‘Wine To A Gun Fight’: ‘Morning Joe’ Panelist Says Biden Is Making A Costly Mistake

The New York Times’ Mara Gay warned President Joe Biden on Friday of the costly political mistake of staying relatively quiet in the race against former President Donald Trump.

The panel was discussing a new New York Times op-ed by Charles Blow, in which he argues that “Dignified Silence Doesn’t Work Against Trump.” The article says opponents of Trump on both sides of the aisle need to use “forceful … condemnation” to combat the former president or else risk losing.

Host Joe Scarborough went on a near two minute rant over Biden’s failure to take a hard line against Trump, with Gay voicing her agreement.

“It’s like bringing a bottle of wine to a gun fight, and I think there’s just an element here of — What Charles is saying is, ‘You have to stand up to a bully!'” Gay said. (RELATED: ‘Would You Give This Grandpa A High-Stress Job For Six More Years?’: CNN’s Van Jones Mocks Biden)

“You have to stand up to a bully and Donald Trump is essentially, I believe, depending on Democrats, the president, acting like this is just business as usual,” she continued. “And so, this silence speaks volumes, the silence becomes the elephant in the room. It’s actually not accomplishing what I think the president and the Democrats need it to accomplish. Also I feel … that if you don’t tell your own story, you allow someone else to tell it for you. So why you would allow your opponent to define the issues and the story in this race is — I just think it’s malpractice politically.”

“I certainly understand the president’s reluctance to speak on an ongoing criminal investigation but as you said, Joe, nobody is asking him to weigh in on updates from the Justice Department,” she added.

Biden’s silence may not be the only thing plaguing his chances at re-election, with a recent CNN poll finding 46 percent of voters say any Republican candidate would be preferable to Biden and 58 percent saying Biden’s policies have worsened economic conditions.