US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has predicted that former first lady Michelle Obama will replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. Cruz claims Biden will be replaced at the Democratic National Convention in August, just three months before the election.
The prediction comes after the first presidential debate, in which Biden’s performance was widely criticized by political analysts and news organizations. Some strategists are reportedly discussing ways to replace Biden on the ballot.
According to the NYT and Politico, Democrats are reportedly “panicked” and are actively discussing replacing Biden on the ticket, citing his “slurred and halting voice”, “vague” answers, and “struggle” to get his thoughts across. Some are even pushing to “pull him out of the race” and “replace him on the ticket.”
Cruz shared his thoughts on his podcast, saying that the Democratic Party will likely replace Biden with Michelle Obama due to his poor performance. He said, “The chances are over 80% that the Democratic Party will drop Joe Biden from the ticket and replace him with Michelle Obama because Biden performed so poorly tonight that Democrats across the country are absolutely frustrated and panicked.”
After Thursday’s presidential debate, leaders from both parties shared their thoughts on social media. While Biden’s supporters blamed the cold for his poor performance, Republicans were more critical.
Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley posted on X, “Mark my words… Biden will not be the Democratic nominee. Republicans, beware!”
Mark my words…Biden will not be the Democrat nominee. Republicans, beware!
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 28, 2024
Vivek Ramaswami, Trump’s presumptive vice presidential nominee, posted a number of critical tweets about Biden’s debate performance. He suggested the Democratic Party was using Biden as a “scapegoat” and hinted that they should replace him with another candidate.
The game is clearer than ever: The Democrat Party tonight used an old man as a scapegoat.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 28, 2024
Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama has come out in support of Joe Biden, urging Americans to remember the core values at stake in the election. Obama downplayed Biden’s poor performance, saying, “Bad debate nights happen, believe me, I know.”
Debate nights are bad. Believe me, I know. But this election is still a choice between a man who has fought for the common people all his life and a man who only cares about himself. Between a man who speaks the truth; who knows right and wrong and justifies it…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024
He said this election is still a choice between two fundamentally different candidates: one who has fought for the common people all his life and the other who thinks only about himself.