OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A long-time political watcher and analyst believes that President Joe Biden won’t make it through the upcoming primaries and will have to drop out of the race.
Hugh Hewitt made his bold prediction this week after Biden fell again — this time reportedly tripping on a sandbag placed on a stage where he had given the commencement speech to the graduating Air Force Academy class in Colorado.
“Hewitt sees the race shaping up similarly to the 1968 one when then-President Lyndon Johnson told the nation he would not seek re-election after barely winning the first Democratic primary contest,” The Western Journal reported.
Biden will be 82 on inauguration day in January 2025 if he wins reelection. He would be 86 when his term ends. Several medical experts and other observers have repeatedly noted a significant decline in his physical and mental capabilities already and have suggested that the deterioration will only continue.
By comparison, Ronald Reagan, at 77, was the oldest president when he left office after finishing two four-year terms in office.
In an interview with Fox News’s Dana Perino, Hewitt was asked to respond to a puff piece published by The New York Times after Biden’s fall that acknowledged his age but essentially claimed he was still able to perform the duties of his office.
“This is The New York Times tip-toeing into what is seen as the major story on the Democratic side,” Hewitt told Perino, adding that two of the four reporters assigned to write the lengthy story admitted, “The president is infirm.”
“We haven’t been in the position before in this late stage in the game,” Perino responded before asking: “Do you think the Democrats try to make a change or just go for it and see what happens?”
“I’m reminded of 1968. Lyndon Johnson was going to run for re-election,” Hewitt responded.
Johnson “went up to New Hampshire. He managed to beat [Sen.] Eugene McCarthy from Minnesota, but he was not able to beat him convincingly, and LBJ dropped out,” Hewitt noted.
The Western Journal adds:
Johnson won the March 12, 1968, Democratic primary in the Granite State by six percentage points, 48 to 42, a bad showing for the incumbent president. Rival Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York then jumped in the race four days later on March 16.
In a sense, history is repeating itself this election season with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running against incumbent Democratic Pres. Biden and already polling respectably at over 20 percent. On March 31, 1968, Johnson announced in a televised address from the Oval Office, “I shall seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
Regarding Biden, Hewitt predicted: “I think you’ll see an exit in the course of the primaries because if I am a [Machiavellian], I don’t want the president dumping out if I’m a Democrat. I don’t want Vice President [Kamala] Harris commanding the field.”
“You do have [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom on the bench and warming up. He’s in the bullpen. Got a couple other Democrats out there,” Hewitt added.
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Hewitt isn’t the only one who doesn’t believe Biden will make it to the general election. Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes made the same prediction late last month during an interview on Fox News.
“I think what’s happening with the economy, even though it’s not officially in a recession, it’s sort of the economic equivalent of walking pneumonia,” Forbes said.
“There’s a feeling the country is adrift,” Forbes continued. “These whole negotiations on the debt ceiling, my goodness! They can’t control spending even though it’s $2 trillion higher than it was a couple of years ago. People just throw up their hands and say these people are out of control.”
“I think that’s why next year Joe Biden will not be the Democratic Party nominee,” Forbes predicted. “Because the economy — yeah, they can sweep the Hunter stuff away — but that has a stench out there.
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