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A video shared online shows former President Donald Trump claiming President Joe Biden was "quitting the race" for president and calling him an "old broken-down pile of crap" while also bashing Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential replacement.
The clip, which was obtained by the Daily Beast, shows Trump, 78, sitting in a golf cart with his son, Barron, critiquing Biden, 81, to a group of people.
“How did I do with the debate the other night?” Trump asked in the video while holding a wad of cash and handing a bill to an unidentified person.
The crowd praised the former president before he took aim at both Biden and Harris.
“We kicked that old, broken down pile of crap,” Trump said.
“He’s a bad guy,” he added in reference to Biden.
“He just quit, you know — he’s quitting the race,” Trump continued. “I got him out — and that means we have Kamala.” “I think she’s going to be better. She’s so bad. She’s so pathetic. She’s so f***ing bad.”
Trump's comments came amid reports of uncertainty regarding the current president's re-election campaign as a top campaign official reportedly told at least one megadonor that Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 election is "only a matter of time" privately according to TMZ.
The official reportedly said that focus has shifted from singular support of the president's re-election to "Democrats have to retain The White House" following Biden's disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against Trump. Harris is reportedly the most likely person to step in as the Democratic nominee due to funds raised by the Biden-Harris campaign.
Biden, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump, on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy. The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences.
Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. But by that time, I think the panic had set in,” Axelrod said, adding that "there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”