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Morning Joe presenter Joe Scarborough has claimed that Donald Trump and the Republican party are “freaking out” over President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw his re-election bid.
On Sunday (July 21), President Biden, 81, announced he was stepping down as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election following weeks of resistance. He, along with several top Democrats, has now endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s new nominee.
Reacting to the news on Monday’s episode of his MSNBC program, host and former politician Scarborough said: “I’ve heard from inside the Trump campaign for some time right now that the one thing Donald Trump feared was not having Joe Biden to run against,
“If you talk about boxing,” Scarborough explained, “he was used to going against Biden, right? So, what have they done? They’ve switched it up – it’s going to be a southpaw now.”
Biden’s exit from the race comes after weeks of mounting pressure from colleagues, celebrities and donors, who expressed concern about the president’s age following his debate fumble.
Now, with Harris, 59, as the likely candidate going toe-to-toe with Trump, Scarborough said: “Suddenly, [Trump’s] the oldest guy in the race by a long shot.
“The one thing that got to [Trump] was the idea that he might not be running against Biden because that’s all he’s been focused on since 2020,” the presenter added.
“But now you’re hearing [Speaker of the House] Mike Johnson, you’re hearing all these people just freak out: ‘This is illegal, you can’t do this. You can’t decide at a convention who your nominee is going to be. You can’t let the delegates decide.’
“Well yeah, you can,” he argued. “It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard in my life. But again, the fact they’re freaking out so much has to excite a Democratic party that was really at its lowest of any party that I’ve seen since Watergate.”
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Just last week, Scarborough had also called on Biden to “do the right thing” and abandon his re-election campaign. “This is not going to end well if it continues to drag out,” he predicted.
Since Biden announced his decision to pull out of the race, several celebrities, including Robert De Niro and Lizzo, have rushed to praise the president for his “selfless patriotism” while also throwing their fervent support behind Harris.
“In an act of shrewd politics and selfless patriotism, Joe Biden is stepping aside to clear the path for another Democrat to become president... because there is nothing more important for our country than defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box,” two-time Oscar-winner De Niro said. “With respect, admiration, and affection, thank you Mr President!”
