CNN host Jake Tapper began his show Monday by slamming President Joe Biden's widely panned news conference following his disastrous debate performance.
Since his debate with former President Donald Trump in late June, Biden has appeared on MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” two black radio shows and given an interview to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. Tapper, of “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” argued that those appearances haven't reassured voters after the worrying debate. (Related story: Biden's debate night was awful — and Tuesday could have been even worse)
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“I get frustrated with the elites. Not you guys, but the elites in my party. Well, they know a lot more. Those people who don't think I should run, I want you to run against me. I want you to announce your candidacy for president. I want you to challenge me at the convention,” the president said in audio played by Tapper on “Morning Joe” on Monday.
“President Biden appears intent on portraying what is happening as a conflict between the rank and file voters who support him and the Democratic Party elites, donors, lawmakers and opinion leaders, many of whom have serious concerns about Biden's competency as a candidate and have called for him to resign after his performance in the debate. … In fact, 72% of voters think President Biden is too old. That's according to a new CNN poll. Voters have been saying that for a long time. The reality is that Democratic Party elites have often been slower to recognize these age and competency issues than the general public. They were forced to recognize it after the debate just 11 days ago.”
Tapper then played another audio clip from “Morning Joe,” in which Biden was not intelligible and the CNN host repeated what the president said.
“The reality is, how can I guarantee you that I'll be able to go out on my way to work tomorrow? Age wasn't the idea that I was too old,” the host read, adding, “Please remember that this soundbite is meant to reassure upset Democrats.”
Tapper also criticized Biden for not holding a press conference since the debate and scrutinized a phone conversation he had with a black radio station.
Biden Said During Tapper's appearance on the show, former Philadelphia radio host Andrea Lawfull Sanders said he was “the first black woman to serve under a black president.”
The CNN host repeated Biden's comments, adding that they were “inconsistent.”
“We subsequently learned from the radio host that the Biden campaign had given her a list of questions to ask President Biden. This is something you should never do in journalism, and the host was fired for it, but it is highly suggestive that the Biden campaign felt they needed to give the host questions for a telephone radio interview as part of their effort to show the president is not giving in,” Tapper said.
Lawful Sanders told CNN she was sent eight questions to ask the president, but ultimately approved four of them.
“And the president still fell short of expectations in many of his answers. Now, many Democrats are voicing their concerns, too, even though the answers were pretty consistent. Rep. George Stephanopoulos is asking the president how he would feel if he lost, even though polls are predicting he will ultimately lose to Donald Trump,” Tapper said.
Biden told Stephanopoulos he wouldn't mind losing to Trump as long as he “does the best job” he can to defeat him.
“The president has said his opponent, Donald Trump, poses an existential threat to American democracy. Is his best efforts and doing his best enough?” Tapper asked.
Biden's interview with Stephanopoulos appeared to be an effort to reassure voters of his ability to run the country, with the president insisting the debate was just a “bad night” and not a sign of cognitive decline.
The president insisted he was not becoming increasingly “weak,” and appeared reluctant to submit to cognitive testing during the interview.
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