are Republicans or Russians or some such bullshit. The signs have been there for years, Obama had alluded to it several times.
I started calling his bullshit out in 2020 when he was an old racist who his now VP said he was an old racist whose policies impacted her. I knew him as the senator who didn't believe Anita Hill when she said Clarence Thomas raped her. I knew him as the senator who made the 90's crime bill that made BIPOC even worse off and acted like it helped them. I knew him as a senator who helped write the USA PATRIOT Act, the greatest mass removal of constitutional rights in the name of racist polices anti-terrorism.
And even then I voted for him 2020 because he was "Not Trump." Didn't matter, I live in California, but I didn't want smug NeoLibs saying my vote for the greens in 2016 in California is what single-handedly gave us Trump.
I think that moment where he paused he pooped his pants
Great we're going to be set back hundreds of years because an old Democrat refused to step down...
AGAIN.
... Because that was guaranteed defeat in the past.
Come on, comrade, this angle is played out.
The way media works, any good he might have gotten out of the speech or question and answer session is going to be completely overshadowed by this flub.
I completely got what he meant. But it's another bad moment.
Overall, the whole impression I got was grandpa Joe giving storytime. I just don't think that's what we need at this time.
He needed a home run to have any chance of unfucking this. He's hitting a single. He's a detriment to the ticket from here on out, I think.
That's not a single. He absolutely struck out.
It's already over. If he stays on the top of the ticket Republicans will control all three branches of government, and it won't be close.
Straight up witnessing elder abuse. My grandfather was getting so old that he was making basic mistakes while driving. We took the keys away because he could hurt someone.
The fact that they're allowing this man to humiliate himself and this country over and over again speaks to the cruelty of the people who are still covering for this.
Literally sickening. I've had this happen to family members and neighbors. It's always the easist to abuse those who can't even see they are being played.
It Depends.
Sigh... Well, that's it. I think he's done.
For the last five years, Republican attacks on Biden's age and health have been continuous and stupid. For 4.9 of those years, they've been clearly and utterly baseless, which is what makes this doubly infuriating.
He's had good moments since the "debate," several of which were good enough to make me think he was fine and this was just more Republican bullshit. And even the debate itself, I thought he warmed up after the first twenty minutes or so, and was happily willing to believe he really did just have a cold + jet lag + the general lack of resilience that comes with very old age. Hell, get me sick and then hopped up on cough medicine and I become completely incoherent.
But this... This is two weeks later, and he still couldn't hold it together. He still seemed listless and intermittently uncertain what was going on.
Maybe this is old age catching up to his speech impediment. Maybe it's not an actual decline, it's just the stress of the job and a lapse in his ability to make his mouth do what his brain wants it to do. Maybe.
But even if that's the case, even if that's all it is, communication is a core responsibility for the President of the United States of America. And for whatever reason, be it cognitive issues or just an inability to clearly talk, he simply isn't communicating well anymore.
I hate saying this. I really do. He's been a very good president. But he should step down and let Kamala Harris take the reins. It's time.
Your comment is the one most in line with my thought process.
I thought he did just fine in the debate other than having the cold. I've defended him since then both here, and to people in my real life. I still think he may be the best president in my life (since first term Reagan), and I was hoping he had a great time at NATO and was going to crush this press conference.
But while I was waiting for it to start, I saw the Putin flub. Then he comes out, sounds tired, sounds hoarse and keeps coughing, keeps pausing, keeps getting names wrong. We got creepy Whispery Joe again. It was so awkward and I felt so bad for him. He's done a great job, but it looks time to throw in the towel on this campaign.
I'm in an important state for presidential elections. If they keep him upright through November, he's my guy. If they put in another Dem, I'm with them. But I'm disappointed now it seems too late for him to leave with dignity. He deserves a good legacy, but now he's going to be Sleepy Joe, especially if he drags this out.
What happened with RBG was a tragedy for me and the country, but this could be apocalyptic for our democracy. I'm so mad that a felon is the solid choice for near half the country. I can't trust Biden to be our champion in this fight.
To anyone that didn't watch the conference, watch it. I don't know how anyone in good conscience can say pressing him to continue is for the best.
Covid probably sped up his mental decline.
I hadn't thought of that, but I guess it's possible. Since COVID first appeared, we've learned a lot about how it affects people when they don't take the time to fully recover and try to "push through," as it were.
And I can think of no job more prone to inducing people to try to "push through" than the presidency.
Being a sitting president also probably sped up his mental decline.
This was surreal. To his credit he eventually got into his groove as he moved through his list of approved journalists.
He's still going and he's not doing great...
Like, he is saying a lot of words, and they do seek to connect with the ones right next to each other most of the time. But it almost never has anything to do with the question after the first sentence or two
I can't tell if he's pretending to talk to people or actually talking to people in the audience. Like I think he sees journalists making comments or reactions and addressing them.
Edit:
When asked if his delegates could vote for someone else if they don't want him he said:
That's the Democratic process
Then leaned in all creepy and whispered
That's not going to happen
Edit 2:
Fucking hell...
They asked about "VP trump" at the end and said trump had already latched into it.
When asked for comment Biden said:
Listen to him
Like? Listen to trump?
Then did his best Monty Burns walk off stage.
As with everything Biden, I highly recommend everyone watch it when they can.
It's not complicated. "You think I'm hard to understand? Try listening to that guy." Subtext.
Also, he is a lifetime politician. They all dodge hard questions, this is not abnormal. People should apply fair standards to him as a politician, not apply special standards just to him as if he should be better than other politicians or something.
I don't think he got into his groove at all. This guy is toast. And what's with all the whispering?
He seemed to go in and out of rehearsed responses. Sometimes he'd make sense for minutes at a time and then crash.
And whispering? He asks rhetorical questions and then whispered the answers. Joe Biden is always telling you a secret.
I'm voting democrat no matter what, for obvious reasons, but I don't understand the down voting for calling out what is pretty obvious. I watched John Stewart's episode on it, then some interviews today. It was bad. Really bad.
Biden isn't fit to be president. I wouldn't trust him with my dinner order. This election hasr potential to be a disaster. Yes, I know staff is doing the work, but it's still not comforting to have a doddering old man at the helm.
I would think finding someone that is youngish, intelligent,and exciting wouldn't be that difficult. It would also be a(nother) huge contrast from the orange shit stain.
You made your account today and have done nothing but post negative comments on political posts. What sane person would join Lemmy just to look at political stuff they disagree with and only comment on those? Someone that has an agenda, that's who. You talk about fear mongering from the left in one of your comments but that's all you're doing and have done since you made your account.
I recommend you block this guy before getting into the argument he wants out of you. It's what I'm gonna do.
He also referred to Zelenskyy as "President Putin"
Sooo Trump has been doing this for years too... can we just kick them both out the race and do-over please?
This was my first thought. Like the number of Tim Apples and confusing Nicky Haley with Pelosi and calling Ronny Jackson Ronny Johnson like 15 times in a row... Not to mention the covfefe's and "Look, having nuclear—my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer..." And the "nuclear warming" I mean the list is almost infinite at this point with Trump. He's been on that road for a loooong time. Both of these dudes are beyond gone. Either way you're getting a senile president at this point. Just pick your poison I guess 🥹
There's really no way to express how sad this is. We really don't want the fascist to win, but it's time to lay your burdens down, Joe. We love you, but give it up.
And here come the sound bites.
This is the problem. I don't want to excuse Biden, but even if 95% of the speech is fine, the 5% is all 99% of readers will ever see.
Apparently we didn't watch the same speech cuz not even 5% of it was fine
You are right lol.
edit:
Still, they are hyper focusing one flub instead of the meat of the speech.
This is getting kinda sad, bro should be sitting at home.
Then he said he was going to defeat VP trump...
And.i honestly don't know if he meant he'd beat Kamala and be the candidate in the general or if he meant he'd beat Trump in the general?
At least he tried his Best!
omg, this guy has to be finished. He cant even hold it together this long. wow
Vote for G.R.A.M.P.S.
Eh, if you actually watch the video and don't take it out of context you realize he meant Harris, bcz he later refers to how they can beat trump. Sometimes you say the wrong thing, I've done it before and I'm barely into my 30s, and nobody accuses me of being senile.
To be clear, he should have stepped down a long time ago, and I'm not really a fan of Biden. But he's been making mistakes in speeches like this his entire career. It wasn't until he became president that everyone started losing their mind over it.
It wasn't until he became president that everyone started losing their mind over it.
Do you not agree a position as powerful as President should be under more scrutiny?
I don't think we should crucify him for saying the wrong thing occasionally like every human ever does.
He has plenty of shit policies to talk about. But the only thing that seems to get people riled up lately is the way he speaks when he's tired.
Imagine going to a buffet where everything is gone except a suspicious and particularly greasy clam chowder or an overcooked ham sandwich that's been left out too long.
Also, you have a shellfish allergy.
And I don't like ham :(
Good morning Sunday morning
Elder abuse
Jesus fucking christ!
Lol, and now he's answering the wrong question. Hahahaha
Welp...it's over folks. To those continually downvoting me because you can't face facts, it's time. As a staunch Democrat, I cannot bring myself to support that man any longer. Either find a new candidate or this will be the first presidential election I don't vote in.
Bitch, moan, downvote all you want. I don't care anymore.
I'd fucking vote for a corpse over fascism. It's sad that you feel otherwise.
Added bonus, you get a fascist corpse
lol lol no
I hope for you that you're a white man then
Hard agree.