Donald Trump attacks Michelle Obama after Joe Biden’s disastrous debate

Former President Donald Trump lashed out at former First Lady Michelle Obama during a campaign rally in Virginia on Friday.

A day after facing off against President Joe Biden in the first debate of the 2024 election, Trump spoke to supporters and addressed concerns among some in the Democratic Party about how the president will fare in November given his performance on Thursday.

“A lot of people are saying that Joe Biden is dropping out of the race after yesterday’s performance,” Trump told his supporters. “But the fact is, I don’t really believe that, because he’s doing better in the polls than any Democrat is saying.”

Trump went on to say that polls had been conducted to see how various Democrats, including politicians like the former First Lady, would fare in a hypothetical matchup against him.

“They polled everybody,” the former president said. “They polled Michelle Obama. She does very poorly. No, she does terribly.”

“It’s hard to believe, but fraudulent Joe Biden is polling better than these people,” he added.

The context

Thursday night’s debate reportedly sparked “panic” among some Democrats after Biden appeared to struggle through several moments with a croaking voice and delayed answers. An adviser to the 81-year-old president said Newsweek that he was struggling with a cold during the event.

The president’s performance raised renewed concerns about his age and mental health, and some progressive members of his party urged Democrats to choose another candidate before November. Political analysts said Newsweek that while Biden may have won the debate “on points,” his behavior likely damaged his chances of re-election.

Several names have been floated as a possible successor to Biden, including the former first lady, although Obama’s office has said she has no intention of running for office. Polls have shown Obama trailing the former president by about seven percentage points in a hypothetical matchup with Trump.

“As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed numerous times over the years, she will not run for president,” Obama’s office said in a statement to NBC News in March. “Ms. Obama supports the re-election campaign of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”

A spokesman for Obama said earlier Newsweek that her statement from March still holds true.

What we know

During his rally on Friday, Trump also called on California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris, both of whom are being considered as possible successors to Biden.

The former president claimed Newsom “can’t run California” and was “one of the worst governors.” Newsom is an avid Biden supporter and told MSNBC late Thursday night that he thought it was “unhelpful” and “unnecessary” for people to talk about finding a new Democratic candidate.

According to a March Rasmussen Reports poll, Trump would be 17 points ahead of Newsom if the governor were elected by the Democrats in November. Since the spring, however, more voices have been calling for Newsom to succeed Biden.

Trump also joked that he would be “very happy” if Democrats nominated Harris as their candidate. Polls, although rather limited, have shown that the vice president has little chance of beating the former president in a hypothetical matchup.

Newsweek sent an email to Biden and Harris’ campaign team on Friday about Trump’s comments at the rally.

Views

Biden also appeared before supporters at a rally in North Carolina on Friday and addressed concerns about his performance in the debate.

“I know I’m not a young man anymore, that’s for sure,” Biden said on stage in Raleigh, according to a Reuters report.

“I don’t walk as casually as I used to, I don’t speak as fluently as I used to, I can’t debate as well as I used to,” he added. “I wouldn’t run again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I can do this job. The stakes are too high.”

Former President Barack Obama also showed his support for his former running mate on Friday, writing on social media: “Sometimes there are bad debate nights.”

“But this election is still a choice between someone who has spent his whole life fighting for ordinary people and someone who only cares about himself… Last night didn’t change that, and that’s why there’s so much at stake in November,” the former president said. wrote to Xformerly Twitter, along with a link to Biden’s campaign website.

Trump, who recently turned 78, also faced questions about his age and mental ability to remain in office for another four years. His performance on Thursday was more typical of the former president. His answers were full of attacks on his political opponents rather than directly answering the moderators’ questions.

Trump has also repeated several falsehoods he has used throughout his campaign, including claims that Democrats support late-term abortions even after birth and that Biden is “paid by China.” House Republicans have long investigated claims that the president accepted bribes from foreign nationals while serving as vice president. There is no evidence to support these allegations.

What’s next?

The Democratic National Committee will meet in Chicago on August 19 to select its official nominee for November. The Republican convention is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee on July 15, four days after Trump is sentenced in Manhattan for his hush money conviction.

Update 6/28/24, 5:42 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.