By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 21:27:07 | Updated at 2024-11-23 10:18:56
2 days ago
Pollster Nate Silver questioned President Joe Biden's competency and called on him to resign for the rest of his term, citing his avoidance of reporters and the war in Ukraine.
Silver, 46, a leading pollster who spent much of the fall defending the computer model that repeatedly gave Donald Trump an edge in the election, weighed in on X about the high stakes given the tense state of foreign affairs.
'Is there any particular reason to assume Biden is competent to be president right now? It's a very difficult job,' he wrote.
'It's a dangerous world. Extremely high-stakes decisions in Ukraine. He should resign and let Harris serve out the last 2 months,' Silver added on the day Biden turned 82.
Any such move would give Harris, who suffered a blowout in the electoral college even while coming closer to Trump in the popular vote while plowing through $1 billion in campaing spending, complete control of the office – from pardon power to being commander-in-chief U.S. military.
Silver linked his post to a grab from a Washington Post article that catalogued just some of the times Biden avoided the press on his recently concluded trip to Peru and Rio de Janeiro for a pair of global conferences – in a series of snubs that coincided with tense developments overseas.
It noted how locals shook maracas as Biden concluded his remarks at the Museum of the Amazon, which overpowered shouted questions following his remarks on the environment.
That was just one odd moment in the photo-op that drew TV and online commentary for making it appear as if the now-82-year old president had wandered off into the forest.
Pollster Nate Silver said President Biden should resign for the rest of his term
(The event itself, consisting of a gas-guzzling 57-minute helicopter tour of the rainforest, stood in stark contrast to the dangerous trek that nearly killed Teddy Roosevelt more than 100 years ago).
Later, as he boarded a light to Rio, a TV producer took to holding up a written sign asking questions about Ukraine and China's President Xi Jinping – and even that appeal to policy to the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee didn't do the trick.
There was desperation in the screams of a reporter who practically begged Biden for comment as he boarded Air Force One for home on Tuesday.
'Mr. President. President Biden. Please, we haven't heard from you all trip. Mr. President!' the reporter screamed.
That came only after trying to butter him up on the eve of his big day, to no effect. 'Mr. President, happy early birthday. For your birthday, will you talk to us, sir?' asked the reporter. 'As a gift to the press, will you please talk to us?'
Earlier, in Lima, Peru over the weekend, he ignored a host of Trump-themed questions. His single-word response was his only utterance to the press, and just his second since Kamala Harris' electoral defeat.
Asked how he and Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to deal with the North Korean threat,' Biden mouthed, 'Peacefully,' in a response that could only be picked up on camera.
'Is there any particular reason to assume Biden is competent to be president right now?' Silver asked
Biden, who just turned 82, stepped back from reelection, only to watch Harris lose to his nemesis Donald Trump
The photo that Biden missed was arranged to call attention to fighting global hunger in a country that features aching poverty. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva organized the initiative
Online users voiced concerns about this clip that appeared to show President Joe Biden 'wandering off' into the Amazon rainforest. In fact, he was walking the same path he took to get to his podium set-up on Sunday afternoon
Appeals to his ego didn't get a better response.
'Why are you hiding from the press, Sir?' one shouted.
There were other perceived indignities on the trip. He was placed in the back corner of the group photo at the APEC conference in Lima.
When it came time for a group photo at the G20 summit in Rio, Biden was stunningly left out of it, along with the PMs of Canada and Italy.
A reporter captured the drama in real time in remarks that were carried live on C-Span.
'Where was he? They're telling them to wait for Biden, guys,' she said. 'Oh my God!' she intoned.
Biden's team say it is his decision whether he wants to talk to the press. And it has become obvious that he does not wan to, despite traditions of a post-election press conference.
The press avoidance coincided with a trip where conflict overseas looked to be on the verge of boiling over. Kremlin allies invoked World War III after reports Biden had authorized the use of long-range missiles deep in its territory.
Biden met one-on-one with Xi Jinping (in a country where Xi was honored with a state dinner).
And his successor Donald Trump has begun making personnel moves after his incoming vice president has spoken about a peace deal that locks in
The New York Times even issued a public statement rebuking Biden's posture toward the press back in April.
'For anyone who understands the role of the free press in a democracy, it should be troubling that President Biden has so actively and effectively avoided questions from independent journalists during his term,' the paper said.
'The president occupies the most important office in our nation, and the press plays a vital role in providing insights into his thinking and worldview, allowing the public to assess his record and hold him to account.'
