Democratic Insider Remarks 'We Gotta Lock Joe Up' After Biden's Recent Blunder Endangers Harris: Report
A recent mistake by President Joe Biden has exposed a divide among Democrats—some treat him with a degree of irreverence, while others view him as increasingly irrelevant.
Newsweek described Biden as “Invisible,” noting how he “fades from Kamala Harris’ campaign.”
On Tuesday, Biden made a brief appearance in New Hampshire, during which he commented on former President Donald Trump, according to Fox News.
“I know this sounds bizarre. It sounds like if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up. We got to lock him up,” Biden remarked.
He then attempted to clarify by adding, “politically lock him up. Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.”
Axios journalist Alex Thompson highlighted two contrasting reactions from within the Democratic Party to Biden's comments.
Noting this could be politically unhelpful to Harris, a former Biden admin official texts me: “we gotta lock Joe up.” https://t.co/juzeUrhM1H
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 22, 2024
“One former Biden administration official, concerned this could politically harm Harris, texted me: ‘we gotta lock Joe up,’” Thompson posted on X.
He also shared another viewpoint from a current Biden administration official: “For better or worse, no one is paying attention to him anymore, and his words hold little weight or influence. It’s a blip. Gone by mid-day tomorrow, if it lasts that long.”
A counterpoint from a current Biden admin official: "For better or worse, no one is listening to him anymore and his words have little power and less reach. It’s a blip. Gone in any meaningful way by mid-day tomorrow if it makes it that long."
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 22, 2024
However, Fox News reported that CNN's reaction to the comment was less forgiving.
“More than anything, it was just an incredibly foolish thing for the president to say,” said CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams.
The Trump campaign was quick to issue a response.
“Joe Biden just revealed the truth: He and Kamala’s plan has always been to politically persecute President Trump because they know they can’t beat him in a fair election,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, as reported by the New York Post.
“The real threat to democracy is the Harris-Biden administration. We demand that Kamala Harris denounce Biden’s disgraceful comment,” she added.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Examiner, Zachary Faria reflected on the criticism of Biden, as reported by Thompson, seeing it as a reflection of the broader sentiment in the Biden era.
“That’s a remark about the sitting U.S. president, coming from someone in his own administration. ‘No one is listening to him anymore, and his words hold little influence.’ It’s been evident since he dropped out of the race that Biden would be a disengaged president, but to hear his own staff admit ‘no one is listening to him’ now is a damning indictment when he’s still supposed to be leading the executive branch for a few more months,” Faria wrote.
“Biden was sidelined by his own party because they didn’t believe he could win re-election. He was overshadowed by his underqualified vice president, who may lose regardless, and now even his own administration acknowledges that what Biden says no longer matters,” he added.
“In his four years, Biden has failed and fallen short, and now he will end his presidency as an afterthought.”