President Joe Biden appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” early Monday, targeting the so-called “elites” urging him to bow out of the 2024 race due to ongoing concerns about his cognitive abilities.
Key Points from the Interview
- Biden on European Elections: Biden and the show’s hosts discussed the recent political setbacks for right-wing parties in the U.K. and France. Biden claimed these results show a broader rejection of far-right nationalism, despite significant gains by right-wing parties in other European countries.
- Polling Accuracy: Biden argued that polls underestimated his performance against Donald Trump in 2020, a claim that CNN later disputed.
- Defiant Stance: Biden challenged his Democratic critics, calling them “elites” and inviting them to challenge him at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
Decisive Right-Wing Defeats in Europe?
Host Joe Scarborough began the conversation by asking Biden for his take on the French and British elections, suggesting a significant defeat for far-right movements.
“I’ve got to say, it looks like this past week has been the worst week for far-right nationalists between Britain and France,” Scarborough noted.
However, Scarborough didn’t mention that the Conservative Party’s defeat in the U.K. came after more than 13 years in power and amid extraordinary political turmoil, nor did he acknowledge that several EU countries remain governed by right-wing parties, such as:
- Italy: Led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party.
- Finland: Recently shifted to the right with Petteri Orpo’s conservative National Coalition Party.
- Sweden: The right-wing and nationalist Sweden Democrats have gained significant influence in recent years.
- Hungary: Viktor Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party has been in power for over a decade.
- Greece: Led by the center-right New Democracy party, under Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
- Netherlands: Recently saw a victory for Geert Wilders’ populist right-wing Freedom Party.
- Slovakia: The far-right party led by Prime Minister Robert Fico holds significant power.
- Bulgaria: The center-right GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, holds significant influence.
Biden’s Rambling Response
Biden’s lengthy response included another mix-up, incorrectly stating that the midterms occurred in 2024. He challenged his critics to confront him at the Democratic National Convention.
“Look, Joe, let me, let’s get something clear about ’20 and ’24. Not only were they wrong, I said they were wrong beforehand. I said we were going to win and how we were going to win.”
Other memorable moments included:
CNN’s Pushback
CNN’s senior data reporter, Harry Enten, promptly rebutted Biden’s claim that polls underestimated him in 2020 and his party in 2022, emphasizing the accuracy of most major polls:
Enten joined John Berman on Monday morning to discuss Biden’s poll numbers, pointing out that an aggregate of polls collected by CNN have Trump holding a three point lead against the president. During the same period in 2020, Biden held a nine point lead. Enten also noted that his worst poll position during 2020 was in April when he still held a four point lead. Enten reported that no CNN-approved polls in 2020 showed Trump with a lead.
“The idea that the polls underestimated Joe Biden last time around, simply put, does not hold any water,” he told Berman.
Berman noted at one point that Biden could have been referring to primary polls, but Enten argued there was only a brief time Biden slipped in primary polls, but he was ahead most of the time.
Biden has also dismissed poor polling by arguing that Republicans claimed there would be a “red wave” in 2022. Enten pushed back on this too, noting Republicans and Democrats only outperformed national polling by about a point.
“Biden is saying that 2020 polls underestimated him, so why believe them now? When it comes to the general election, that’s not true. Polls overestimated him,” Enten posted to X, contending “if anything, the polls have underestimated Republicans during the Trump era.”
Biden’s Closing Remarks
Unfazed by inconvenient truths, Biden continued his angry screed angry to Scarborough and co-host Minka Berzinski.
“The American public is not going to move away from me. The average voter wants a fair shot. I’m frustrated by the elites who think they know better. If anyone doubts me, run against me!”
Democratic Dissent Grows
Following Biden’s debate performance, several well-known Democrats and activists have publicly voiced their opposition to his campaign. Key lawmakers who joined their ranks over the weekend include:
- Adam Smith: A centrist Democrat representing Washington’s 9th District, which includes parts of Seattle. He holds the position of ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee.
- Jerry Nadler: A progressive Democrat representing central Manhattan. He serves as the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, which he chaired when House Democrats were in power.
- Mark Takano: The first openly gay Asian-American in Congress, representing Southern California’s 39th District. Tankanoe serves as the ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
- Joe Morelle: The ranking member on the House Administration Committee, is a progressive from New York’s 25th District who advocates for gun control and environmental issues.
