President Joe Biden said that he'd not be running for reelection if former President Donald Trump wasn't in the race, Breitbart reported. The president said this to donors in Weston, Massachusetts, Tuesday.
With this admission, Biden acknowledged this fact that is quietly circulating within the Democratic Party and among their accomplices in the media. Nobody wants Biden to run, but it's too risky for them to attempt to replace him when Trump realistically is poised to retake the White House.
"If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running," the 81-year-old president said. Biden emphasized that when it comes to Trump, the Democratic Party "cannot let him win."
He went on to dust off his 2020 playbook by insinuating that Trump's agenda is going to be dangerous and radical. "Trump’s not even hiding the ball anymore," Biden said.
"He’s telling us what he’s going to do. He’s making no bones about it," Biden claimed.
While Biden was recycling his rhetoric from the last campaign, more serious people in and adjacent to the party have been sounding alarm bells. David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama's ex-chief strategist, expressed concern about keeping Biden in place.
"If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise, whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s," Axelrod said.
Conservative commentator Bill Kristol similarly called for Biden to "pass the torch" rather than risk damage to his party. "President Biden has served our country well," Kristol claimed.
"I’m confident he’ll do so for the next year. But it’s time for an act of personal sacrifice and public spirit. It’s time to pass the torch to the next generation," the writer added.
Being the master politician he is, Trump pounced on such an admission during a town hall appearance with Fox News's Sean Hannity Tuesday. "Well, I think somebody gave him a talking point," the former president said, responding to Biden's quote.
"They thought that would sound good," he added as the audience laughed. "You know, I just found out that Democrats are funding Nikki Haley's campaign," Trump said of the former South Carolina governor, insinuating that she's a tool of the opposition.
"I hear that Democrats are contributing to Ron DeSanctus', or Ron DeSanctimonious, to Ron DeSanctus' campaign. And then you hear the talking points. That's the only thing they're good at, cheating on elections and great talking points," Trump said, also lumping in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the mix.
Democrats are beginning to admit that they know they are stuck with a dud, and perhaps Biden is doing damage control with his admission. Trump is beginning to pull ahead of Biden among voters, with six of seven battleground states currently polling more strongly for Trump than ever.
There's no way to gloss over the fact that Biden is old, unpopular, and incompetent as president. However, they're stuck with Biden as there's no feasible way to replace him so late in the game, and even the president knows it.
