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While speaking with CNN's Michael Smerconish on Saturday morning, sportscaster Bob Costas said Democrats were "feckless" for running 81-year-old Joe Biden against Donald Trump, who is 77, in the 2024 presidential election.
"How feckless are the Democrats if they realize this guy could possibly lose to Trump, then get somebody else out there. You don't go into the Super Bowl with a quarterback with a dead arm. You don't do it. This is so obvious," he said.
The Context:
Costas echoed similar statements on Saturday with Smerconish that he stated recently on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher.
Smerconish read off a list of Biden's accomplishments in his first term and asked Costas if the president is getting the credit he deserves.
Costas replied:
"I think he's getting some of the credit, but here's the key. He cannot make that case for himself. He can not make that clear, cogent, vigorous case for himself. Nor can he prosecute the obvious case against Trump in the court of public opinion. [California Governor] Gavin Newsom frequently goes on these programs and makes a very articulate and detailed case for President Biden. But Biden is unable to put together two consecutive sentences of the five perfect paragraphs that Gavin Newsom just put together."
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email Saturday morning regarding Costas' statements. This story will be updated with any provided comments.
What We Know:
One third of U.S. adults support removing Joe Biden from the presidency by invoking the 25th Amendment, a new poll conducted on behalf of Newsweek has found.
The amendment, adopted in 1967 and which sets the order of presidential succession, allows for the vice president and a majority of cabinet members to declare that the president "is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." The vice president would then assume the role.
A survey of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted between February 18-19 by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 37 percent support invoking the 25th Amendment in order to remove Biden from office, with 33 percent opposing such a move and 22 percent indifferent.
Costas told Smerconish on Saturday that Democrats should have had additional presidential candidates "up in the bullpen" to potentially face Trump.
"He [Biden] had a chance to be seen as a statesman and a patriot [by deciding not to run]. Now, his legacy will be, at best he can squeak by Trump, or he could lose to Trump and subject the country to four more years of this kind of insanity," Costas said.
Views:
The recently released report from Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Robert Hur characterized Biden as an "elderly man with a poor memory." Hur's report followed an investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents that were found at his home in Delaware and at the Penn Biden Center office in Washington, D.C.
Danny Cevallos, a NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst, recently wrote in a Newsweek opinion column that the Hur Report resulted in insult without indictment and that it suggested that Biden's cognitive abilities are "significantly limited."
Representative Claudia Tenney, a New York Republican, wrote in a Newsweek opinion column earlier this month that "it is obvious from Mr. Hur's reports that this decline has been noticeable for years. The American people deserve to have a president who is able to protect our homeland, defend our Constitution, faithfully execute the laws of Congress, and is transparent with the nation about his health and mental faculties."
What's Next?
Trump is projected to win more than 300 electoral votes in the 2024 election by flipping a number of key swing states from Biden, according to forecasters.
Analysis from Decision Desk HQ based on polling across the country predicts that Trump, the expected 2024 Republican presidential nominee, will win a total of 312 Electoral votes in November, the biggest number a GOP candidate has received since George H.W. Bush's 1988 victory when he received 426 votes.
The estimates are the latest worrying sign for Biden as he seeks reelection.
"Biden is obviously on-balance a decent man. He's served his country. And no matter what, sane people will vote for him over Donald Trump," Costas added on Saturday morning. "But it's a hell of a risk. Trump is a monster. You shouldn't send this guy [Biden] out there at this point in his life to slay the dragon."
Update 2/24/24: 11:04 a.m. This article has been updated with additional information.
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About the writer
Gabe Whisnant is a Breaking News Editor at Newsweek based in North Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he ... Read more