“How did I do with the debate the other night?” asked Donald Trump in a secretly-recorded video leaked online. The former president then referred to his Democratic opponent as an “old broken-down pile of crap," predicting, “he’s quitting the race.”
The clip, which was apparently filmed by a group of supporters who encountered Trump on the golf course, was posted Wednesday to the website The Daily Beast as prominent leaders in the Democratic Party discuss whether the 81-year-old President Joe Biden should end his 2024 reelection bid.
Commentators have debated who would replace the octogenarian head of state on the ticket, with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer considered among the top contenders. Many observers, however, suggest it would be untenable for the party to snub Vice President Kamala Harris despite her relative unpopularity.
The ex-president was likewise unrelenting in his critique of Harris, sneering, “We have Kamala. She’s so bad, she’s so pathetic. She’s so f**cking bad.”
Users on social media have shared clips of the eccentric politician in recent days as speculation mounts that Harris may take Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket. Conservatives have slammed her as “the most radical, far-left vice presidential nominee in modern history,” although Harris was widely considered “less than progressive” during her time as California's Attorney General.
The African American vice president is nonetheless widely reviled in the Republican Party alongside former President Barack Obama, who conservatives allege is the ringleader of a “Democrat deep state cabal” that is controlling the Biden White House. Biden has distinguished himself as more deeply neoconservative on matters of foreign policy than Obama, more aggressively supporting Ukraine and eschewing Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.
“Can you imagine [Biden] dealing with Putin and the president of China, who’s a fierce person?” Trump continued. “He’s a fierce man, a very tough guy,” he said, referring to Chinese president Xi Jinping. The former president was known for his hard line against the Chinese leader, enacting tariffs which have largely remained in place under Biden, although China continues to maintain robust economic growth.
“They just announced he’s probably quitting,” Trump repeated, as polls show Biden’s support declining after last week’s highly criticized debate performance.