“Fox and Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones pressed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Tuesday about President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection.
Biden announced on July 21 that he would not seek reelection, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket for the 2024 presidential election. Jones asked Buttigieg about several stories from different media outlets that question Biden’s fitness for office, including that the administration held scripted cabinet meetings, with the secretary deflecting to blame “conservative media.” (RELATED: ‘It Makes Me Doubt My Party’: Former Clinton Pollster Calls Out Dems For Lacking ‘Backbone’ To Condemn DNC Protests)
“I know you got the talking points,” Jones said. “But these weren’t conservative outlets. I guess you could say Wall Street Journal is-”
“You’re a conservative outlet, and the first thing you’re asking about is what happened in a Cabinet meeting instead of achievement,” Buttigieg interrupted.
WATCH:
Fox News Host Asks Biden Cabinet Secretary Point-Blank When He Knew President Was ‘Unfit’ To Serve pic.twitter.com/uvcHax55EQ
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 20, 2024
Jones then asked when “you guys [knew] that the president was unfit to be on the ticket,” prompting Buttigieg to respond that Biden is “not.”
“So why is he not the nominee right now?” Jones asked.
Buttigieg interjected, claiming the president “put his ego aside.”
“I just want to get my question out,” Jones said. “Why did you guys wait until the last minute to switcheroo after everyone saw – can I just finish and I will let you answer, Mr. Secretary. But you guys waited until after the debate, where everybody in America saw what happened that day and all of these reports are coming out that you guys knew behind the scenes, that cabinet members were frustrated, that he couldn’t do the negotiations with Nancy Pelosi and that she had to take it over.” (RELATED: ‘Clear Momentum’: CNN Data Guru Says Harris’ Polling Bump Is Causing Trump To Go ‘Bananas’ Despite ‘No Clear Leader’)
Buttigieg claimed that Biden “won” the negotiations with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the debt ceiling.
“It turns out he is really good at being president of the United States,” Buttigieg said.
At the time Biden ended his reelection bid, he trailed Trump by 3.1% in a national head-to-head matchup, according to the RealClearPolling average of polls, with Trump’s lead expanding to 4.2% when Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein and independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West were included in surveys.
Harris holds a 1.5% lead over Trump in a national head-to-head matchup, according to the RealClearPolling average of polls from July 31 to Aug. 16, with the gap between her and Trump remaining at 1.5% when Kennedy, Stein and West are included.
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