Today marked a pivotal moment in the documented history of the Biden presidency. This is the day that the Regime Media began their collective pivot off of President Joe Biden, creating and amplifying a permission structure for Democrats to embrace the as-of-yet indeterminate alternative.
Watch as ABC World News Tonight opens their report by amplifying that Democrats are openly turning against Biden:
WHIT JOHNSON: We move on now to President Biden, defiantly pushing back against growing pressure to step aside in his re-election bid. The president appearing at the Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C. today, talking about Hurricane Beryl, the extreme heat, and climate change. The Biden campaign trying to ease fears following last week's debate debacle. And the first Democrat in Congress is now calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.
Across the dial, network newscasts made similar observations and advanced similar narratives in order to achieve a single objective: Joe Biden’s eventual withdrawal of his candidacy (and likely subsequent resignation from the presidency). But the networks can’t just immediately go there in the wake of last week’s debate debacle- not after hiding Biden’s cognitive decline or otherwise not reporting on it.
So there has to be a slow build. Eventually, we’ll get there. In just a matter of days we’ve gone from “support Biden”, to Democrats beginning to openly turn on Biden and speak out about Biden’s cognitive abilities.
ABC went the path of promoting former Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos’ interview with President Biden, which will air over the course of Independence Day weekend, in addition to multiple interviews of Members of Congr CBS highlighted White House correspondent Weijia Jiang’s back-and-forth with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
NBC broke the news that Hunter Biden is now attending briefings in the West Wing in addition to advising his father on strategy, and echoed The New York Times’ reporting about additional episodes of the president being lost or unsteady.
In the days (not weeks) ahead, expect additional stories of people with access coming forward and talking about Biden’s cognitive decline. These stories are essential to the cinematic buildup to Biden’s exit, both from the campaign and (in all likelihood) the presidency. Because you can’t reasonably argue that unfitness to campaign due to physical and mental decline isn’t also proof evident of unfitness to execute the office of the presidency. But it takes time to get there after 5 years of gaslighting the American public.
The Regime Media has begun the task of shifting away from this regime and to the next. Self-preservation and access to power requires nothing less.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective network evening newscasts on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
7/2/24
6:37 PM
WHIT JOHNSON: We move on now to President Biden, defiantly pushing back against growing pressure to step aside in his re-election bid. The president appearing at the Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C. today, talking about Hurricane Beryl, the extreme heat, and climate change. The Biden campaign trying to ease fears following last week's debate debacle. And the first Democrat in Congress is now calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race. Here's ABC's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, mounting pressure on President Biden from Democrats demanding answers about the president's mental fitness, and raising questions about whether Biden should go on with his campaign. Today, the first Democratic member of Congress coming forward to say the president should drop out. Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas saying, "President Biden's first commitment has always been to our country, not himself. I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw." Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse said he was horrified by Biden's performance in that debate.
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: I think people want to make sure that this is a campaign that's ready to go and win. That the president and his team are being candid with us about his condition, that this was a real anomaly, and not just the way he is these days.
SCOTT: The Biden campaign has called concerned Democrats "bedwetters." Today, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont said it was, quote, “inappropriate” to dismiss these concerns.
PETER WELCH: I think we have to have an honest assessment of where we are, with the objective being keeping Donald Trump out of office. We've got to serve the country, not the party.
SCOTT: And today, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the questions about the president's fitness “legitimate”.
NANCY PELOSI: I think it's a legitimate question to say, "Is this an episode, or is this a condition?"
SCOTT: So we asked The White House.
Pelosi said it's a legitimate question to ask if this is an episode or is this is a condition. Which one is it?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Well, what I can tell you is that he had a cold and a bad night. I would not see this as an episode. I would see this as what it was and what we believe it to be, which is, it was a bad night. And he did -- on top of that, he had a cold. And that is the reality of the situation. That is the reality of what happened that night.
SCOTT: For many top Democrats, that's not enough. Sources tell ABC News a group of Democratic governors held a phone call expressing concern over the debate and the path forward.
TIM WALZ: Look, I don't think anybody sugarcoats this. I think the question is, how does that impact how the country runs? How does it impact what an election looks like?
SCOTT: ABC News has learned Biden has yet to speak to top Democrats in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Today, one of his closest allies, Congressman Jim Clyburn, said Biden should stay in the race. But if he drops out, Democrats should rally around Vice President Kamala Harris.
JIM CLYBURN: I will support her if he were to step aside.
SCOTT: It comes as a new CNN poll shows that Harris performs better against Trump than Joe Biden does.
CLYBURN: This party should not in any way do anything to work around Ms. Harris. We should do everything we can to bolster her, whether it's at second place or at the top of the ticket.
SCOTT: The president has had a limited number of events since that debate, at most of them, he is reading off of a teleprompter. But The White House says we will be seeing a lot more of him next week, including during a press conference that he is expected to give during the NATO summit right here in Washington, D.C. And then, on Friday, our very own George Stephanopoulos will sit down with President Biden for an exclusive interview, the first since that debate. Many Democrats will be watching that carefully, Whit.
JOHNSON: They will, Rachel Scott, thank you. Again, that ABC News exclusive interview with President Biden on Friday, his first since that debate. George Stephanopoulos one-on-one with the president, that's Friday on World News Tonight, the entire interview airs Sunday on This Week.
CBS EVENING NEWS
CBS EVENING NEWS
7/2/24
6:34 PM
MAJOR GARRETT: Tonight, The White House is under growing pressure about the future of President Biden's reelection campaign and his health.
WEIJIA JIANG: After the debate, did the president get an exam by a doctor or did he get a neurological scan?
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: A neurological scan?
GARRETT: Even Democrats are now airing their concerns. One Democratic House lawmaker reached out to CBS News to say, "a large group with a broad swath of the caucus are deeply concerned about the president's ability to win this race." That, in addition to a Texas congressman now calling for the president to get out of the race. CBS News spoke exclusively to Vice President Kamala Harris about those calls as she was leaving a fund-raiser. She did not answer directly, but said this instead.
KAMALA HARRIS: Joe Biden is our nominee, we beat Trump once and we’re gonna beat him again.
GARRETT: The vice president went on to say she is proud to be President Biden’s running mate. Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris team is also trying to play a bit of offense, saying former President Trump presents a threat to democracy and they say that threat is even more profound after the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision.
KAMALA HARRIS: We have to take seriously the stakes of this election in terms of the thought that we could have a president in The White House who thinks he is immune and able then to make decisions with that office that include weaponizing the Department of Justice against the political enemies or being a dictator on day one.
GARRETT: CBS News’s Weijia Jiang joins us from The White House and Weijia, I understand the president just spoke off-camera about the debate. What did he say?
JIANG: Major, that's right. At a fund-raiser tonight president Biden apologized to his supporters for his debate performance and said it wasn’t very smart to make back-to-back trips to Europe right before hand. He said, quote, “I didn’t listen to my Staff and then I almost fell asleep on stage." A performance that has now Democrats questioning his political future.
Tonight, as President Biden takes aim at Donald Trump over climate change...
JOE BIDEN: My predecessor and the MAGA Republicans in Congress are trying to undo all this progress.
JIANG: Members of his own party are targeting his reelection campaign. Texas representative Lloyd Doggett is the first Democratic member of Congress to publicly call for Joe Biden to step down following his debate performance.
LLOYD DOGGETT: We must have the strongest possible candidate and I don't believe that's Joe Biden. We can provide a candidate who is a genuine new alternative to the criminality of Donald Trump.
JIANG: The Biden campaign says it raised $127 million in June and insists Biden support among voters has not changed. But Congresswoman Angie Craig is not convinced.
ANGIE CRAIG: I’m talking to a number of my colleagues in the Congress right now and I think we need to let the president think about whether he wants to continue moving forward.
JIANG: Another House Democrat tells CBS News “a large group of lawmakers are hoping he will make the right decision to transition out and find a candidate to do this”, As constituents blast them with questions about Joe Biden.
BIDEN: And, you know…
JIANG: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this about Biden’s health.
NANCY PELOSI: He has a bad night. Now again, I think it's a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition.
SCOTT: In response, The White House said the president had a cold and a bad night.
JIANG: Was he taking any medication that would have interfered?
JEAN-PIERRE: He was not taking any cold medication.
JIANG: After the debate, did the president get examined by a doctor or did he get a neurological scan?
JEAN-PIERRE: Just to take a step back, it was a bad night, we understand that it was a bad night.
JIANG: Tonight a top aide says he has not received any scan or exam, and the white house is stressing that Joe Biden can handle the job. announcing a flurry of events, traveling to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in the coming days, holding a press conference next week and speaking to Democratic governors today. Major.
GARRETT: Weijia Jiang. Thank you,
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
7/2/24
6:39 PM
TOM LLAMAS: To Washington now where, for the first time, a Democratic member of Congress is publicly calling on President Biden to drop his reelection bid after his debate struggles. The White House firing back today saying the president is staying in. Here is Kelly O'donnell.
KELLY O’DONNELL:: Tonight, President Biden's political future at the center of a storm.
JOE BIDEN: We're going face this tough summer.
O'DONNELL: As his only public event today focused on extreme weather and emergency management. For five days, the president has not answered reporters' questions.
Mr. President, will you drop out of the race?
O’DONNELL: He has relied on scripted remarks using a teleprompter.
BIIDEN: We've invested a record more than $50 billion.
O’DONNELL: The White House said today it wants to turn the page after a debate performance crisis that some Democrats say has raised questions.
NANCY PELOSI: I think it's a legitimate question to say is this an episode or this a condition.
O’DONNELL: Today the first public call to exit the race from a house Democrat.
LLOYD DOGGETT: We must call on him to give the ultimate sacrifice of saying that he will step aside because that's the best way to save our country.
O’DONNELL: Another Democrat with a warning.
MIKE QUIGLEY: I just want him to appreciate at this time just how much it impacts not just his race, but all the other races coming in November.
O’DONNELL: At The White House briefing today…
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: He had a cold and a bad night. I would not see this as an episode.
O’DONNELL: Under repeated questioning, Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president as physically and mentally fit.
Is anyone in The White House hiding information about the president's health or his ability to do the job day to day?
JEAN-PIERRE: Absolutely not.
O’DONNELL: The New York Times reports that in closed door meetings, several current and former officials noticed the president increasingly appeared confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations. New tonight, NBC News reports that first son Hunter Biden joined meetings with the president and senior staff this week in the West Wing. Reaction from senior staff described as, “what the hell is happening?” The White House had this explanation.
JEAN-Pierre:He came back with his dad from camp David. He walked him into the speech prep, and he was in the room.
O’DONNELL:: The White House says the president will do an on-camera interview Friday and a press conference next week. Tomorrow he is set to hold a video call with Democratic governors and talk with top congressional leaders for the first time since last week’s debate. Tom.
LLAMAS: Kelly O’Donnell with a lot of new reporting tonight for us. Kelly, thank you.
