MILWAUKEE — Elected Republicans tested their stand-up comedy skills cracking jokes about President Joe Biden on Wednesday. But they were leery of going too far.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) lit up the Milwaukee convention by saying America “cannot afford four more years of a Weekend at Bernie’s presidency.” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AK) followed that up with the quip that she used to enjoy bring your kid to work day, “much like Jill Biden now drags Joe to Bring Your Husband to Work Day.”
However, GOPers onstage have often shied away from direct attacks on the president’s acuity, as many of them hope he stays in the race. DeSantis spoke the next morning at a breakfast event for Florida delegates outside the Republican National Convention, saying he wants Biden to remain in the race.
“I was pretty hard on Joe Biden last night. It was merited,” he said. “In the spirit of unity, I just want to say that I sure hope he ends up with the Democratic nomination for president of the United States.”
“He’s not fit to lead,” DeSantis added. “But I do think if the Democrats want to go down this road, I think that’s the best possible scenarios for Republicans. And so I hope he sticks it out.”
That was the sentiment of some attendees as well, such as Georgia alternate Wendell McNeal, who reflected on the political question of whether Biden would be easier to beat than another candidate such as Vice President Kamala Harris or Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
“I think probably it would be better for him to stay in,” McNeal said. “What’s happening to him will get worse. I’ve gone through that with my mother. Don’t get me wrong I feel for him, but it’s a dangerous situation having someone that’s having these difficulties running the country. For the election, it would be better for him to stay in due to the fact that [his health] could get worse.”
Trump leads Biden 47.3% to 44.8% in the RealClearPolitics polling average, though other candidates do not fare much better than Trump in theoretical polls.
Democrats are chewing on the same question as well, with the situation seesawing day by day as Biden backers assert their territory while nervous detractors look at ways to dump him.
The Democratic National Committee continues to insist it will nominate Biden via virtual roll call even before its official convention, but a new drip of damage seems to emerge each day, with heavyweight Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joining calls for him to step down and rumors that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) pushed for a delay in the virtual vote.
For now, Republicans are enjoying the contrast, unified behind their candidate as the other major party wrestles with what to do.
Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) kept up the jokes Wednesday night, calling on the crowd to yell “Trump” loud enough to wake up Biden because “it’s after 4 p.m. in D.C.” Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a former White House physician to Trump and Barack Obama, ventured into slightly more serious territory by saying “father time has not been kind to Joe Biden” and taking a shot at his running mate.
“Perhaps the greatest blame lies with his own vice president, Kamala Harris,” Jackson said. “She has not been truthful to us. She has lied to us, she has put party before country, and she is as unfit in character as joe Biden is in body and mind.”
But other conventionees the Washington Examiner spoke to said they would be fine if Biden dropped out, saying they were afraid for his health and confident that Trump could beat any replacement Democrat. A few said they were not amused by the jokes, feeling the situation is too serious for such antics.
“No, he should not remain [the nominee],” Rhode Island delegate Michelle Sztabor said. “I’m not worried about another candidate. There isn’t another candidate that’s better than Trump.”
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Rebecca Yardley, a Georgia delegate to the convention, offered a similar take.
“The Republicans will take either one, Biden or Harris,” she said. “We can beat both of them. We can beat anybody.”
