By It was a scene that Kamala Harris most definitely didn’t enjoy learning about. In an surprise, President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama were allegedly overheard discussing the vice president’s campaign during an off-mic exchange at Ethel Kennedy’s memorial service in Washington.
According to claims made by a forensic lip reader, Jeremy Freeman, Biden purportedly told the man who helped push him aside that he made a major mistake.
The New York Post writes:
President Biden griped to former President Barack Obama that “she” is “not as strong as me” — with Obama agreeing “that’s true” — in a stunning off-mic conversation deciphered for The Post by a professional lip reader.
The apparent candid assessment of Vice President Kamala Harris’ standing going into the Nov. 5 election occurred Wednesday afternoon as America’s two most recent Democratic presidents conversed at Ethel Kennedy’s memorial service in Washington.
“She’s not as strong as me,” said Biden, 81, according to the translation, which was produced by analyzing the on-video lip movements during the discussion.
“I know … that’s true,” the popular former president agreed, adding, “We have time.”
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” said Biden, who was forced by fellow Democrats to relinquish the party’s nomination in favor of Harris on July 21 in a mutiny that Obama was believed to support.
WATCH: Full unedited clip of President Biden and former President Obama prior to the start of the Ethel Kennedy Memorial Service. pic.twitter.com/oyhD01uKzr
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 17, 2024
The incident has ignited discussions within Democratic circles as the November 5 election looms. Biden, now 81, relinquished his bid for the Democratic nomination earlier this year, ceding his place to Harris following mounting party pressure. Despite Freeman’s claims that the conversation appeared positive, with Obama saying, “We have time,” and Biden responding, “Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” the report has sparked debate over Harris’ political strength.
The Post noted that some party insiders are concerned that the off-the-record conversation may point to underlying doubts about Harris’ ability to beat Donald Trump in the upcoming election. Others have expressed skepticism about Freeman’s lip-reading accuracy, calling into question whether the words attributed to Biden and Obama were indeed what they said.
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for Biden, quickly dismissed the report, ridiculing the idea of relying on a lip reader for insight into the president’s private conversations. Similarly, a source close to Obama downplayed the claims, insisting that only Biden and Obama knew the real content of their discussion.
The timing of the conversation is particularly sensitive, as Harris faces increasing scrutiny as she has begun floundering in the polls, forcing her to do more interviews, though normal for most presidential candidates, she has refused to do.
Fox News reported that “former President Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, fifty percent to forty-eight percent, according to a new Fox News national survey. This marks a reversal from last month, when Harris held a slight lead.”
Fox News reported that former President Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, 50 percent to 48 percent, according to a new national survey.
“These are Trump’s best numbers since Harris became the nominee in August. The movement toward him mainly comes from an increase in support among White voters, who now favor him by 10 points, up from 4 points last month and 6 points in August. He is also at record highs among voters 65 and over (49%) and those with a college degree (48%).
At the same time, Harris receives her lowest support since becoming the nominee among Black voters (67%), college graduates (49%), voters 65 and over (47%) and Whites with a college degree (46%).”
“Overall, the movement toward Trump is subtle but potentially consequential, especially if he is making gains among college-educated voters,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts Fox News surveys with Republican Daron Shaw. “However, the race has been well within the margin of error for three months and the outcome will likely hinge on which side is more effective at getting their voters to the polls as opposed to persuasion.”
[Read More: MSNBC Struggles To Find Kamala Voters]
