Trump riffs on Dems who could replace Biden at first post-debate rally
Donald Trump on Friday pooh-poohed the idea that President Biden would be replaced as the Dem presidential candidate even after his lousy debate showing — saying it’s not like the party has anyone better.
Trump, 78, began his Chesapeake, Va., rally by declaring “victory” in the pair’s CNN showdown Thursday, saying Biden, 81, studied for the debate at Camp David “so hard” that “he didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”
The GOP contender then threw out potential names of Democrats who have been frequently mentioned as potential replacements for Biden on the 2024 ticket, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Vice President Kamala Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama.
But Trump said he didn’t “really believe” the reports indicating the Democratic National Committee could shake up the race by ousting Biden because “he does better in polls than any of the Democrats they talk about.”
Trump called Newsom a “bad governor” who “can’t run California” and “has lousy poll numbers.
“You take a look at some of the others. Of course, Kamala is someone who would be on the [list],” Trump said to audience boos.
“It might have been Joe Biden’s single best decision, putting her as vice president,” Trump said, suggesting Harris would never be able to usurp her boss because she’s so unpopular. “It might have been his best, because nobody wants that.
“They don’t poll as well as this guy,” he continued of other Dem possibilities. “They polled everyone. They polled Michelle Obama. She polls very badly. She polls terribly.”
With just months left before the November general election, the Democratic Party is pretty much stuck with Biden as its presumptive nominee — unless he makes the personal decision to exit the race.
Other possibilities to replace Biden are unlikely, but his pledged delegates could theoretically not vote for him at the Democratic National Convention in August, or the Democratic National Committee could decide to rewrite its convention rules to oust him.
Trump’s confidence that Biden would not exit the race is in line with the president’s own words and the Biden campaign’s stated commitment to keep going in the election.
Biden held his own rally in North Carolina on Friday afternoon, admitting he doesn’t “debate as well as I used to” but committing to stay in the race.
In Trump’s speech, the former president leaned in heavy into the many gaffes Biden had at the debate.
“He got the debate rules that he wanted. He got the date that he wanted. He got the network that he wanted. He got the moderators he wanted. No amount of rest or rigging could help,” Trump said.
Biden’s campaign stated the rules it would agree to in their debate negotiations: muted mics, no studio audience and the debate being hosted by CNN.
Trump quickly agreed to the terms back in May, happy to have an earlier debate against Biden outside of the Committee on Presidential Debates, which had their first debate scheduled in September.
“It’s not his age, it’s not his anything, really. It’s his competence,” the 45th president said of Biden’s debate debacle.
“We have a man who is grossly incompetent heading up our country. He’s competing against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, President Xi [Jinping] of China and Kim Jong Un of North Korea,” Trump said, arguing those leaders are at “the top of their game.”
Biden was “never really at the top of his game. He was never really good. But now, he’s really not good,” Trump jabbed.
Republican Virginia officials who kicked off Trump’s speech also hit Biden on his performance.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin spoke about being “ready to retire Joe Biden,” while Rep. Jen Kiggans said that what she saw on stage was “definitely elder abuse.”
Trump also used the rally as an opportunity to speak favorably about Virginia, a state that his campaign has stressed he wants to win in November.
He said poll numbers show him “ahead” in the state and heaped praise on Youngkin — who he said could “settle” Russia’s war on Ukraine — and Senate candidate Hung Kao.
