The mainstream media has always been in the Democrats’ back pocket. But the old alliances could be changing.
And now CNN turned the script on Joe Biden with one bombshell confession
CNN host Jake Tapper took aim at President Biden on Sunday, criticizing what he called a “nonsensical” assertion by the president regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’s potential to defeat President-elect Donald Trump. Tapper’s remarks came during *State of the Union*, where he pulled no punches in dissecting Biden’s claim.
“Okay, first of all, just I think Kamala would have beaten Trump? She ran against him, and she lost, so that’s just nonsensical,” Tapper said.
His sharp critique followed Biden’s comments to reporters on Friday, where the president suggested his decision to drop out of the race was rooted in party unification, adding, “And I think that Kamala could’ve beaten Trump, would’ve beaten Trump.”
The president’s remarks drew widespread attention, as he has frequently claimed he believed he could have defeated Trump in a general election. “I think he was trying to backtrack after he’s been spending the last couple of months, like, basically dissing her,” Tapper added, hinting at Biden’s strained dynamic with Harris in recent months.
Kate Bedingfield, a former Biden communications aide, appeared on Tapper’s program to defend the president’s intentions. She argued that Biden’s remarks were likely an attempt to give Harris credit for running a strong campaign.
“I think what he was trying to do there was acknowledge that she ran a strong race, that he was proud of her. That’s how he articulated it,” Bedingfield said.
Biden’s claim came during a conversation with reporters where he elaborated on his decision to step aside.
“I think I would’ve beaten Trump, could’ve beaten Trump. And I think that Kamala could’ve beaten Trump, would’ve beaten Trump. It wasn’t about – I thought it was important to unify the party. And when the party was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to move, I thought, even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party,” Biden stated.
When asked in a separate *USA Today* interview if he thought he would have won had he stayed in the race, Biden replied, “It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes.”
The outlet noted that Biden justified his belief by citing internal polling data he had reviewed.
However, CNN’s own polling analyst, Harry Enten, dismissed Biden’s claims as wildly unrealistic.
“Based on the polling data, I categorize Biden’s statement that he could have beaten Trump as ‘flat-out bonkers,’” Enten wrote in a Wednesday X post.
He pointed out that Biden was trailing Trump significantly when he withdrew and had failed to lead in any polls throughout 2024. “No incumbent president who was anywhere near as unpopular as Biden has ever won,” Enten emphasized.
To drive his point home, Enten presented polling data from key battleground states in the Great Lakes region around the time Biden dropped out. The numbers were not in Biden’s favor.
“Donald Trump was ahead in all three,” Enten noted, illustrating the uphill battle Biden would have faced had he remained in the race.
The ongoing debate over Biden’s claims and Harris’s potential as a candidate has spotlighted lingering questions about the Democratic Party’s leadership and future direction.
For now, Tapper’s critique and Enten’s analysis underscore the skepticism many feel about the outgoing president’s optimistic assertions.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
