It seems Democrats are not even trying to cover for President Joe Biden anymore and, after a major gaffe at a New Hampshire event, some openly criticized him.
Biden is not expected to join Vice President Kamala Harris on the last stretch of her campaign and, after Tuesday’s remarks in New Hampshire, many in the administration are likely breathing a sigh of relief.
The president’s call to “lock up” former President Donald Trump prompted one administration official to note that “no one is listening” to the 81-year-old lame-duck leader anymore. A video clip of the comments was shared by Trump’s social media team, noting that Biden had “just said the quiet part out loud.”
🚨 Joe Biden just said the quiet part out loud:
“We gotta lock [President Trump] up.” pic.twitter.com/nz9UkH7yf4
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 22, 2024
“This is really, really, really, really an important section. And folks, look, think about it, he is talking about doing away with an entire Department of Education,” Biden told a crowd at the Granite State event, warning of a second Trump administration.
“He’s talking – he means it, this is not a joke – this is a guy who also wants to replace every civil servant. Every single one. Thinks he has a right of the Supreme Court ruling on immunity to be able, if need be, if – if it was the case, to actually eliminate, physically eliminate. Shoot, kill someone who is – he believes to be a threat to him,” he continued.
“I mean, so I know this sounds bizarre. I know if I said this five years ago, you’d lock me up. We gotta lock him up,” the president contended, prompting applause from the crowd at the New Hampshire Democratic Party headquarters.
But he soon caught himself and tried to clarify.
“Politically lock him up,” Biden said. “Lock him out. That’s what we have to do.”
Axios’s Alex Thompson shared on X that a current Biden administration official gave a stark reaction to the flub.
“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,” the official reportedly said.
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
Thompson also shared that a former Biden administration official texted him, suggesting, “We gotta lock Joe up.”
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
Fox News host Laura Ingraham joked that Biden “has to be working for Trump at this point” as former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy thought the comment was “not surprising.”
Biden threatens to lock up Trump: “We got to lock him up.” These are the words of a wannabe dictator. Biden’s DOJ has relentlessly used #lawfare to try and lock Trump up in an egregious misuse of power for 3 1/2 years! Enough!#Trump2024TheLastStand pic.twitter.com/5qV6OEfC4u
— LionHearted (@LionHearted76) October 23, 2024
“Joe Biden just admitted the truth: he and Kamala’s plan all along has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump because they can’t beat him fair and square,” Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
“The Harris-Biden Admin is the real threat to democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden’s disgraceful remark.”
Why does everyone say “a treat to democracy” when we are not a democracy we are a republic!! Do they think “If we say it enough times, people will start to believe it!”