Fmr Obama Official: Biden’s Choice To Seek Re-Election Was ‘Catastrophic’ Mistake
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau criticized the Biden-Harris campaign’s messaging throughout the election and described President Joe Biden’s decision to run again as a “catastrophic mistake.”
On the “Pod Save America” podcast, Favreau discussed the election outcome with his fellow hosts, noting that Biden repeatedly praised the “historically robust economy,” despite the fact that “clearly, 70, 80% of voters don’t believe that.”
“Joe Biden’s decision to run for president again was a catastrophic mistake. It just was,” Favreau stated. “He and his inner circle, they refused to believe the polls, they refused to believe he was unpopular, they refused to acknowledge until very late that anyone could be upset about inflation.”
Favreau continued, “And then after the debate, the Biden people told us that the polls were fine, and Biden was still the strongest candidate. They were privately telling reporters at the time that Kamala Harris couldn’t win. So they were shivving Kamala Harris to reporters while they told everyone else, ‘not a time for an open process.’”
Favreau also referenced internal Biden campaign polling indicating that Donald Trump would decisively defeat Biden.
“Then we find out when the Biden campaign becomes the Harris campaign, that the Biden campaign’s own internal polling at the time when they were telling us he was the strongest candidate, showed that Donald Trump was going to win 400 electoral votes,” Favreau added.
Throughout the campaign, Biden dismissed polls suggesting he was trailing behind Trump. He told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that pollsters had informed him the election was “neck-and-neck” before he ultimately withdrew from the race after a disappointing debate performance.
“All pollsters I talk to tell me it’s a toss-up. And when I’m behind… there’s only one poll I’m really far behind, CBS poll and NBC, I mean, excuse me,” Biden said at the time.
Before the debate, “Pod Save America” co-host Tommy Vietor highlighted instances where Biden’s campaign for Harris stumbled, citing polls that indicated voters felt Biden was too elderly for another term.
Co-host Dan Pfeiffer remarked that Biden would have fared worse in the election than Harris.
WATCH:
Meanwhile, Republicans secured the presidency and U.S. Senate and retained control of the U.S. House.
After achieving the necessary 218 seats on Monday for a House majority, Decision Desk HQ predicted that the GOP would hold the House, as reported by The Hill.
This development marks a major victory for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who rose from relative obscurity to lead the House GOP’s legislative and campaign efforts.
Republicans managed to unseat several at-risk Democratic incumbents while protecting some of their own vulnerable members, such as Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.). Businessman Rob Bresnahan unseated Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) defeated Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.).
Although some GOP members lost their seats, other victories balanced those losses. For example, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and three first-term New York Republicans—Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams—lost their reelection bids.
As ballots continue to be counted in some California races, the final House seat breakdown remains uncertain. However, Republicans are expected to enter the next Congress with another slim majority.
The exact seat numbers will impact Johnson’s political standing, the policies Republicans can pursue, and the efficiency—or potential deadlock—of the House.
Trump acknowledged Johnson in his victory speech from Palm Beach, Fla., early Wednesday, saying, “It also looks like we’ll be keeping control of the House of Representatives. And I want to thank Mike Johnson. I think he’s doing a terrific job.”