What seven political heavyweights said about Biden’s ‘awful’ debate performance thumbnail

What seven political heavyweights said about Biden’s ‘awful’ debate performance

President Joe Biden’s debate performance on Thursday night has sparked serious concerns on both sides of the aisle about his mental acuity and physical well-being. Some have gone as far as calling for a new candidate to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.

While former President Donald Trump’s performance did not draw overwhelming praise, that was overshadowed by the concerns prompted by Biden’s showing. Many are questioning if the president voters saw at the debate is the same one running the country on a daily basis.

Here is what some of the most influential people in politics are saying about Biden and his campaign after the debate.

Kellyanne Conway

Former Trump aide Kellyanne Conway blasted Biden and his team Friday, calling his performance a “disgrace.” She said the nation has been “gaslit” on Biden’s mental well-being, suggesting his team knows more than being made public.

“There is no breaking news in what we saw last night,” she said on Fox’s Hannity. “It is an unforgivable, inexcusable disgrace that we as a nation have been gaslit.”

Biden aides told Axios on Saturday that he is functional and engaged from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which coincides with the hours many of his on-camera events are held. Outside of that time period, or while traveling abroad, aides said, the president is more likely to have miscues.

Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama admitted his once-vice president had a rough night, but said that “last night didn’t change” the choice people have to make “between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”

“Bad debate nights happen,” Obama said. “Trust me, I know.”

Glossing over Biden’s performance, he shifted focus to framing the election as a choice between “someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit.”

John Fetterman

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said Biden had a “rough debate,” but refused to pounce on him for it like the “Democratic vultures on his shoulder” following the Thursday night showdown.

Reacting to a Politico article about Democrats looking for Biden alternatives, he said, “No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record.”

James Carville

Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville said he never thought Biden running again “was a nifty idea.” He offered one reason that sentiment may not have gotten through to the octogenarian president: There are very few people Biden actually listens to.

“He doesn’t have advisers,” Carville said. “He has employees.”

Axios reported that ultimately, the “only Biden deciders” are a small circle of the president’s closest allies, featuring his wife Jill Biden, his sister Valerie Biden, and longtime friend Ted Kaufman.

Mitch McConnell

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blamed the first lady in particular for the president’s unwillingness to drop out of the race, despite the growing public concern for his mental acuity.

“Joe Biden is going to be the nominee,” McConnell said. “Joe Biden is not going to give it up. Why? Because Jill does not want to give it up either.”

McConnell said that from their time together in the Senate, he learned that “you can’t negotiate with him … you have to negotiate with staff.”

Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris admitted that Biden had a “slow start” and argued that “for the last 3 1/2 years, up until today” the president had performed well at his job.

“It was a slow start,” she said. “That’s obvious to everyone — I’m not going to debate that point.”

Like Obama, she shifted toward framing it as a “choice in November.” Harris called the 2024 election “one of the most important elections in our collective lifetime” and criticized Trump.

Bob Woodward

Journalist Bob Woodward, of Watergate reporting fame, chimed in on Biden’s debate performance, calling it “so bad, so awful,” labeling it a “political hydrogen bomb,” and demanding answers on “what happened” from his staff.

“I think the answer here is in reporting, in seeking very aggressively, an explanation — what happened here?” Woodward proposed. “We don’t want it to come out in some book or some memoir in a couple of years or a decade. We’d need to know now.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

According to Democrats, Biden had a cold. His aides also claimed he was “over-prepared when what he needed was rest.” Biden himself blamed his old age for the poor showing, admitting, “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for comment.

The Debrief with Hugo Gurdon: Federal government’s censorship authority attacks First Amendment thumbnail

The Debrief with Hugo Gurdon: Federal government’s censorship authority attacks First Amendment

Washington Examiner Investigations Editor Sarah Bedford joins Editor-in-Chief Hugo Gurdon to discuss the Supreme Court not capitalizing on weakening the federal government’s censorship authority, the Global Disinformation Index, and whether the federal government’s authority in censorship will get worse.

Zelensky reveals timeline for ‘plan’ to end war in Ukraine: ‘We don’t have too much time’ thumbnail

Zelensky reveals timeline for ‘plan’ to end war in Ukraine: ‘We don’t have too much time’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is drawing up a “comprehensive plan” on ending the war with Russia that he would put forward in a matter of months.

Thousands have died since the war started on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia attempted to invade Ukraine, and the two sides appear far apart on a peace agreement with no political talks between the two countries. Zelensky’s comments could signal a shift in diplomatic strategy.

“We don’t have too much time,” he said in Brussels a day earlier, pointing to the casualty count of soldiers and civilians. He first mentioned the “detailed plan” Thursday in Brussels before expanding on it at a Friday press conference.

“It is very important for us to show a plan to end the war that will be supported by the majority of the world,” Zelensky said Friday. “This is the diplomatic route we are working on.”

Former President Donald Trump said at the presidential debate Thursday that “Ukraine’s not winning that war.” Echoing similar concerns to Zelensky, he added, “They’re running out of people, they’re running out of soldiers, they’ve lost so many people. They’ve lost so many people and they’ve lost those gorgeous cities with golden domes that are 1,000 years old.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Trump claimed “Russia would’ve never attacked” if he were president and has promised to end the war in Ukraine if reelected.

Zelensky and President Joe Biden signed an “executive agreement” on security at the G7 summit earlier this month. The Ukrainian president praised United States leaders and civilians for being “with us in this struggle for freedom.”

DC’s inaugural Anacostia River Splash postponed due to E. Coli thumbnail

DC’s inaugural Anacostia River Splash postponed due to E. Coli

Nobody has been allowed to swim in the Anacostia River for 50 years, and that streak will continue for at least a couple more weeks as Washington D.C.’s inaugural Anacostia River Splash has been postponed due to E. Coli in the water.

The event was supposed to take place on Saturday, but Anacostia riverkeeper Trey Sherard said he received test results Saturday morning confirming what organizers called results “above E. coli recreational standards.”

This marks the third time the event has been postponed, the first two coming in 2023 due to heavy rain. Sherard claimed that the levels were safe earlier in the week, but a “little storm” Wednesday night must have caused them to rise.

“There were no documented sewage overflows,” he confirmed. Sherard said he experienced no symptoms of E. Coli, which may include diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, fevers, and more.

He mentioned that a two-story-tall and 12-mile-long tunnel has reduced sewage going into the Anacostia River by 98%.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Anacostia River Splash organizers said they’ll make their fourth attempt to hold the event on July 13, two weeks after the unsafe E. Coli reading. Their website promises to “provide a rare chance for residents to swim in and reconnect with the river.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to event organizers and the CDC for comment.

House Republicans call for investigation into Affordable Care Act enrollment fraud thumbnail

House Republicans call for investigation into Affordable Care Act enrollment fraud

A report from a conservative think tank found that as many as 5 million people are wrongfully receiving Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, prompting House Republican leaders to call for an investigation into possible enrollment fraud.

Allegations that insurance brokers are fraudulently signing up customers into ACA health plans stem from about 90,000 complaints of unauthorized sign-ups or plan switches to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in just the first quarter of 2024. KFF Health News found that brokers falsified information to enroll customers or wrongly switch customers between plans without their consent, motivated by commissions.

The House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Judiciary Committees requested Friday that the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services investigate for fraud. 

“The scale of the problem suggests malicious intent,” Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), Jason T. Smith (R-MO), and Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote in their letters, requesting a “systemic review of enrollment” from the watchdogs. 

The Paragon Health Institute report found a likelihood of fraud by comparing the census estimates on the number of Americans that are potentially eligible for subsidies to the actual numbers of ACA enrollment. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

During the presidential debate on Thursday, President Joe Biden highlighted that more than 40 million Americans are covered now through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansions. However, Republicans are wary that the program’s purpose has become distorted. 

With the introduction of the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, enhanced subsidies have allowed those living below the poverty line to have a zero-premium plan. Around half the people who signed up for private health insurance in the recent ACA enrollment period qualified for a fully subsidized plan, up by one-third since before the enhanced subsidies.

Celebs Melt Down After Disastrous Biden Performance, Lash Out At CNN And Trump

Celebs Melt Down After Disastrous Biden Performance, Lash Out At CNN And Trump

The New Atlantis

President Joe Biden faced off against former President Donald Trump on CNN’s debate stage Thursday night, marking the first-ever clash between a sitting president and his predecessor. The event, however, quickly spiraled into criticism from Democrats, not just for the performances on stage but for the reactions it provoked across the nation, especially among high-profile celebrities.

Joe Biden, at 81, appeared visibly challenged throughout the debate, struggling with vocal clarity and consistency. His difficulty articulating clear distinctions between his policies and those of Trump was apparent, leaving many viewers questioning his fitness for office. It was Biden’s faltering delivery that dominated post-debate discussions.

The reaction from Hollywood was just plain bad. Celebrities went on social media to express their frustration, not only at Biden’s performance but also at the moderators’ handling of the event. Author Stephen King blamed the network, calling the debate a “boxing match” and accusing CNN, a liberal news network, of undermining democratic principles by prioritizing entertainment value over substantive political discussion.

WATCH:

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

Barbra Streisand also blamed the moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. According to Streisand, they allowed Biden to be unfairly bombarded and sidetracked, which she argued contributed to the chaotic nature of the debate.

Actor John Cusack also expressed his frustration with CNN’s handling of the debate, criticizing the network for not countering what he called “lies” from Trump.

Jesse Williams and Mark Hamill also chimed in, with Williams questioning the purpose of moderation if it does not involve real-time fact-checking, and Hamill defending Biden by saying that one subpar performance does not offset the controversies surrounding Trump.

The debate has triggered a crisis within the Democratic Party. Biden’s performance has only intensified discussions about his viability as a candidate in the upcoming election. With party rules making it nearly impossible to replace a nominee at this stage without the candidate’s withdrawal, the debate has exposed the precarious position of the Democrats as they head into a critical election cycle.

From the moment Biden started speaking Thursday night, the president sounded worn out and spoke with a raspy voice. He proceeded to deliver a rambling speech on the state of the economy while trashing his predecessor’s economic record.

The president’s answer to a question on the economy was widely inaudible, though he weakly attempted to claim that former President Trump’s economic record was disastrous due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Biden struggled to get words out and briefly attempted to clear his throat, Trump shot him a concerned look before cracking a smirk.

Just moments later, Biden froze up while answering a question about the national debt. After stuttering for about seven seconds, debate co-moderator Jake Tapper was forced to interject and inform the president that his time had expired.

“Thank you, Mr. President,” Tapper said while receiving a blank, wide-eyed stare from Biden.

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Rep. Thomas Massie Announces Tragic Family Loss: ‘Thank You For Your Prayers’ thumbnail

Rep. Thomas Massie Announces Tragic Family Loss: ‘Thank You For Your Prayers’

The New Atlantis

Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) suffered a heartbreaking loss on Thursday, according to a statement he posted to his more than 850,000 followers on X.

Massie, 53, has been a reliable conservative in Congress since 2013 and throughout that time relied on support from his wife of more than 35 years, Rhonda Howard. That all disappeared on Thursday, according to the Republican who wrote that Howard passed away due to undisclosed reasons.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

“Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our 4 children, the smartest kindest woman I ever knew, my beautiful and wise queen forever, Rhonda went to Heaven. Thank you for your prayers for our family in this difficult time,” he wrote, including photos from their wedding day and into the present.

The couple traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts for college where they both earned engineering degrees from MIT. While in college they launched a tech company together, according to a 1996 interview they gave to Fortune Magazine. Together, they designed a device they called the Phantom, which “gives computer users the uncanny sensation of fingering objects that don’t exist… At first glance, the Phantom seems an unlikely breakthrough: A thimble on the end of a small, jointed metal arm. But magic happens when you stick a finger in the thimble and move it around–you seem to be touching invisible objects, thanks to forces exerted against your finger by computer-controlled electric motors on the arm.”

The Massies eventually formed their company SensAble Technologies around the technology and collected more than $40 million in early venture funding. Today as a result of their work, the technology “is now used to design automobiles, jewelry, shoes, dental prosthetics, and even reconstructive implants for wounded soldiers.”

After financial success, the Massies started a family that grew to two daughters and two sons, all of whom Rhonda “devoted her life to,” Massie said.

More surprising was a revelation that the power couple had just finished a tour of the Mt. Rainier stratovolcano in Washington State, indicating that Howard was up and ambulatory during her final days.

Well-wishers flowed into Rep. Massie’s comment section on Friday, offering tributes to a loving wife who shunned the spotlight enveloping her husband as she raised their children in private life. “Very sorry to hear of your loss, sir. She was a very special person,” wrote follower Atticus. Another added: “I am so extremely sorry for your loss sir. May her memory forever be a blessing to you and your family.”

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Supreme Court Issues MASSIVE J6 Ruling That Could Affect Trump’s DC Case thumbnail

Supreme Court Issues MASSIVE J6 Ruling That Could Affect Trump’s DC Case

The New Atlantis

A groundbreaking ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday could pave the way to reduced sentences for individuals in prison or facing charges stemming from the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riots, including President Donald Trump.

In a split 6-3 decision, justices found that the Department of Justice overstepped its authority when charging hundreds of protestors with obstruction of official congressional proceedings on the day that Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 elections. For more than three years, defendants and their attorneys have argued that the federal statutes used against them were too ambiguous, describing criminal acts that required tampering with documents or resources, not just unlawfully entering the Capitol building. However, the six-member majority noted that obstruction crimes could be applied to rioters if they were found guilty of physically interfering with the delivering of the states’ Electoral College certifications to the floor of the House that day, CNN reported.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, focused much of his reason on the text of the law rather than a discussion of J6 itself. He briefly noted a breach “of the Capitol caused members of Congress to evacuate the chambers and delayed the certification process.”

Surprisingly, conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined liberal Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in denouncing the decision, oddly arguing some J6 rioters could be found guilty of obstruction if they contributed to the death of Capitol police officers surrounding the building. However, the theory that J6 rioters killed officers has been widely debunked.

“Killing a person with the intent to prevent the production of a record in an official proceeding constitutes conduct that impairs the availability of a record for an official proceeding. Using physical force against a person to influence testimony in an official proceeding counts as impairing the integrity of ‘other things’ used in an official proceeding,” Barrett wrote in the minority’s dissenting opinion.

“There is no getting around it: Section 1512(c)(2) is an expansive statute. Yet Congress, not this Court, weighs the ‘pros and cons of whether a statute should sweep broadly or narrowly.’ Once Congress has set the outer bounds of liability, the Executive Branch has the discretion to select particular cases to prosecute within those boundaries. By atextually narrowing §1512(c)(2), the Court has failed to respect the prerogatives of the political branches.”

Whether the decision helps or hampers special counsel Jack Smith’s J6 case against Trump remains to be seen. The prosecutor is unlikely to rescind charges against Trump accusing him of encouraging violence that day, but the court’s conclusion that obstruction requires physical interference with evidence may be a boon to the defense. President Trump was stationed in the White House that day, according to testimony by aides before the congressional J6 committee, and Trump himself has said he tweeted calls for protestors to “peacefully” assemble and exit the area once the situation became violent. Earlier this week, House Republicans on a bipartisan special committee concluded that the J6 committee issued “illegitimate” subpoenas for witnesses including Steve Bannon, who is due to report to jail by July 1st to serve a four-month sentence for defying the order.

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Delivers Devastating Blow To The Administrative State thumbnail

BREAKING: Supreme Court Delivers Devastating Blow To The Administrative State

The New Atlantis

The U.S. Supreme Court continued to deliver a stunning set of results this week, adding to the list on Friday a decision that dealt a severe blow to federal officials who often saw their recommendations about corporate governance mindlessly accepted by lower courts.

A 1984 decision in the Chevron case was upended in a 6-3 decision as conservative and moderate justices sided with opponents of federal procedures they claimed violated the rights of businesses and individuals under the 7th Amendment of the Constitution. The previous precedent was among the most frequently cited in American jurisprudence, with 70 Supreme Court cases and roughly 17,000 in lower courts relying on its opinion, according to the New York Times.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer for Slate, warned ominously that the ruling “wip[ed] out 40 years of precedent that required federal courts to defer to expert opinions of federal agencies. All three liberals dissent. This is a HUGE decision.”

Continuing on, Stern wrote on X, “The Supreme Court’s reversal of Chevron constitutes a major transfer of power from the executive branch to the judiciary, stripping federal agencies of significant discretion to interpret and enforce ambiguous regulations. Hard to overstate the impact of this seismic shift. Today’s ruling is a massive blow to the ‘administrative state,’ the collection of federal agencies that enforce laws involving the environment, food and drug safety, workers’ rights, education, civil liberties, energy policy—the list is nearly endless.”

Supporters of Chevron argued the longstanding system allowed bureaucrats with specialized knowledge to hold greater influence over the governing of key areas under federal law. Opponents countered, saying the changing of presidential administrations could lead to political considerations when career officials make recommendations to the courts.

Writing for the minority, Justice Elena Kagan claims the majority of conservative justices “disdains restraint, and grasps for power,” making “a laughingstock” of stare decisis and producing “large-scale disruption,” Stern reported.

“In one fell swoop, the majority today gives itself exclusive power over every open issue—no matter how expertise-driven or policy-laden—involving the meaning of regulatory law. … The majority turns itself into the country’s administrative czar,” Kagan added.

Court observers were surprised at the oscillating viewpoints of the justices on a range of matters the past two weeks, including siding with liberals on abortion and social media restrictions while giving conservatives wins on gun rights and placing other curtails on administrative powers. During Thursday night’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump declared the high court more impartial than ever when asked about how he would treat abortion now that Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land. President Joe Biden scoffed at the notion, noting that Trump has taken credit for appointing the justices who voted to overturn Roe. Allies of the president like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have continued urging Democrats to expand the size of the court.

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NYT Columnists Collectively MELT DOWN, Admit To ‘Weeping’ After Trump-Biden Debate thumbnail

NYT Columnists Collectively MELT DOWN, Admit To ‘Weeping’ After Trump-Biden Debate

The New Atlantis

Hysteria floated throughout the thought bubbles of the New York Times’ leading opinion-makers Friday morning as they struggled to compose themselves following a landslide loss by President Joe Biden in his first debate.

The Daily Caller showered itself in schadenfreude while describing the “weeping” writings of liberal columnists who had a fitful night’s sleep and awoke nearly at a loss for words over how to characterize just how badly Biden had performed. From the Caller:

The Times published headlines Friday morning calling on the president to step down from the 2024 race. Twelve writers ranked the candidates’ performance and came to an overall conclusion that Trump left the debate victorious.

One of those twelve writers, John Barro, said Biden “failed at his key task” by proving to voters he is still fit to serve a second term. Most of the writers, including David French, said Trump won by the debate by a landslide.

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Another, former Huffington Post editor-in-chief Lydia Polgreen, called the two-hour debate a “debacle for Biden.”

“He was barely audible at times. He flubbed answers on his strongest issues, from abortion to democracy. Trump just lied, lied and lied, and no one — certainly not the moderators and, worse, not even Biden — rebutted him in the smallest way. Trump blustered and glowered. He attacked Biden viciously and looked like a bully. This is the choice Americans are facing. This was a disaster for America,” she wrote.

Thomas Friedman, the longtime hack who gained notoriety after making comically wrong predictions about globalization, admitted he cried after watching Biden struggle his way through a devastating series of attacks by Trump. “I watched the Biden-Trump debate alone in a Lisbon hotel room, and it made me weep. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime, precisely because of what it revealed: Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for re-election,” Friedman wrote Friday morning.

“I had been ready to give Biden the benefit of the doubt up to now, because during the times I engaged with him one on one, I found him up to the job. He clearly is not any longer,” Friedman continued. “His family and his staff had to have known that. They have been holed up at Camp David preparing for this momentous debate for days now. If that is the best performance they could summon from him, it’s time for Joe to keep the dignity he deserves and leave the stage at the end of this term.”

Contributing writer Frank Bruni concluded that Biden was “incapable” of making coherent rebuttals against Trump’s claims and seemed “frozen” in his demeanor while leaving his jaw hanging and mouth open for most of the debate.

“But from the moment the debate began, he seemed unsteady. Off. His expression was often frozen. His voice was often flat. He garbled words. He corrected himself midsentence, over and over again. He’d clearly memorized key talking points — key phrases — but he repeatedly used them without providing adequate context, swerved from one to another without any transition, halted sentences before they reached their destination, started sentences without giving them any bearings,” Bruni wrote.

(BREAKING: Glenn Beck reveals new Biden initiative that will bankrupt America)