- Former President Donald Trump doesn’t believe Biden will remain a rival.
- He likened Biden to “a pile of old, broken junk,” according to a video obtained by The Daily Beast.
- He also dismissed the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “She’s just awful.”
Former President Donald Trump appears to think President Joe Biden’s campaign is over and is unable to contain his excitement.
“See how I did in the last debate? I kicked that old, worn-out pile of garbage. He’s out of the race,” Trump said of Biden’s disastrous performance in last week’s presidential debate.
The Daily Beast reported Wednesday, citing leaked video it obtained, that the former president delivered a scathing assessment of his rival’s electoral chances while golfing.
The video was later posted to Trump’s Truth Social account the same day. BI was unable to independently verify when and where the video was filmed.
“I’ve taken him out of the race, which means we have Kamala,” Trump said in the video, referring to the possibility that Vice President Kamala Harris could replace Biden in this November’s presidential election.
“I think she’ll get better from this. She’s really awful. Really pathetic. Really awful,” he continued.
Asked for comment, a Trump campaign spokesperson pointed The Daily Beast to a previous statement they had issued.
“There is no doubt that Democrats, the mainstream media and Swamp have conspired to hide the truth from the American people,” Trump campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement Wednesday.
“They have all lied about Joe Biden’s cognitive status and supported his disastrous policies for the past four years, especially his giggling co-pilot, Kamala Harris,” the statement continued.
Discussion of Harris as a possible candidate has intensified following last week’s lackluster debate between Biden and Trump.
The former California senator is seen as the best candidate to replace Biden, as she would still have access to his $240 million campaign coffers even if he were to withdraw.
Some Democrats, including Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, have said they would support Harris if she runs.
“Whether she’s in second place or first place, we should all be doing our best to root for her,” Clyburn told MSNBC on Tuesday.
Indeed, both Biden and Harris have dismissed calls for them to drop out of the race.
Politico reported Wednesday, citing people who attended the meeting, that the two told campaign and Democratic National Committee staffers on a Zoom call that they would continue to move forward.
“Nobody is trying to get rid of me. I’m not quitting. I’m going to fight this campaign to the end, and we’re going to win,” Biden told staff.
“We will not back down. We will follow the president’s direction. We will fight, and we will win,” Harris said on the same call.
Representatives for Trump and Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by BI outside of regular business hours.
