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Political filmmaker Michael Moore accused those pushing for President Joe Biden to continue his re-election campaign of committing "the cruelest form of elder abuse" following his disastrous first presidential debate performance.
“If I have to be the only one to stand for Joe Biden — that’s right, you heard me say that — if I have to be the only one to stand up for Joe Biden here, to protect him from the cruelest form of elder abuse I’ve ever been forced to watch, well then that’s what I’ll do,” Moore said on latest episode of his Rumble podcast released last week.
Moore, 70, said he was "gobsmacked" by Biden's performance in the debate last month, suggesting the president should resign prior to the conclusion of his current term, let alone avoid running for four more years.
“This is about whether he should serve another four days,” he said. “Let the doctors examine you. Then do the right thing.”
Moore's critique came amid reports of uncertainty regarding the president's re-election campaign as a top campaign official reportedly told at least one megadonor that Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 election is "only a matter of time" privately according to TMZ, as well as multiple Democratic officials publicly calling for him to drop out. The official reportedly said that focus had shifted from singular support of the president's re-election to "Democrats have to retain The White House" following Biden's disastrous performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, last month.
Biden, 81, the oldest president in history, appeared opposite Trump, on the debate stage for the first time since the 2020 election and did little to quell concerns about his vigor and energy. The president appeared to struggle with his voice, clearing his throat and coughing multiple times, and was often seen open-mouthed and staring when Trump spoke, occasionally struggling to finish sentences.
Biden's performance reportedly led to "panic" among Democrats, according to longtime Democratic operative and CNN senior political commentator David Axelrod.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. But by that time, I think the panic had set in,” Axelrod said, adding that "there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”