CNN political commentator Van Jones remarked on the stark differences between former President Trump and President Biden following Biden’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis. Speaking during a panel discussion on the Republican National Convention, Jones highlighted the contrast between Biden’s illness and Trump surviving an assassination attempt.
Jones, a former adviser to President Obama, commented on the internal dynamics of the Democratic and Republican parties. “The Democrats are coming apart, the Republicans are coming together,” he stated, emphasizing the current disarray within the Democratic Party as more high-profile Democrats urge Biden to exit the presidential race.
Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis, according to Jones, underscored a perceived weakness, especially when juxtaposed with Trump’s recent survival of an assassination attempt. “There are a lot of people who want Biden to stay in,” Jones said. “A lot of those people pointing out that grassroots still love Joe Biden, but everybody doesn’t agree. But today is a terrible day. If you pull back and look at this thing: strength versus weakness. A bullet couldn’t stop Trump. A virus just stopped Biden.”
Jones further noted the differing receptions the two parties’ nominees were receiving. “You’ve got the nominees of [the Republican] party getting their butts kissed. Biden’s getting his butt kicked by his own party. The Democrats are coming apart. The Republicans are coming together. That’s what’s happening. And at some point, this [Democratic] party has to look at the reality of that and move.”
NBC News’ Chuck Todd echoed similar sentiments regarding Biden’s political future. Referring to the iconic movie “The Sixth Sense,” Todd suggested that Democrats might be aware of the bleak prospects for Biden’s candidacy, except for Biden himself. “We’re bordering on ‘Sixth Sense’ Bruce Willis territory where every Democrat kind of knows that this candidacy is over except the candidate,” Todd said. He questioned whether Biden realized the extent of the party’s disillusionment with his campaign.
Earlier in the day, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., became the 20th congressional Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw from the race, marking him as the highest-profile Democrat to do so. This follows an AP-NORC survey indicating that 65% of Democrats want Biden to step down, with only 37% expressing satisfaction with him as the nominee. The survey, conducted from July 11-15, largely preceded the assassination attempt against Trump.
The announcement of Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis and the survey results reflect growing concerns within the Democratic Party regarding Biden’s viability as a candidate for the upcoming presidential race.
