What Obama Really Thinks About Biden Since the Debate

Publicly, Barack Obama, like most Democrats, has publicly expressed support for Joe Biden since the debate last week, but privately, it is a different story. According to a new report, Obama has privately expressed serious concerns about Joe Biden’s debate performance, which he believes is jeopardizing the Democrats’ chances of preventing Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“Obama separately spoke directly with Biden by phone after last Thursday’s debate to offer his support as a sounding board and private counselor for his embattled former vice president, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations,” the Washington Post reports. “It is unclear how directly Obama addressed Biden’s performance and his path to reelection on the call.”

The fallout from the debate has been so severe that many in the media began to openly call for Biden to drop out, a move that would be both politically and legally risky. While many elected Democrats have anonymously called on him to drop out of the race, only one has publicly done so, but a group of 25 House Democrats is reportedly planning to do so soon.

“President Biden is grateful for President Obama’s unwavering support since the very start of this campaign as both a powerful messenger to voters and a trusted adviser directly to the president,” Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign, told the Post.

A spokesperson for Barack Obama would not comment on the story, which is quite remarkable if you think about it.

Obama has long harbored worries about his party defeating Donald Trump in November, repeatedly warning Biden in recent months about how challenging it will be to win reelection. Just before the debate, Obama conveyed to allies his concerns about the state of the race.

As some Democrats call for Biden to drop out of the presidential race amid widespread panic, Obama has not voiced that conclusion. He sees his role as being helpful to Biden based on their history of working together, the people said. On Friday, Obama appeared at a fundraiser in New York for House Democrats, where he expressed continued support for Biden.

Obama publicly weighed in on the debate on Friday.

Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024

Obama has been actively supporting Biden’s campaign by co-headlining recent fundraisers, which, I should point out, have raised less money than Trump’s. During Biden’s recent fundraiser in Los Angeles, Barack Obama had to jolt Biden back into reality after Biden appeared to freeze on stage. The White House responded to viral videos of that and other recent incidents by claiming they were “cheap fakes” that were altered or missing context.

Of course, the debate made it impossible for Democrats to ignore the reality of Joe Biden’s physical and mental health, and has sent the White House, the Biden campaign, and the Democratic National Committee all into chaos as they try to figure out a path forward.