Biden Comments On Possibly Stepping Aside Send Cable News Into A Frenzy; NYT Says POTUS “Clear-Eyed” About Hurdles Going Forward
“I want to be really clear, I have not heard anything like what has been reported in the New York Times,” Rep Debbie Dingell (D-MI) told MSNBC this morning as the Old Gray Lady reported that the incumbent is considering his options about continuing his reelection effort in the fallout from last week’s disastrous debate performance.
“President Biden has got to go out there and show, on a sustained basis he has the stamina to do the job,” the Congresswoman added to Andrea Mitchell on the Comcast-own outlet this AM.
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The appearance by the Biden loyalist on the cable newser was one of many as politicians and pundits up and down the dial leaped on the anonymously sourced ‘Biden Told Ally That He Is Weighing Whether to Continue in the Race’ article that went up on the NYT site early Wednesday.
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In the Times piece, Katie Rogers wrote: “He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, said the ally, referring to Mr. Biden’s halting and unfocused performance in the debate. The person, who talked to the president in the past 24 hours, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation.”
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates called the report “absolutely false”
Still, along with MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, NewsNation and others devoted long segments to the NYT report. “What the American people need to understand, this has not been a secret in Washington,” deeply partisan Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) exclaimed on the Murdoch-own FNC in the 9 am PT hour. The congressman added that the leaks out of the White House in recent days are part of insiders trying to “save their own skin.”
“Data” (a.k.a. polls) seemed to be the core of the determining factor for Biden if he would give up his bid for a second term or not, talking heads on all outlets stated, to varying degrees.
“Great reporting, great conversation, “said Dana Bash to the panel before her, summing up the CNN spotlight on the NYT story.
Publicly, Biden himself has sworn to fight on in his rematch against Donald Trump and top allies like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi were initially in lock step with the president as staffers worked to quell concerns big donors. With the outreach to contributors drawing skepticism and even outrage, the White House tried to cauterize the wound with an announcement yesterday that the 81-year-old president will sit down for an extended interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on July 5. Teased over World News Tonight with David Muir and other ABC News shows, the full interview is set to air on July 7 on the network.
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As Democrats started to bubble up with statements on whether Biden should stay on the ticket, Pelosi shifted focus herself, asking if the president’s rambling and disjointed debate stance was “an episode or a condition.”
The president has a regularly scheduled lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris now. As well, with future potential candidates like California Gov. Gavin Newsom in attendance, Biden is speaking with a slew of Democratic governors, in person and virtually, later today on the blast radius of the debate.
Expect articles from the NYT and others on what went down at that meeting later today, with jockeying for position on all sides — and a lot of cable news coverage.
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