Back to the Bunker: Joe Biden Hides from the Public Again as Afghanistan Spirals into Chaos
President Joe Biden again tried to distance himself from the political fallout of the disaster in Afghanistan, disappearing into the White House.
The president met with his national security team at the White House on Thursday morning but made no effort to speak to the American people about the growing chaos in Afghanistan.
Afghan people wait to board a U S military aircraft to leave Afghanistan, at the military airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021 after Taliban’s military takeover of Afghanistan. (SHAKIB RAHMANI/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris also maintained her silence, as she has not made a public appearance for seven days.
The White House did not schedule a press briefing Thursday, leaving reporters in the building idle.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki has not held a press briefing for two days after she and national security advisor Jake Sullivan tried to defend the administration’s handling of the crisis Tuesday.
White House press staff directed all administration updates about the crisis to the press briefings at the Pentagon and the State Department.
Even the White House social media accounts were slower than usual, sharing no photos of the president or vice president at work.
One social media post claimed that 7,000 people had been evacuated, but there was no update on how many American citizens had been evacuated or how many were of the estimated 15,000 were left.
White House press staff also did not detail the president’s plans for the weekend, even though he was expected to travel to Delaware, according to an FAA advisory.
Harris approval sinks further, but most say she’ll replace Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris is not viewed as qualified to be president by a majority of people, but they still expect her to replace President Joe Biden before his term ends.
In the latest survey charting her fall in popularity, Rasmussen Reports said that just 43% believe that she’s qualified to run the nation versus 55% who do not believe that she is qualified. Of that, 47% of likely voters said she is “not at all qualified.”
Those poor numbers probably result from the bad “impression” she has left on the country amid failures to fix the border crisis and get liberal election reform passed in Congress. There have been several reports of staff infighting, and she has been radio silent during the Afghanistan crisis despite earlier being a champion of Afghan women.
Rasmussen asked likely voters for their impression of the first black and female vice president. They are mostly underwhelmed. By a margin of 56% to 41%, those polled said they had an unfavorable view of the former California Democratic senator.
However, it won’t stop her from being elevated if Biden leaves office. His recent missteps in Afghanistan, and his fumbled public comments, have led to a new wave of reports that he will leave the White House early.
Asked how likely it is Biden will leave and be replaced by Harris before the 2024 election, 51% said it is likely, while 37% said it wasn’t.
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Tags: Washington Secrets, Biden Administration, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, 2024 Elections, Rassmussen Polls, Polls, White House, Afghanistan
Original Author: Paul Bedard
Original Location: Harris approval sinks further, but most say she’ll replace Biden
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