Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal co-host of Fox News’ top-rated “The Five,” tried to insinuate that former President Donald Trump’s mental capacities are similar to those of President Joe Biden.
The panel was discussing an Axios report that said the White House has made some major adjustments to help prevent President Joe Biden from falling so much, such as changing to sneakers instead of dress shoes and using a shorter set of stairs to board Air Force One. In addition, the report said Biden has undergone physical therapy since late 2021.
Tarlov responded by ticking off mistakes Trump has made, including when he “said you need an ID to buy bread. Has anyone shown ID to get Wonderbread lately?”
“He said that he ran against Obama in 2016. He ran against Hillary Clinton,” Tarlov continued. “He warned that Biden would get us into World War II, which I’m pretty sure we already fought and won. And yesterday, he confused Jeb Bush and George W. Bush and said Jeb got us involved in the Middle East.”
Tarlov then ripped what she described as Trump’s “authoritarian posts” on his Truth Social platform.
She noted that Trump hinted that outgoing Joint Chiefs chairman and Army Gen. Mark Milley was guilty of treason for consulting with the Chinese during the tumultuous post-2020 election period and said he threatened to investigate Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, NBC News, and MSNBC, if he won back the presidency.
“Can you imagine if Biden said, ‘You know what, I’m going to look into that Fox News? They don’t seem to like me over there,’” asked Tarlov.
“This may be the choice that people have. Trump versus Biden laid bare here,” co-host Martha MacCallum responded.
The poll numbers for President Joe Biden continue to plummet.
This comes as the Cook Political Report has shifted five significant swing states and Nebraska’s swing district in favor of former President Donald Trump in its most recent prediction for the 2024 presidential election.
Amy Walter, the editor-in-chief of the non-partisan election forecaster, explained the changes to their electoral map, noting that “As of July 9, the Democratic Party is living in a state of suspended animation. Despite growing calls from many in his party to leave the contest, President Joe Biden has made clear he has no intention of dropping out.”
Walter continued her article by acknowledging that although many of the insiders she has spoken to are still optimistic that Biden will notice his abysmal polling numbers and decide to withdraw, the likelihood now seems “remote.”
According to its most recent Electoral Map prediction, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada have all moved from being classified as “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” giving Trump 268 electoral votes in his column.
Additionally, Cook Political changed the status of Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nebraska’s 2nd District from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat,” suggesting that Trump may now be able to win these blue states.
Only 226 of the 270 electoral votes that are required are in Biden’s column; the other 44 are must-win contests for Biden, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Cook Senior Editor Dave Wasserman commented on the shift, stating, “The notion that the presidential is a Toss Up was a stretch even before the debate. Today, Trump has a clear advantage over Biden and a much more plausible path to 270 Electoral votes.” In the Cook forecast, Trump only needs to win of the three toss-up states to win the election.
Today, we’re making six changes to our Electoral College Ratings.
AZ: Toss Up to Lean R
GA: Toss Up to Lean R
MN: Likely D to Lean D#NE02: Likely D to Lean D
NH: Likely D to Lean D
NV: Toss Up to Lean R@amyewalter on the state of the race post-debate: https://t.co/AAoW23wKWC— Cook Political Report (@CookPolitical) July 9, 2024
A whopping 72 percent of voters believe Biden should not run for a second term, up nine points from February.
A recent CBS News/YouGov poll highlights potential concerns among voters about Biden’s ability to complete his term.
This survey will be one of the first post-debate polls that Democratic strategists and donors will examine to assess the impact of Biden’s debate performance on his candidacy.
Among Democrats, 46 percent said Biden should not be running for a second term, up 10 points since February. When pollsters asked respondents why Biden should not run, they answered:
–His age: 86 percent
–Decisions he might make in office: 71 percent
–His record as president: 66 percent
–Ability to campaign effectively: 59 percent
–Seventy-two percent of voters say Biden does not have the “mental” and “cognitive health” to serve, up from 65 percent since June 9.
“After the debate, some Democratic officials reportedly said Joe Biden should step aside as the nominee and give another Democrat a chance to run for president in 2024. That idea finds resonance with nearly half the nation’s rank-and-file Democrats,” CBS reported.
“That’s related to perceptions of Mr. Biden’s health: Democrats who don’t think Mr. Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve are more likely to say he shouldn’t be the nominee. And that former number has increased among Democrats. It’s also gone up among independents,” the outlet added.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
