Former President Donald Trump has dished some heretofore unknown details about his first debate with President Joe Biden in Atlanta late last month that will probably add to concerns many Americans have about the current commander-in-chief’s mental status.
“It was a big evening and you could feel a lot of energy. Boy, energy like you haven’t felt in a long time on any of the debates,” Trump began in a telephone interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I’ve done a lot of debates and we’ve had great success with debates, but this was something very special for whatever reason, it just seemed big. And when I got to Atlanta and this was at CNN headquarters, there was a lot of excitement. There were trucks, I call them the 10 million dollar trucks, that’s with the antennas all over and very incredible equipment.
“I’m looking at things that are, you know, it’s just more of a scene than it normally would be. And it really was that way right from the start, right from the moment they introduced us and then they introduced him and introduced me and I walked out, and he looked extremely pale, to put it nicely. And I don’t know, maybe it was a good makeup job, or maybe it wasn’t, but he was a very pale-looking man,” the former president continued.
And when he started to speak, I don’t know, I thought his voice was weak. I didn’t know exactly what was happening, it was strange. I do have to say that the CNN, Jake and Dana, they were really, they were pretty good,” Trump continued. “They were, they really, they were, I thought they were fair. I thought they were fair and the questions I thought to him, to me. But it was a strange evening, I will tell you, it was a strange debate because within a couple of minutes, the answers given by him were, they didn’t, they didn’t make a lot of sense.”
Democratic advisers have devised a hopeful strategy for a potential “blitz primary” in case Biden needs to step aside soon, involving several prominent figures — though Biden has said he has no intention of doing so.
In a strategy memo shared with Semafor, advisors to former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton laid out a plan for selecting alternative Democratic nominees should the pressure on President Biden to withdraw become insurmountable. The proposal includes a rapid timeline for potential candidates to declare their interest, with only a few days provided to enter the race. Additionally, these candidates would need to commit to not attacking each other and aim to secure votes from already pledged Democratic delegates, thereby avoiding the divisiveness and high costs of repeated state primary elections.
The authors of the memo expressed an optimistic view, suggesting that if President Biden were to step down, it could elevate his status to that of a “modern-day George Washington” in the eyes of the electorate. They believe such a move would captivate the nation and bring heightened attention to the Democratic contest, according to Semafor, which noted:
“We can limp to shameful, avoidable democracy-ending defeat. Or Democrats can make this Our Finest Hour. While we hope for help from Lord Almighty, the Lord helps those who help themselves,” the memo states, alluding to Biden’s recent interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos in which he said only the “Lord Almighty” could force him from the race. “We need to act. Now.”
The proposed “blitz” primary includes a series of high-profile forums that would feature cultural icons such as former first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah, and superstar singer Taylor Swift as moderators. However, it’s important to note that these figures have not been involved in the plan’s development and have not agreed to participate.
The accelerated primary process would culminate in the Democratic National Convention in mid-August, where delegates would employ a rank-choice voting system to select the party’s nominee after the candidates have made a series of public appearances, Semafor noted, citing the memo.
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