President Joe Biden found himself on the defensive Monday as he navigated through two challenging media interviews — while former President Donald Trump soaked in a high-energy Republican National Convention where his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, was revealed.
Meant as a counter to the RNC, Biden’s flailing interviews drew near-universal criticism for his combative responses and reluctance — or perhaps inability — to address direct questions about his performance and policies.
The contrast couldn’t be more clear: While Trump thrives after a near assassination attempt, Biden flounders even among friendly reporters.
In separate interviews with NBC News’ Lester Holt and social media star Speedy Morman, Biden was asked basic questions about his recent debate performance, his mental cognition, and his rhetoric following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Both interviews quickly became contentious, with Biden repeatedly lashing out and deflecting criticism by focusing on his predecessor.
During his conversation with Holt, Biden bristled at questions about his debate performance, exclaiming, “What’s with you guys? Come on, man!” when pressed on his repeated confusion during the event.
The president insisted on redirecting the conversation to Trump’s alleged debate inaccuracies, stating, “Why don’t you guys ever talk about the 18…. the 28 lies [Trump] told?”
Biden’s frustration was palpable as he scolded Holt.
“Sometimes come and talk to me about what we should be talking about. Okay? The issues,” the president demanded.
In his interview with Complex, recorded just before the Trump assassination attempt, Biden made several statements that have since come under scrutiny. He referred to Trump as a “real danger to the country,” a comment that has drawn criticism in light of subsequent calls for Biden to “lower the temperature” of political rhetoric.
Critics have pointed out several basic errors in Biden’s Complex interview, including misstatements about when Barack Obama asked him to be vice president and his role at the University of Pennsylvania.
Both interviews highlighted Biden’s struggle to address increasing concerns about his age and mental acuity. When confronted about being confused during his debate performance, Biden insisted, “I’m on the horse, what I’m doing is going out and demonstrating to the American people that I’m in command of all my faculties” — but his later gaffes on certain topics in the same interview only exacerbated these concerns.
The president’s mishandling of these interviews comes at a crucial time for his re-election campaign, which has been grappling with low approval ratings and growing doubts about his fitness for office. Biden’s inability to effectively counter these questions will only further fuel skepticism about his candidacy.
And by focusing so heavily on his predecessor, Biden is clearly unable to stand on his own record.
As the 2024 election season heats up, these media struggles highlight the massive challenges facing the Biden campaign — and will only increase the volume of the calls for Biden to step aside.