Monday’s Lester Holt interview with President Biden reveals that Joe’s damage-control press tour simply retains on doing extra harm — it went far worse than his heart-to-heart with George Stephanopoulos.
For starters, Biden couldn’t even convey himself to totally apologize for saying Dems ought to put Donald Trump in a “bull’s-eye,” as an alternative lamely insisting, “I didn’t say crosshairs.”
Chilly consolation (and unhealthy style) certainly, after Trump was almost felled by an murderer’s bullet.
And the president once more echoed the “finish of democracy” nonsense that acquired us right here within the first place, with a mangled rush of phrases: “We now have to cease the entire notion that there are particular issues which are opposite to our democracy that we’re for. The concept of claiming that you simply, that I didn’t win the election when each court docket within the land … together with the conservative Supreme Courtroom stated we received, the concept of getting a loyalty pledge from the entire people.”
Decode the stumbles, and he’s repeating the canard that Trump’s an aspiring dictator.
Amazingly, these aren’t the one methods the president got here off as a snappish, cranky outdated man with nothing to say past a litany of acquainted complaints.
He scolded Holt many times for asking (extraordinarily softball) questions.
When Holt mildly pushed Biden on his presidential debate efficiency, Biden fired off a sulky “Lester, look, why don’t you guys ever discuss concerning the 18, the 28 lies [Trump] instructed? The place are you on this? Why didn’t the press ever speak about that?”
By no means thoughts that Trump has nothing to do with Biden’s epic debate meltdown.
Nor that the press corps spent many of the final decade obsessively combing by means of Trump’s phrases whereas giving Biden a mega-pass (together with on his a number of whoppers on the debate).
When Holt famous that the media have hit Trump over lies, Biden acquired much more infantile: “No you haven’t! No you haven’t!”
Pathetic in anybody, not to mention a sitting US president.
Requested about his on-air diatribes in opposition to Trump after beforehand calling to “decrease the temperature” of political rhetoric, Biden lashed out at Holt.
When Holt cited a JD Vance criticism of Biden, the prez responded: “What’s up with you guys? C’mon, man.”
Nor was petulance the one worrying Biden high quality on full show.
His shaky grasp on actuality was additionally obvious.
Biden asserted that particular counsel Robert Hur’s investigation of his doc crimes had “concluded I didn’t do a rattling factor flawed” — when in truth Hur got here to a really totally different conclusion, particularly that Biden did a lot flawed, however wasn’t price prosecuting due to his apparent senility.
Lester Holt’s mainly as pleasant to Biden as George Stephanopoulos, however Joe’s too far gone even to benefit from the shot at redemption this straightforward setup supplied.
For that, blame his age, his cognitive decline and the truth that, now as ever, he has nothing of substance to say on the true points.
In order ugly as this media tour has been to date, People in every single place must be grateful.
They will lastly, actually see Biden for what he’s.