Former President Donald Trump believes President Joe Biden‘s “terrible performance” during the State of the Union will be enough for him to secure the Democratic nomination.
Trump attacked Biden as a “very angry and confused man” but expressed his belief that Biden will be the nominee while speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday.
“I saw a very angry and confused man,” says @realDonaldTrump on President Biden at the State of the Union address. “It was a terrible performance but I think it was probably good enough to get him over the barrier as to whether or not he's gonna be their nominee." pic.twitter.com/LqIEi7eeRO
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) March 11, 2024
“I saw a very angry and confused man. I assume he’s going to be the candidate. I think it probably maybe it was a terrible performance, but I think it was probably good enough to get him over the heap, to get him over the, you know, the barrier as to whether or not he’s going to be their nominee,” Trump said.
“I was saying that’s been it for a long time. I find it hard to believe, but I think he probably will and we’ll see what happens. But it was really a speech on division and hate more than anything else,” he added.
Biden, 81, has insisted from early on in his presidency that he intends to run for a second term and launched his reelection bid last year, but some have still questioned whether he will actually be the Democratic nominee in November.
As his age and mental acuity have become topics of discussion, several names such as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and former first lady Michelle Obama have been floated as replacements, but both have fiercely insisted they support Biden for 2024 and that he will be the nominee.
The former president has dismissed doubts that Biden will not be the nominee and has called for debates with the president as both are nearly guaranteed to be their respective party’s nominees.
Trump also criticized the content of Biden’s address, which featured several shots at the former president while not naming him directly.
“I heard a very angry man who’s losing badly in the polls, who’s willing to weaponize government like has never taken place in this country,” Trump said on CNBC. “It has taken place in third world countries, quite often actually, and they will use the Justice Department to sue opponents like me, because I’m his only opponent other than life, life itself.”
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He concluded by saying the address was “probably the worst State of the Union ever made.”
Trump and Biden are slated for a rematch in November, but unlike four years ago, Trump currently has the polling advantage over Biden. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Trump leading Biden nationally 47.6%-45.8%, and the former president has led Biden in several key swing states.
