The flailing Biden campaign really is between a rock and a hard place.
Between the pro-Palestinian movements depriving Sleepy Joe of the much-needed young adult voter base, the guilty verdict for Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial severely backfiring on the Democrats, and inflation robbing Biden of the rest of his base, suffice to say that 2024 has not gone as planned.
In attempting to shore up some support while concealing Biden’s obvious senility, the Biden campaign has had to make a tough choice.
Do they let Biden out in the world despite his propensity to spout nonsense, or only allow him the carefully curated media appearances of 2020?
An interview with Time magazine, conducted May 28 by Time Washington Bureau Chief Massimo Calabresi and Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, seemed to indicate an attempt to split the difference having Biden sit down for a candid interview with a friendly outlet.
Although, based on the transcript and the fact-check Time itself released, it won’t do much for Biden’s image.
Because, if appearing to threaten an interviewer wouldn’t reinforce his image as a cranky old man, nothing else would.
And even without this bizarre digression on Biden’s part, no one could honestly say Biden came off well.
There were numerous points in the interview where Biden lost his train of thought, mumbled incoherently, and interrupted himself.
Is Biden fit for office?
The transcript included parentheticals to note that Biden’s words were “unintelligible” at least three different times, and, as Time’s fact check noted, Biden repeated the lie that, “Wage increases have exceeded…the cost of inflation,” when, in reality, inflation on the whole has outpaced wage growth for most Americans. (And that was before Biden promptly mixed up China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin).
In his TIME Magazine interview, Biden once again denies inflation is 20% higher since he took office… and then mistakes Putin for Xi 🤦♀️ pic.twitter.com/vxGzVqTPmM
— Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) June 4, 2024
Bryan Metzger, a politics reporter for Business Insider, likewise noted that, for whatever reason, Biden seemed to have a giant chip on his shoulder with the Time journalists throughout the whole interview — though it might have been a chip on his shoulder with the media in general. (Astonishingly, Biden apparently believes the sycophantic media coverage he’s received isn’t sycophantic enough.)
One thing that seems to come across in this TIME interview — Biden’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. pic.twitter.com/Z7HKkVi3Ms
— bryan metzger (@metzgov) June 4, 2024
Biden, when boasting about his supposed strengthening of NATO, declared “everybody thought, including you guys, that I was crazy.”
But, in the midst of the typical display of Biden’s lies, mistakes, and confused mumblings, was a truly bizarre exchange on the subject of his age.
“Large majorities of Americans, including in the Democratic Party, tell pollsters they think you are too old to lead,” Biden was asked. (The magazine did not identify which of Biden’s two interviewers was actually speaking.)
“Could you really do this job as an 85-year old man?”
Since this interview was only text, it would be challenging to discern Biden’s exact tone in responding to this question — but, the mere text of the answer did not make it seem all that friendly.
Biden, apparently affronted by the suggested, answered pugnaciously, “I can do it better than anybody you know. You’re looking at me, I can take you, too.”
That might have been the strangest part of this bizarre interview.
For one, was Biden actually threatening the interviewers?
It’s a certainty that no one from Time magazine was looking to insult the testy, thin-skinned octogenarian. The question merely expressed the concerns on the minds of many a voter this election cycle.
Biden’s responding to a question in that manner that will not assuage voter’s concerns about the president’s mental fitness for office.
For another, was Biden genuinely saying he could take these interviewers in a fight?
Seriously?
What an absurd — not to mention, wholly uncalled for — thing to say in an interview.
Unless the interviewer couldn’t walk, there’s no way Biden could take anyone for a fight, and besides, what kind of response was that to a legitimate question?
Will he act like this during a debate? When meeting with world leaders during a second term?
At Biden’s age, his clear cognitive problems will only worsen as he gets older, and they’re plenty bad now.
As conservative podcaster Saagar Enjeti pointed out on X, “This Biden Time interview validates all my worst concerns about him. An ageing delusional silent gen atlanticist with no grasp of constraints or threats that we actually face.
“It’s as bad as it can get folks.”
This Biden Time interview validates all my worst concerns about him. An ageing delusional silent gen atlanticist with no grasp of constraints or threats that we actually face
Its as bad as it can get folks
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) June 4, 2024
That was something most people knew all along, but, if the Biden administration letting Sleepy Joe run his mouth is what it will take for the rest of the world to see that, then, by all means, let them.
At the very least, the downward spiral of the Biden campaign has been immensely entertaining.
