Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy slammed the White House for doing President Joe Biden a “disservice” on Friday after his first post-debate interview with ABC News.
Kennedy appeared on “Hannity” to discuss Biden's interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. Biden dismissed his poor debate performance as a “bad night,” but critics expressed concern about his mental health. Fox guest host Kayleigh McEnany called Biden's allegation that former President Donald Trump “yelled at him” false and asked Kennedy for her opinion. (RELATED: Joe Biden repeatedly denies reality in primetime ABC interview)
“The fact is, as you all know, the microphones were turned off even though he was not in the chair. I have no idea what President Biden was saying. I think the White House is being disrespectful to the president tonight. The White House is, well, like Kevin Bacon at the end of the movie Animal House, saying, 'All good. Don't panic. We have been transparent all along.' This White House doesn't understand transparency, even if it means jumping up and yodeling and biting you in the ass,” Kennedy said.
Senator Kennedy went on to accuse media members of “covering up” Biden's mental health, as they have only just begun to question his status as the Democratic nominee, with some Democratic pundits arguing for a new option. He also highlighted the refusal of Special Counsel Robert Hur to indict Biden, whose report described the president as “an old man with a failing memory.”
“There is a cover-up going on and many members of the media are involved. [it]”And now some in the media are running around saying, 'We are stunned, we have never seen any signs of this.' They're wondering, 'Can the president run for reelection?' A few months ago, the president's own Justice Department said the president is not even fit to stand trial. What planet did these people parachute in from? The American people may be poorer under a Biden presidency, but they are not stupid. Their concerns and suspicions have been confirmed,” Kennedy said.
Following Biden's poor performance in the June 27 debate, the president maintained his stance of continuing to fight Trump amid calls to remove Biden as the party's candidate for the 2024 presidential election. However, national polls conducted after the debate have shown a sharp increase in support for former president Biden among respondents. For example, the New York Times/Siena College and Wall Street Journal estimate that Trump holds a 3-point lead.
Voters have also grown more concerned about the president's mental state after the debate, with a CBS/YouGov poll finding that 72% of Americans believe Biden is no longer mentally or cognitively fit to serve as president.
