Fox News’ Harris Faulkner and a former Washington D.C. Democratic Party chairman went back and forth on whether President Joe Biden should debate his primary opponents Tuesday.
Faulkner said Biden should debate the other candidates, who include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after he appeared “heartless” when refusing to address devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.
“You’ve got on the left side, you’ve got three other candidates and RFK Jr. is there,” Faulkner said. “Doesn’t the president need some reps, doesn’t he maybe want to step up and practice debating so he’s ready to go? He didn’t look too sharp when they asked him about the disaster on Maui, you know he didn’t. He looked heartless.”
“Boy, you just beat up on me every chance you get,” former D.C. Democratic chairman Scott Bolden said.
“What? I’m just calling out the facts,” Faulkner said.
“I’m the victim here,” he said.
Bolden said none of the Democratic primary candidates have a chance of dislodging Biden, despite his low approval ratings, and thus the president does not need to debate them. (RELATED: ‘I’m Gonna Interject Here’: Harris Faulkner Breaks Up Testy Debate Over Trump Indictment’s ‘Red Herring’)
“We’re not concerned about those other candidates. They’re free to run, but they’re not gonna have any impression on ultimately who is the Democratic nominee,” Bolden said.
Faulkner then pointed to Biden posting a photograph of himself and former President Barack Obama on Twitter. She argued that the president is using Obama to try and appeal to voters. GoPAC chairman David Avella said there are signs that the party is attempting to replace Biden with a more vibrant candidate, notably California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Well I don’t see it that way,” Bolden said.
“Well, of course you don’t,” Faulkner said.
Bolden and Faulkner then lightly sparred over whether Newsom plans to run for president after the former Democrat chair claimed the governor has “no interest.”
“You always say that, but have you called him, because sometimes he really looks like he is,” Faulkner said. “I don’t know, I can’t comment on the difference because I haven’t asked him.”
The president currently holds a 40% approval rating on average and a 53.9% disapproval rating, according to FiveThirtyEight. His approval ratings have remained relatively low throughout his presidency, with most of the public citing his age and job performance as negatives.
A New York Times/Siena poll published in July 2022 found that 64% of Democrats would prefer a different nominee in 2024.