NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.
I am told time and space give you “perspective.” Perhaps that’s true of me being away for the past week …
Coming back to reality after a week not in Washington talking to normal people, reading news coverage as a consumer rather than producer, never turning on a TV and deleting X (Twitter) from my phone.
I come back to you with a simple question: If Biden is unable (unfit) to run for reelection, how can he remain president?
- Seriously — If the president of the United States goes off into la-la land about ending Medicare during a debate he’s spent a week at Camp David preparing for, how are we to sleep comfortably knowing he has to make split-second decisions when the 3 a.m. phone call comes during an overnight military crisis?
- Remember Hillary Clinton’s 3 a.m. phone call ad? We are living that right now.
For those who care about the country, the republic, the idea (protecting democracy) more than the partisan result of a presidential election, Biden’s current mental state should be terrifying.
So to the Democrats now loudly, and not so loudly, calling for his replacement, are you worried more about winning and keeping Donald Trump out than the lucidity of the world’s most powerful man?
- Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said, “Weakening a weakened nominee seems like a losing strategy for a presidential election. The piling-on is not so much solving a problem as much as it is creating and compounding one.”
Winning an election shouldn’t be the problem, but a president with clear cognitive disabilities is.
How can Biden be fit to be president and unfit to run for reelection?
At best, this is severely misguided, and at worst, this exposes the raw hypocrisy of their claims to be “protecting democracy.” If the commander in chief gets confused with the most basic questions about his presidency and can’t do events past 8 p.m. that in and of itself is a threat to democracy.
Biden’s Strategy
President Joe Biden called into his favorite morning show to chat with Joe Scarborough and wife Mika Brzezinski and railed against the “elites” of the Democratic Party.
- Irony alert: Biden criticizing the elites while chatting with the elite’s must-watch morning show perfectly encapsulates his campaign’s problems.
- Maybe he tried the same line of going after the elites.
- He claimed nobody thought he would win in 2020 as proof of his coming victory by once again proving everyone wrong
- At this time in 2020, he was at least nine points up on Trump.
- What he won’t do: Brzezinski asked him if he had a neurological exam after the debate. Biden deflected. What was once a conspiracy theory is becoming a mainstream question.
- Biden’s response of “Watch me” doesn’t cut it anymore because of what people have seen when they are watching:
- The debate
- Him taking the mini-stairs on Air Force One
- No events after 8 p.m.
- His absurd excuses for his debate performance (cold, jet lag, bad advance work)
- Him reading from teleprompters during short talks with donors and not answering questions
- His weird shouting and aggressive challenges
- His confusion between major policy issues
- The first lady seeming to be more in charge than her husband
- Ten visits: Maybe he already had a neurological exam — The Washington Times reports a world-renowned Parkinson’s doctor visited the White House ten times.
Look forward: Will the media that once protected Biden (and now isn’t) go back to protecting him if he stays on as nominee? Or will they continue to do real journalism on Biden’s condition?
- Vindication: Former White House doctor turned Trump acolyte turned member of Congress, Ronny Jackson, deserves an apology from those who declared him a partisan hack for warning of Biden’s decline years ago.
Look farther forward: Biden, in his MSNBC interview, talked about his newfound energy barnstorming the country.
- Upcoming events:
- A press conference during the NATO summit
- A speech on the opening day of the RNC
- Fact check: None of these are the types of events that can change the conversation.
Final Audition
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, had their final audition on the Sunday shows this weekend.
- The Wall Street Journal rightly points out Trump’s running mate choice is even more important with the chance of a new Democratic candidate.
- “The chaos also presents Mr. Trump with an opening to persuade more voters that he’s the safer choice, especially with his decision on a running mate.”
The best person to beat Trump is Vice President Kamala Harris, writes NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt in his Saturday article for The Dispatch.
- For example, among 18-to-34 voters, Harris enjoys a 10-point advantage over her boss.
Bonus reading: Our buddy Bill O’Reilly’s new column, “Kamala For President.”
- Watch tonight: O’Reilly joins us.
P.S. Thanks for reading to the end. Turns out I should take vacation more — our June 29 edition of War Notes aged quite well: “Republican Warning.”
In fact — Republicans should be more worried!
Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.