President Joe Biden took the Democratic National Convention stage well past his scheduled primetime slot to cap off a night meant to honor his legacy.
The DNC ran considerably behind schedule, leading the president to be booted from his primetime speaking slot to appear close to midnight on the east coast. The first night of the convention was full of speakers who dedicated their speeches to Biden’s four years in office, his decision to pick Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate and his choice to end his 2024 reelection bid. An emotional Biden himself made a nod to the theme throughout his speech, praising Harris as he was repeatedly interrupted by “thank you, Joe” chants.
As the speakers leading up to Biden on the schedule began dragging on and on, speculation swirled about how and why the president had been shoved aside to speak when many Americans would already be asleep.
“This is awful. He literally set up a campaign and handed it over to them — do they have to cut him out of prime time?” one longtime Biden aide texted Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
The push for Biden to drop out of the presidential race began after his June 27 debate performance against former President Donald Trump, where he was stumbling through answers and looked confused on stage. Democrats across the party reacted to the event with concern about the 81-year-old’s fitness and ability to push through a second term.
In the weeks following the debates, stories were leaked about the president’s health, doctor appointments and his slips and gaffes behind closed doors. White House aides told Axios that the president is “dependably engaged” between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but outside those hours, is more susceptible to “verbal miscues” and fatigue.
Renowned pollster Nate Silver was one of many who speculated that the delay in Biden’s speech was to decrease his visibility as the party shifts its focus to Harris.
“The media is very East Coast focused though, you’ve gotta be pretty naive to think the prolonged DNC tonight is for any reason other than diminishing Biden’s visibility,” Silver tweeted.
The DNC ran considerably behind schedule, leading the president to be booted from his primetime speaking slot to appear close to midnight on the east coast. The first night of the convention was full of speakers who dedicated their speeches to Biden’s four years in office, his decision to pick Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate and his choice to end his 2024 reelection bid. An emotional Biden himself made a nod to the theme throughout his speech, praising Harris as he was repeatedly interrupted by “thank you, Joe” chants.
As the speakers leading up to Biden on the schedule began dragging on and on, speculation swirled about how and why the president had been shoved aside to speak when many Americans would already be asleep.
“This is awful. He literally set up a campaign and handed it over to them — do they have to cut him out of prime time?” one longtime Biden aide texted Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
The push for Biden to drop out of the presidential race began after his June 27 debate performance against former President Donald Trump, where he was stumbling through answers and looked confused on stage. Democrats across the party reacted to the event with concern about the 81-year-old’s fitness and ability to push through a second term.
In the weeks following the debates, stories were leaked about the president’s health, doctor appointments and his slips and gaffes behind closed doors. White House aides told Axios that the president is “dependably engaged” between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but outside those hours, is more susceptible to “verbal miscues” and fatigue.
Renowned pollster Nate Silver was one of many who speculated that the delay in Biden’s speech was to decrease his visibility as the party shifts its focus to Harris.
“The media is very East Coast focused though, you’ve gotta be pretty naive to think the prolonged DNC tonight is for any reason other than diminishing Biden’s visibility,” Silver tweeted.
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