Joe Biden was thought to have ridden off into the sunset. But now he’s back and the Left isn’t happy.
And Democrats plunged a knife in Biden’s back because of this one absurd thing he did.
Joe Biden’s Media Tour Sparks Outrage Among Democrats
Former President Joe Biden stepped back into the public eye last week with a series of high-profile interviews, addressing the 2024 election, his decision to step away from the race, and persistent questions about his mental sharpness raised in several books about the campaign. However, his media appearances have ignited a firestorm of criticism within the Democratic Party, with strategists and operatives arguing that his presence is hindering the party’s efforts to move forward after a stinging electoral defeat.
Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha didn’t mince words in an interview with Politico. “It’s time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle,” he said. “Every time he appears on a show or says something, it’s just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again.”
Biden’s media tour included a sit-down with the BBC last Wednesday and a joint appearance with former First Lady Jill Biden on ABC’s The View the following day. During these interviews, Biden made headlines by asserting that exiting the race earlier would not have changed the outcome and expressing a lack of surprise at Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to Donald Trump.
For some Democrats, Biden’s reemergence feels like a step backward. “For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you’re constantly reminded about the old brand that won’t go away,” Rocha told Politico, noting that any positive moments from Biden’s appearance on The View were quickly eclipsed by news of a new pope’s selection.
A former Biden administration official echoed this sentiment. “Elections are about the future. Every time Joe Biden emerges, we fight an old war,” Democratic strategist Anthony Cole said to The Hill. “Every interview he does provides a contrast to Trump that’s just not helpful for the Democratic brand, which needs trusted messengers and fighters who can reach independents and moderates and inspire the base. Joe Biden ain’t that.”
While Cole acknowledged Biden’s willingness to accept some responsibility for Trump’s victory as a positive gesture, he questioned its relevance now. “Honestly, what good does that do now? Many Democrats — from elected leaders to the party faithful — are just ready to turn the page. I just don’t think he understands how wide and deep this sentiment is,” he said.
The criticism wasn’t limited to strategists. On Pod Save America, a podcast hosted by former Obama administration aides, the co-hosts openly mocked Biden’s media tour. When Jon Favreau asked how Biden performed on The View, laughter filled the air.
Dan Pfeiffer described the interview as “hard to follow.” “What’s the audience for this? The American people are pretty decided on the question of was Joe Biden too old, and they were decided long before the debate. And I don’t know that one interview or two interviews or a thousand interviews is going to, nothing’s going to change that perspective,” Pfeiffer said.
Favreau pushed back against Democrats who have praised Biden’s decision to speak out. “The answer is he shouldn’t have run for a second term. And when he did run for a second term, he should have stepped down much earlier after the debate… I think that every Democratic politician, particularly those who want to lead the party and want to run in 2028 have to just rip the f—— band-aid off,” he said. Pfeiffer added that Biden’s insistence on defending himself, particularly his claim that he could have won the election, was “politically insane” and disrespectful to Kamala Harris, whom Biden placed in a challenging position.
MSNBC’s on-air talent also expressed frustration. Antonia Hylton questioned the purpose of Biden’s appearances, asking, “Who is this for?” She noted that Biden’s focus on his legacy failed to address the party’s need for a clear narrative opposing Trump’s current administration. “He’s not speaking to what a lot of people have been asking for, which is some clear story of opposition, who we are, what are we delivering in opposition to Trump in this current moment? None of that really was present there. It kind of seemed all about me and my legacy to a lot of people, including voters, the fellow reporters, politicians I’ve spoken to in recent days,” Hylton said.
Ayman Mohyeldin criticized Biden’s choice of The View as a soft platform. “No disrespect whatsoever to The View. But if Joe Biden wants to have a conversation about his legacy and his policies, he should have done a hard hitting interview with somebody,” he said. “That’s where somebody can actually hold his feet to the fire and ask him questions about the decisions he made. And there’s a reason why they wanted to go on The View.”
Commentators like Alyssa Farah Griffin, a co-host on The View and CNN political analyst, and former CNN host Chris Cilizza also weighed in, with Griffin stating that Democrats were not eager to see Biden in the spotlight and Cilizza suggesting that Biden remained in denial about the election’s outcome.
Adding fuel to the controversy, Politico reported that Biden enlisted veteran strategist Chris Meagher, a former deputy press secretary, to help protect his legacy from attacks. An anonymous Democratic operative told the outlet that Biden’s media tour seemed like an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for Trump’s return to power. “There are a lot of young and dynamic leaders in the Democratic Party who are focused on the path forward, and it’s better we focus on them, instead of an old man trying to convince himself and America he isn’t responsible for Donald Trump’s reelection,” the operative said.
Matt Bennett of Third Way told Politico that Biden’s timing was off. “I don’t think he’s reading the room at the moment,” he said. “I think the party, ultimately, will come around to the view that he did a good job as president, that he passed a lot of big things.” However, he added that the current climate of anger and despair among Democrats, coupled with the unraveling of Biden’s achievements under Trump, made this a poor moment for Biden to reenter the fray.
Despite the backlash, Biden has his defenders. Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, a former senior advisor, argued that Biden’s voice remains valuable when focused on constructive dialogue. “I think this is an incredible inflection point as a nation, as a world and people like Joe Biden add value to the conversation — when [he’s focused] on being constructive,” she told Politico. Allies like Rep. Jim Clyburn and former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison also praised Biden’s legacy. “Seeing Joe Biden reminds me that our president can be a good, decent and honest leader. Reminds me that we have had presidents with slight majorities that have legislated to protect the environment, stabilized and grown the economy, created new jobs, reduced the cost of health care, invested in our infrastructure and respected our nation’s history. I will always be grateful to President Biden for his commitment to saving America in one of our darkest times,” Harrison told ABC News.
As the Democratic Party grapples with its future, Biden’s media tour has exposed deep divisions over how to move forward and who should lead the charge.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
