As Joe Biden continues to try to hang on to his presumptive Democrat presidential nominee status, if not his presidency itself, seemingly every news cycle includes at least one report about another disillusioned Democrat lawmaker calling on him to bow out of the race.
To a lesser extent, scattered reports of unnamed Biden aides and staffers who doubt Biden's cognitive ability to remain in the race have surfaced, including a recent report that claims White House staffers are terrified — actually, "scared s******s" — to present briefing information to Biden they think he won't like.
Now a report from NBC News about the "long-simmering" relationship between the Bidens and their aides makes it clear that things are much worse in Joe's White House than has previously been revealed.
As Biden's family — principally, pretend-Dr. Jill, convicted felon (turnabout is fair play, Democrats) Hunter, and Joe's sister, Valerie Owens — have continued to not only shield him but also to get more involved in his campaign. White House officials and aides have reportedly been angered and grown ever more resentful.
Someone with knowledge of the situation told NBC:
The debate fiasco has opened up a lane for the family to surpass staff and start helping out their father and brother who they love dearly.
According to the outlet, 13 sources familiar with the dynamics confirmed that the split between the president’s family and some of his closest aides has long been simmering and that his debate debacle only exacerbated the dynamic. It's gotten so bad, in view of some Biden aides, that the family is capitalizing on Joe's crisis to try to "settle old scores."
Moreover, in the misguided view of family members, Joe's pathetic debate was the culmination of misguided advice from aides who they don’t believe have helped the president best showcase his political appeal.
Uh-huh. Along with jet lag, a cold, cold medicine, and Trump "shouting" at him, which didn't happen.
“It’s not helpful,” one Biden campaign aide said.
Some Biden aides believe that they are doing the bulk of the work of managing and coordinating post-debate strategy while the Biden family, including Joe, has approached the situation emotionally and does not see the political reality.
“It’s Shakespearean,” an informed source told NBC.
Here's more:
On Friday, Biden said he took full responsibility for his debate performance, saying in an interview with ABC News that it was “nobody’s fault but mine.”
Hunter Biden’s appearance in White House meetings this week was just one instance of what is expected to be a deeper Biden family involvement. The president’s sister, Valerie Owens, also traveled to Washington this week to join other family members at the White House and planned for face-to-face meetings about her brother’s campaign.
Biden family members have discussed whether he should fire senior White House adviser Anita Dunn and her husband, Bob Bauer, who is Biden’s personal lawyer, two people familiar with the matter said.
Even so, four sources close to the Biden family said there is no active effort to shake up staffing right now. They said there is an effort among those close to the president to be measured, focused, thoughtful and deliberate.
Typical Biden mentality.
Joe Biden has never met a buck he couldn't pass in a heartbeat, all the while taking responsibility for virtually nothing. So it only stands to reason that as Biden's cognitive capacity meter approaches zero, of course it makes total sense to throw Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer under the bus. Just one problem: Joe is still going to be Joe.
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients rushed to deny the report.
The president and first lady have full confidence in their team, including Anita and Bob. There is absolutely no truth to these unfounded and insulting rumors.
Sure there isn't, Jeff. Everything is peachy keen on Planet Biden.
Speaking of throwing people under the bus, one source said family members think some of the president’s top aides in the White House and on the campaign have thrown Joe under the bus rather than taking responsibility for what led to a catastrophic debate performance, according to one of the sources.
Again, Biden family delusion. There was no way in hell that all of Biden's aides put together, times two, could have saved him his catastrophic debate performance. Period.
A source put it this way:
I believe the family has witnessed blunder after blunder by key staff personnel, and the debate is likely the straw that broke the camel’s back. Post-debate, the supposed loyal staff, instead of taking responsibility, pointed the finger back at the president and said: ‘His fault.’ I can think of no other singular action that would agitate the Biden family more.
Agitate the Biden family or not, it was his fault, as even shell-shocked Joe himself later said.
Fear That It Could Break Wide Open Publicly
The concern now among some of Biden’s inner circle is that the long-simmering tension, which has so far been resolved internally, could soon begin to play out in public as the pressure continues to increase for Biden to abandon his reelection bid.
Five sources familiar with the situation told NBC that family conversations continue to be centered on how to keep Joe in the race. More delusion, anyone?
Speaking of delusion, as Biden told George Stephanopoulos during Friday's debate, there's only one way he'd consider bowing out. Only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to get out of the race, and that the “Lord Almighty’s not coming down.”
Stranger things have happened — and will likely continue to do so.
The Bottom Line
This is not going to end well.