Politics
‘His cognitive decline is so bad’ - Marjorie Taylor Greene attacks Biden’s mental fitness as President avoids debates
By Jake Beardslee · December 8, 2023
In brief…
- Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Democrats for not holding 2024 primary debates.
- Biden has so far resisted calls to participate in primary debates.
- Democrats are sticking with the tradition of prioritizing incumbent presidents.
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Democratic plans for the 2024 presidential primary, claiming on social media platform X that “Not only has the Democrat party refused to set up any Democrat primary debates, the Biden campaign has now said they refuse to participate in any 2024 presidential debates! Joe Biden can’t even speak properly without note cards and teleprompters bc his cognitive decline is so bad! Democrats are in bad shape and they know Joe Biden will get destroyed by Trump in a debate.”
However, according to ABC News, President Joe Biden has so far rebuffed calls from his opponents to participate in 2024 Democratic primary debates. This move would break with recent tradition, as no incumbent president has participated in a primary debate since the first modern primary debate in 1948, even when facing high-profile challengers within their own party.
While some critics argue that declining to debate primary challengers is “un-democratic,” there is historical precedent for sitting out such contests. In 2020, former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party did not hold primary debates during his re-election campaign. Similarly, the Democratic National Committee stood by former President Barack Obama and did not organize primary debates during his 2012 reelection bid. This practice can be traced as far back as President Gerald Ford refusing to join primary debates when seeking a full term in 1976.
As in previous election cycles, the Democratic National Committee has thrown its support behind President Biden’s reelection campaign. For now, Democrats are sticking to the typical path of prioritizing an incumbent president over intra-party challengers in the lead up to 2024.