Biden staffers have reportedly come to believe that Barack Obama is playing a central part in the plot to create further obstacles in the president's uphill battle for reelection.
Despite Biden and Obama's buddy-buddy public image, there have allegedly been seeds of tension between the pair, with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pointing out that Biden’s frustration dates back to before his own presidency.
“Joe Biden is deeply resentful of his treatment under not only the Obama staff but also the way he was pushed aside for Hillary Clinton,” Scarborough said during a Thursday morning segment. “He’s deeply resentful of those trying to shove him out of the way. He’s always felt like an outsider, always felt like people have looked down upon him.”
Politico has also noted that the former president, and longtime friend of Biden’s, was privy to, and chose not to dissuade, George Clooney’s Wednesday op-ed for the New York Times calling for the candidate to step off the ticket.
Clooney, who called for the president to “save democracy” by quitting the race, outlined Biden’s demeanor at a fundraising dinner — also attended by Obama — as damning.
But Obama was one of the earliest top Democrats to defend Biden from age criticism after the recent presidential debate that kicked off all of this ouster chatter, calling back to his own “bad night” in a 2012 debate against Mitt Romney. Still, reports indicate that the former president has privately expressed fears over Biden’s ability, though he hasn’t gone on the record to say as much.
Speculation around Obama’s concern comes amidst reports that former First Lady Michelle Obama, a close friend of President Biden’s ex-daughter-in-law Kathleen Buhle, was critical of the way Hunter Biden and his family treated Buhle, suggesting she may scale back plans to support the Biden campaign.
Despite a conspiracy to axe Biden’s candidacy failing to pick up steam amongst elected officials, or voters, for the most part, Democratic strategists and megadonors, including notable Obama administration alumni David Axelrod and Jon Favreau, don’t see the candidate as viable in a re-match against Donald Trump.
