OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Donald Trump called out his likely 2024 opponent, President Joe Biden, for an immediate debate, saying that it is “for the good of the country” as the former president seems to be a lock for the GOP nomination.
During an interview with Dan Bongino for his radio show, the former president said that he did not think Biden would remain in the race but nevertheless called on him to debate “immediately” while repeating a previous offer to grant a post-Super Bowl interview after the White House said the president would miss it for the second year in a row.
“And I don’t think he’s going to run. I don’t know if it’s donors or otherwise. It might be his family. It might be something,” Trump said. “I don’t think he’s gonna run, but I’d like to call for, immediately, debates. I’d like to debate him now because we should debate. We should debate for the good of the country. So I will officially go on your show call.”
“Oh, wow! Look at that! We’re breaking news: Mr. President Donald J. Trump calls for debates against Joe Biden. I mean, that’s great. We’re breaking some news here!” Bongino said in response.
“I am officially doing that. I also put out, you probably noticed, that I’ll take his spot at the Super Bowl if they want. We’ll get very good ratings,” Trump added.
In Nevada, where he was campaigning, Biden was asked about debating Trump, which he simply laughed off without a commitment.
Democrats and left-wing activists on social media celebrated what they claimed was a ‘blow-out’ victory by President Joe Biden during this week’s Democratic primary in South Carolina, the first in the nation, but there is more to the story, according to a report on Sunday.
While it’s true that Biden won with roughly 96 percent of the vote, WMBF reported that voter turnout across the state was anemic at less than 5 percent.
“In total, South Carolina saw 131,870 ballots cast for the 2024 primary out of just over 3.2 million registered voters – which accounts for just 4.09 percent,” the outlet noted. “Just three counties, Orangeburg, Lee, and Williamsburg, each saw turnout rates higher than 10%.”
That’s hardly a resounding vote of confidence.
The decline in numbers occurred as Democratic Party leaders advocated for South Carolina to be the first state in the nation’s primary schedule, but it ended up being the second Democratic primary after New Hampshire. Nevertheless, it was the first primary to include Biden as a candidate on the ballot, as he had won as a write-in candidate in New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, concerns over Biden’s declining mental capacity continue to grow, especially after the White House announced over the weekend he would skip the pre-game Super Bowl interview for the second year in a row, despite this being an election year.
Politico reported: “Presidents have traditionally sought to leverage the marquee football event’s broad viewership, making Biden’s decision particularly notable in an election year.”
Biden previously took part in interviews during Super Bowl broadcasts on NBC and CBS but opted out last year when Fox aired the game. This year, with CBS set to broadcast the Super Bowl on February 11, the White House confirmed that Biden would not be participating in an interview, as first reported by Variety.
“We hope viewers enjoy watching what they tuned in for — the game,” White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt told Variety.
The tradition of sitting for a Super Bowl pre-game interview began with former President Barack Obama; former President Donald Trump skipped an interview with NBC during his presidency in 2018 after becoming critical of the network’s reporting and players kneeling during the National Anthem.
Biden missing two Super Bowl interviews in a row will no doubt fuel new speculation that the White House lacks confidence in his cognitive abilities.
