The most insane news cycle of the Biden presidency took another bizarre twist this week after ABC's Chief Political Correspondent and anchor of "Good Morning America" and the Sunday political affairs program, "This Week," George Stephanopolous, decided to respond to a random person's question filming him on a cell phone while taking a stroll in Manhattan.
"Do you think Biden should step down?" the man asked. "You've talked to him more than anybody else has lately."
ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS ON BIDEN: 'I DON'T THINK HE CAN SERVE FOUR MORE YEARS
But instead of ignoring the question or declining to comment, because this was a person he didn't know pointing a camera at him, George actually responded.
"I don't think he can serve four more years," the 63-year-old said in a clip that has since gone viral.
He has since apologized for responding to the question, while ABC News was forced to put out a statement:
"George expressed his own point of view and not the position of ABC News," it reads.
So, instead of the titles of "anchor" or "Chief Political Correspondent," perhaps Stephanopoulos could be billed as Captain Obvious instead.
Nearly three-quarters of American voters stand with Captain Obvious on this one, with 74% saying they do not believe Biden should run again. And this was a Wall Street Journal survey taken months before the debate. Other polls taken post-debate have similar results.
For example, a CBS survey post-debate shows just 27% of the public believes Biden has the cognitive ability to do the job.
DEMS WHO HAVE CALLED FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OR RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT HIS HEALTH
So yeah, George, after what we saw on that debate stage on June 27 and the way he conducted himself in his interview with you, which was only 22 minutes because that's what the president's team insisted on, maybe Biden should trade in Air Force One for a golf cart.
It wasn't long ago that Stephanopolous was offended at the mere prospect of Biden's mental state being questioned. In June 2023, then-presidential candidate Nikki Haley appeared on his program to make the argument that Kamala Harris was going to be the party nominee because Biden wasn't going to finish his first term, drawing the anchor's ire.
"A vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris," Haley said at the time.
"There's no way Joe Biden is going to finish his term," she continued. "I think Kamala Harris is going to be the next president and that should send a chill up every American spine. But also think the fact that we have a primary..."
"Excuse me, excuse me," Stephanopoulos interrupted, scowling. "How do you know Joe Biden's not going to finish his term? What is that based on?"
"Ask Americans," Haley replied. "We look at the decline he’s had over the last few years. You have to be honest with the American people, George: There’s no way that Joe Biden is going to finish out a next term. We can’t have an 81-year-old president."
"Again, you didn't answer the question," an agitated Stephanopoulos shot back. "What evidence do you have that he's not going to finish the term? What Americans feel has no basis on whether he's going to finish his term or not?"
How does that defense look now, George?
The dam cracked even more on Wednesday, with major fundraisers like celebrity heavyweight George Clooney writing in The New York Times that Biden needs to go, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi running to MSNBC to imply the same on Wednesday morning.
The news cycle has never been the worst for any Democratic president going back to Jimmy Carter and the failed attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran in 1980.
Since the debate, we're talking about nearly two weeks of non-stop, blanket coverage talking about Biden's mental acuity (or lack thereof), or if the president can survive his own party attempting to take him out, or if he has a neurological disorder like Parkinson's.
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Nothing is going right for Democrats as the panic heads to DEFCON-1. And while all of this is happening, a disciplined Donald Trump has mostly stayed above the fray, instead allowing Biden to sink in his own quicksand.
As Napoleon once said, "Never interrupt your enemy when he is destroying himself."
It's funny to think about the media coverage of Biden pre-debate: The best was when we heard about how sharp the president is behind closed doors by party allies and fans in the media.
"Start your tape right now because I'm about to tell you the truth," Biden close friend and Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough said on MSNBC in March. "And F--- you if you can't handle the truth. This version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever. Not a close second. And I have known him for years. The Brzezinskis have known him for 50 years. If it weren't the truth I wouldn't say it."
Uh-huh.
Yep. Close those doors and when the public can't see him, Biden is actually doing quadratic equations. He's explaining how the flux capacitor works. Basically, he's Stephen Hawking.
George Stephanopolous thinks Joe Biden should not serve a second term. Another George of the Clooney variety agrees.
It's hard to see how this bell unrings itself. And until there's some kind of clear path forward for the Democratic ticket on the ballot in November, the insanity that is the Biden-led news cycle will continue to go unabated.
