Biden’s former press secretary Jen Psaki makes shocking admission about president’s debate and how Democratic ‘panic’ hasn’t abated
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned that President Biden’s first major interview after his poor performance in the debates might not be enough to assuage concerns, calling it “just OK.”
The 81-year-old president has been under intense pressure from some Democrats to step down after his poor performance in Atlanta raised questions about his fitness for a second term, but the president has insisted he will remain in the race.
Psaki, now an MSNBC host, began her show Sunday by responding to the president’s interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday, in which he dismissed the concerns.
“I’ve watched it. I’ve seen a lot of it. I’ve prepared him and others for a lot of this. I would say it just went well for the president,” Psaki said.
“I mean, in many ways, people who watched saw what they wanted to see, because to some, he looked better than he did during the debate. He did. He was clearer. He seemed much more prepared to make his case and make the case against Trump,” she continued. “But there were also moments, not just one, that didn’t go well.”
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on her MSNBC program that President Biden’s first post-debate interview “wasn’t a home run at all” and that he did “just OK.”
Psaki said after the interview that it “left us all in a bit of a purgatory” and that it “wasn’t a home run at all.”
She pointed to a CBS News poll from last week that found 72 percent of voters believe Biden does not have the mental or cognitive health to serve, and said an interview ‘has absolutely no ability’ to change that perception.
Psaki also indicated that the panic among Democrats will not go away anytime soon.
“The questions I get in text messages from friends and family are twofold: What’s going to happen and what’s the best path forward?” Psaki said. “And I’m not going to sit here this afternoon and tell you that I know the answer to both of those questions.”
Biden attempted to calm panic over his debate performance when he gave his first network interview after the Wisconsin debate.
The president fared better during the high-stakes sit down than he did on stage next to Donald Trump. He didn’t make any major blunders. But he still remained unconvincing and sometimes confusing in his answers.
“I just had a bad night,” Biden told Stephanopoulos about the debate. “I don’t know why.”
President Biden spoke to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an interview in Wisconsin, where he insisted he had “just a bad night” at the debate
President Biden speaks to union members at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, PA on Sunday
The president dismissed the skeptics, saying doubts about his ability to beat Trump came from the press, not the vast majority of voters.
He also rejected his low approval rating and insisted he was staying in the race.
“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I would get out of the race,” Biden said. “The Lord Almighty is not coming down.”
Biden has also participated in a series of other interviews and has appeared on the campaign trail more frequently since the disastrous debate.
He campaigned in Wisconsin on Friday and in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
President Biden delivers a speech on Sunday at the Mount Airy Church of God in Philadelphia
On Monday morning, Biden called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where he answered tough questions from co-hosts about his performance and his ability to beat Trump.
During the interview, he addressed Trump’s performance at the debate, calling the ex-president a liar and claiming he had defeated him in 2020 and would do it again.
The president also criticized those who wanted to remove him from the race, calling them the “elite.”