Former President Donald Trump has raised provocative questions regarding his party’s campaign efforts against President Joe Biden, following Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 election race.
Trump’s comments reported by Newsweek on Monday, July 22, 2024, have stirred controversy and sparked debate about the transparency of Biden’s candidacy and the resources expended by the Republican Party.
“So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again,” Trump wrote on Sunday night.
“Shouldn’t the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President? Just askin’?”
Biden announced his decision not to seek reelection after facing mounting pressure from senior Democrats and voters concerned about his age and fitness for another term.
This announcement has led to a broader discussion among Republicans about the perceived concealment of Biden’s cognitive decline.
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Trump’s sentiments, suggesting a cover-up orchestrated by Democrats and the media.
“The Democrats have been involved in a big cover-up here. He’s not the Joe Biden that he was four years ago when he ran for office,” Johnson told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “He’s not capable of doing it now.”
Johnson called for a congressional investigation, arguing that the public has been kept in the dark about Biden’s true condition.
“And it’s not his fault. No one can help how they age and how their faculties diminish. But that’s clearly happening here, and that’s something that must be contended with,” Johnson added.
Biden’s cognitive abilities have been a topic of concern, particularly after he appeared to lose his train of thought during the June 27 presidential debate in Atlanta.
In the following weeks, senior Democratic lawmakers privately expressed doubts about his ability to win the election, while many Democrats publicly called for him to step aside.
Despite Biden and his advisors’ repeated assertions that he would remain the Democratic candidate, his recent COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent withdrawal have confirmed suspicions of his declining health.
With Biden out of the race, the Democratic primary is now open, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) must quickly nominate a new candidate by August 7.
Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, positioning her as the frontrunner with access to the Biden-Harris campaign’s fundraising resources.
The age of both Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, has been a significant concern for voters. A February poll from ABC News and IPSOS found that 59 percent of voters believed both candidates were “too old” to be president.
If elected, Trump would become the oldest person to be inaugurated as president in U.S. history.
As the Democratic primary unfolds, the party faces the challenge of uniting behind a new candidate and addressing the concerns raised by Biden’s withdrawal.