A Democratic congresswoman who believed she was “off the record” may have accidentally dropped a massive hint as to President Joe Biden’s plans in 2024.
In an interview published by The New York Times on Saturday, Eleanor Randolph of the Times editorial board asked Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York whether Biden should fun for president again in 2024.
“Off the record, he’s not running again,” Maloney said.
Jyoti Thottam, another member of the editorial board, informed Maloney that she was not, in fact, off the record.
“On the record? No, he should not run again,” Maloney said.
While Maloney apparently thought her initial answer could remain unpublished, the Times published the interview in full. This is because in journalism, both the interviewer and the interviewee must agree to comments being made “off the record.”
Contrary to Maloney’s belief, simply declaring “off the record” does not mean the interviewer is not allowed to publish the ensuing answer. Unless the interviewer agreed to the same terms, they are free to publish the answer if they please.
While the interview was not published until Saturday, it originally took place on Aug. 1, Fox News reported.
After the initial interview, Maloney tried to walk back her comments on CNN’s “New Day.”
Will Biden run in 2024?
“Mr. President, I apologize,” Maloney said while staring into the camera. “I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running, but when you run or if you run, I will be there 100 percent.
“You have deserved it. You are a great president and thank you for everything you’ve done for my state, and all the states, and all the cities in America. Thank you, Mr. President.”
After saying Biden won’t run in 2024, Rep Carolyn Maloney looks into @newday camera and says: “I apologize Mr. President…(even though) I happen to think you won’t be running.” @brikeilarcnn pic.twitter.com/KuLaBoGRX5
— New Day (@NewDay) August 4, 2022
Talk about an awkward attempt at damage control.
The truth is many Americans, both Democrat and Republican, have doubts about whether Biden is physically and mentally capable of running for re-election in 2024.
A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,367 registered voters found 71 percent of Americans did not want Biden to run again in 2024. Only 24 percent said they would like to see him seek re-election.
Perhaps even more surprising was the fact that 54 percent of Democrats said they would not like to see Biden run for a second term. Only 40 percent said they wanted to see Biden run in 2024.
The poll was conducted between July 14-18, and it had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
Americans have watched Biden try to lead the country for a little over a year and a half now, and for many of them on both sides of the political aisle, they have already seen enough.
