Former President Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s Oval Office address on his exit from the 2024 election, calling it a “terrible” speech and accusing Democrats of staging a coup against Biden to get out of the race.
During an interview Thursday morning on “Fox & Friends, Trump said that the abrupt end of his presidential campaign on Wednesday night left more questions than answers
I think it was a coup. They didn’t want him running. He was way down in the polls, and they thought he was going to lose,” Trump said. “They went to him and they said, you can’t win the race, which I think is true, unless I did something very foolish, which I wasn’t going to do, and I think he was so far down and they said, ‘You’re not going to win, and you’re not in great shape, and you did poorly in the debate.’ I think the debate started everything.”
“I know a lot of people on the other side, too, that they went, and they forced him out between Pelosi and Obama and some others that you see on television. It was interesting,” he continued. “I’d watch them on television and they act so nice. ‘Oh, yes, we loved you. We loved you behind the scenes.’ I know for a fact they were brutal.”
“It was like a terrible speech and terrible delivery,” Trump said. “He looked like he was having problems, and yet you watch the other networks and you would think he was Ronald Reagan in his prime, Winston Churchill in his prime, and he wasn’t. It was not good… It was not a good speech.”
“It’s so phony what’s going on,” he continued. “The press is so – it’s so fake. Anybody can see it was a problem.”
“I knew there was a palace coup going on, and I assumed that she’d be probably getting it. She had the advantage,” Trump said of Vice President Kamala Harris.
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First Lady Jill Biden made her first formal announcement following her husband Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not be running for president in 2024.
The first lady expressed her “full of gratitude” for everyone who has supported her and her husband throughout his first three and a half years in office in a message on Wednesday night to X, the old Twitter. Additionally, she reaffirmed her support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who as of Monday had amassed enough delegates to be officially nominated by the Democratic Party.
“To those who never wavered, to those who refused to doubt, to those who always believed, my heart is full of gratitude,” read the statement. “Thank you for the trust you put in Joe—now it’s time to put that trust in Kamala.”
The First Lady’s X post also included a handwritten copy of the statement. It was published minutes after the president gave his first speech to the country since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential campaign.
In the Oval Office speech, President Biden declared that he had withdrawn from the race in the “defense of democracy” and restated his support for Harris.
“I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt inspired us to reject fear. I revere this office, but I love my country more. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it’s about you. Your families, your futures. It’s about we the people. And we can never forget that. And I never have,” Biden said.
“I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. On those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come, America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as, I mean, fellow Americans — can we do that? Does character in public life still matter? I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you the American people, and I know this: We are a great nation because we are a good people. When you elected me to this office,” Biden added.
“History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith — keep the faith — and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there are simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. So let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you,” Biden concluded.
