Is Obama Souring on President Biden? Mounting Evidence Suggests So

Biden and Trump(AP)

WASHINGTON (TND) — Speculation is buzzing about former President Barack Obama’s actions behind closed doors as Democratic concerns mount about President Joe Biden’s fitness for office.

Many Democrats are panicking as the nation ramps up scrutiny of its 81-year-old president. Biden’s poor showing at the first presidential debate set off a firestorm of criticism regarding the president’s age and mental acuity, leading for calls to abandon his reelection bid from both sides of the political aisle.

Biden has scrambled to salvage his reputation in recent weeks, sitting for a high-stakes interview with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos and penning an open letter to Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill. On both occasions, Biden’s messaging was resolute and unwavering regarding his reelection campaign.

“I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024,” Biden wrote in his letter. “I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.”

“Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us,” he added. “It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”

As the president’s circle of supporters continues to dwindle, he has relied on the backing of other powerful Democratic leaders to bolster his messaging. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely speculated to be heir to a party presidential nomination, has repeatedly rejected the idea that Biden could be replaced atop the Democratic ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris, another popular pick for the presidency, has loudly trumpeted Biden’s legislative record and dismissed the debate backlash as arbitrary commentary on “style points.”

One Democrat Biden desperately needs in his corner is his former boss, former President Barack Obama, who helped lay the groundwork for his presidency during their time together in the White House from 2009 to 2017. Obama has publicly been one of Biden’s biggest supporters, appearing in videos pleading for donations on his campaign’s behalf and working to quell fallout from the debate. The former president may be conflicted, however, as to how far he is willing to go in support of his former vice president, reports claim.

Obama reportedly met with George Clooney prior to the publishing of the actor’s scathing Wednesday op-ed which urged Biden to bow out of the race, Politico reported. Clooney boasted of having “led some of the biggest fund-raisers in my party’s history” while acknowledging “the one battle [Biden] cannot win is the fight against time.”

“We are not going to win in November with this president,” Clooney wrote. “On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private.”

Clooney and Obama reportedly have a close relationship stemming from years of Democratic fundraising alongside one another. The former president neither encouraged nor discouraged Clooney from writing the piece, according to Politico.

Obama Foundation spokesperson Hannah Hankins told The National Desk (TND) Thursday she would not confirm such reports, saying they did not come from her office. She also directed TND to Obama’s public comments made via social media.

Hankins did not respond when repeatedly asked to confirm that Politico’s reporting was false.

Clooney’s reversal on Biden reportedly started at a Los Angeles fundraiser less than one month ago, according to the Wall Street Journal. During that event, Biden reportedly foreshadowed his debate performance, appearing lost and unable to keep up with conversations.

The Wall Street Journal also reported the Biden campaign had tried to intervene in the publishing of Clooney’s op-ed.

Underscoring the Politico report was MSNBC’s Morning Joe, which reported the Biden campaign is growing concerned with Obama’s allegiance during this critical time.

“What’s going on behind the scenes is the Biden campaign and many Democratic officials do believe that Barack Obama is quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate this,” host Joe Scarborough said Thursday of the Democratic panic. “Joe Biden is deeply resentful of his treatment under not only the Obama staff but also the way he was pushed aside for Hillary Clinton. He’s deeply resentful of those trying to shove him out of the way.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama has not been campaigning for Biden over private frustrations with his family, Axios reported in June. The popular Democratic figure has been noticeably absent from discourse surrounding Biden, instead promoting her nonpartisan voting campaign “When We All Vote” and emphasizing her distaste for partisan politics.

A White House spokesperson told the publication that such reports should not be conflated for animosity between the two families, saying “the Biden and Obama families are like family to one another, and whomever made these claims about that relationship isn’t familiar with it.”

Biden and Barack Obama share a rocky history concerning Biden’s claim to the White House. A White House aide told the New York Times in March Obama has “always” worried about Biden’s reelection odds. That report also acknowledged Obama’s “grave concern” that Biden could lose in November.

Obama had actually discouraged Biden from running for president in the past, according to Biden’s memoir “Promise Me, Dad,” and considered former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be the stronger candidate.

Biden brought this up during his interview with former special counsel Robert Hur, noting Obama’s wavering confidence in his career prospects beyond the vice presidency.

“There were still a lot of people at the time when I got out of the Senate that were encouraging me to run in this period, except the president,” Biden said of Obama. “I’m not — and not a mean thing to say. He just thought that [Clinton] had a better shot of winning the presidency than I did.”

Multiple former Obama administration officials have mirrored this stance, directing skepticism at Biden throughout his time in the Oval Office. Obama’s Chief Auto Advisor Steven Rattner in September slammed Biden for joining an United Auto Workers picket line in Michigan, saying the president went against years of precedent and tradition.

“For him to be going on a picket line is outrageous,” Rattner told  NBC News. “There’s no precedent for it. The tradition of the president is to stay neutral in these things. I get the politics. The progressives all said, ‘We don’t want a mediator; we want an advocate.’ And he bowed to the progressives, and now he’s going out there to put his thumb on the scale. And it’s wrong.”

Prior to the first presidential debate, former Obama administration advisor Van Jones predicted the event could spell “game over” for Biden.

“Because, if Biden goes out there and messes up, it’s game over,” he said of the debate. “If he walks out there, and a week later he’s lower in the polls, it’s panic in the party. But if he goes in there and he can handle himself against Donald Trump — a runaway train, a locomotive, a raging bull — then this guy deserves another shot to be president, because that is tough.”

Jones was also one of the first voices to criticize Biden’s performance, saying the president appeared “disappointing,” adding he “failed” the test.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now,” he said on CNN after the debate.

Others close to Biden are sharing similar doubts. Stephanopoulos, who interviewed Biden on national TV, said Tuesday he is not confident in President Joe Biden’s ability to serve another term in the Oval Office.

“I don’t think he can serve four more years,” Stephanopoulos said according to TMZ.

Stephanopoulos later said in a statement he regretted making the comment.

Former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday also appeared non-committal when asked is she wanted President Joe Biden to continue running for reelection. She told MSNBC “it’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run.”

“I want him to do whatever he decides to do, and that’s the way it is,” Rep. Pelosi added. “Whatever he decides, we go with.”