Former President Donald Trump unloaded on President Biden in a no-holds-barred statement released minutes after the 81-year-old announced he would be dropping his re-election bid.
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon.
“He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t,” Trump’s screed continued.
“And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists.”
He continued, “We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump also weighed in on Biden’s historic decision to drop out of the 2024 race in a phone call with CNN.
“He is the worst president in the history of our country. He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country,” Trump said.
Trump, 78, has long believed he ultimately would not end up facing the 81-year-old incumbent come November. On Sunday, he said Vice President Kamala Harris would be easier to defeat than Biden, should she be the Democratic nominee.
“[H]e has no clue, he doesn’t, if you look at him, he doesn’t know where he is,” the Republican nominee for president said of Biden in May, during an interview with “Cats & Cosby Show” hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby.
“You know that, I know that, everybody knows that. And I doubt he will even be running, frankly, I just can’t even imagine it,” he added.
The latest on President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
- Biden drops out of presidential race after Democratic revolt following disastrous debate: ‘Best interest of the country’
- Biden drops out of presidential race: live updates
- Trump slams Biden as ‘worst president in history’ after incumbent drops re-election bid
- Biden offers ‘full endorsement’ of Kamala Harris as 2024 Democratic nominee after dropping out
- A look back at Biden’s more than 50-year career in politics
When asked by Dr. Phil in June about Biden’s chances of seeing his re-election campaign through, Trump said, “I have said no for a year.”
The former president’s rhetoric changed after the June 27 debate in Atlanta, where Biden struggled to give coherent answers, misspoke on numerous occasions and froze for several seconds before proclaiming that he “beat Medicare.”
“Yes, I think he will be the nominee,” Trump told Fox News the day after his showdown with Biden.
“No, I don’t think so,” Trump said, when pressed on rumblings that Biden could be replaced.
“They wouldn’t have done any better [in the debate]. No one else would have been better,” he argued.
Trump maintained his position during a rally in Virginia later that day, indicating he didn’t “really believe” reports that the Democratic National Committee could shake up the race by ousting Biden, because “he does better in polls than any of the Democrats they talk about.”
The former president, however, mused on possible Biden replacements, name-checking California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Harris and former first lady Michelle Obama.
Trump called Newsom a “bad governor” who “can’t run California” and has “lousy” poll numbers.
“Kamala is someone who would be on the [list],” Trump said, calling it Biden’s “single best decision” to tap her as vice president.
“[N]obody wants that [on top of the Democratic ticket],” the former president argued.
“They don’t poll as well as this guy,” he continued. “They polled everyone. They polled Michelle Obama. She polls very badly. She polls terribly.”
A RealClearPolitics average of betting odds pegged Trump’s chances of winning the election at 54.5%, well above Biden’s 21.5% odds the day after the June 27 debate.
Among the potential Biden replacements, Newsom had the best odds (9.7%) followed by Harris (3.7%) and Obama (3.6%).
Trump, meanwhile, has seen a boost to his campaign in the wake of the shocking attempt on his life at a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13.
In the week after he was grazed by a bullet, Trump cemented his lead over Biden in key swing states — with Rasmussen Reports showing him leading the incumbent 49% or 44%.
The former president made a triumphant appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he easily clinched the party nomination and named Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
His speech accepting the nomination drew Fox News’ highest-ever Republican National Convention rating, with 10 million viewers tuning in for the primetime address.
Additional reporting by Chris Nesi