Obama was startled by how 'disoriented' Biden appeared during a June fundraising event, NYT reports
Former President Barack Obama endorsed President Biden for the 2024 race. Now, Biden's age has become a concern for him.
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- Biden startled Obama with his disoriented state at a June fundraiser, The New York Times reported.
- Biden is upset that Obama isn't supporting him as Democratic leaders ask him to step down.
- Biden believes Obama is partially behind the wave of attacks about his age, people told the NYT.
During a campaign fundraising event in June, President Joe Biden's disoriented state while onstage left former President Barack Obama "startled," The New York Times reported.
The event in question — a Los Angeles fundraiser hosted by Jimmy Kimmel — included a viral moment where it appeared Obama led a frozen Biden offstage. At the time, the White House dismissed the notion, saying Biden paused for applause.
According to an anonymous former Obama aide who spoke to the Times, the former president was surprised by how Biden had "aged and seemed disoriented."
The report also cites people close to the president describing an upset Biden, recovering from COVID at his Delaware home while fighting off multiple attacks on his ability to serve another four years as president.
Biden is most upset that Obama hasn't come to his aid, the Times reported. This resentment partially stems from Obama discouraging Biden from running for president in 2016 to make room for Hillary Clinton, the Times reported.
However, the Times also reports that Biden believes Obama to be behind the wave of Democrats urging him to step down, according to people close to the President. Multiple reports indicate that Obama expressed concerns about Biden's ability to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Behind the scenes, Biden is considering what an exit from the 2024 race might look like, per multiple reports. But on Friday, his campaign insisted he is here to stay.
"He's the best person to take on Donald Trump," Biden's reelection campaign chair, Jen O'Malley Dillon, said on "Morning Joe."
Following a debate against Trump in which both candidates performed poorly, dozens of prominent Democratic lawmakers and donors are asking Biden to step down and allow another candidate to take his place before the Democratic National Convention in August.
Representatives for Obama and Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.