Joe Biden refuses to give up

Calls for President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race are reaching a deafening pitch. The eighty-one-year-old appears to be hard of hearing, however — or else attuned only to the whisperings of his power-hungry wife. Either way, Biden is refusing to budge, ignoring pleas from House Democrats — Representatives Jerry Nadler, Joe Morelle, Adam Smith, Jim Himes and Mark Takano among them — and celebrities alike to throw in the towel.

Uber-progressive filmmaker Michael Moore labeled Biden’s campaign “elder abuse” and the president’s excuses for his pathetic debate performance “malarkey.” Author Stephen King offered his expertise on horror (and how to avoid it) by taking to X to say: “Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him — in the interests of the America he so clearly loves — to announce he will not run for re-election.”

It appears though, that Biden isn’t even considering stepping aside; rather, he’s ramping up his bring-it-on vibe. In a letter he definitely wrote himself and sent today to congressional Democrats, Biden declared he is “firmly committed to staying in this race” and that he wouldn’t be running if he did not “absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”

The letter goes on to claim the Democratic Party has an “economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the MAGA Republicans.” In outlining his administration’s “historic record of successes to run on,” Biden lists “creating over 15 million jobs,” “reaching historic lows on unemployment” and “revitalizing American manufacturing,” among other things.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that “President Biden’s physician met with Parkinson’s disease specialist in White House” (per the New York Post) and that, from Axios, “For his events, President Biden’s staffers prepare a short document with large print and photos that include his precise path to a podium, according to an event template the White House sends to staffers.”

On Morning Joe today, host Joe Scarborough noted to the president the growing number of “very powerful people who want you out.”

Biden laughed off Scarborough’s reference to Democrats who are concerned he will lose to Trump this November. Losing, said Biden, “is not an option… I haven’t lost. I beat him last time. I’ll beat him this time.” Biden then went on to say Trump “had fifty lies” during their debate, rambled about Trump golfing and added, “I don’t care what the millionaires think.”

Biden also echoed what he said in his letter to Congress: that he is the person Democrats want for the job. “If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me,” Biden said. “Go ahead. Announce for president — challenge me at the convention.”

If Biden (or Dr. Jill) does decide to drop out of the race, Semafor has assembled a handy-dandy, “optimistic plan that would involve the president stepping down as the nominee and the party announcing a ‘blitz primary’ process ahead of the August convention.”

-Teresa Mull

On our radar

TRUMP CARD  Americans prefer Trump’s presidency over Biden’s. In a recent poll of 1,000 registered voters, 51 percent of respondents said they now approve of Trump’s job performance when he was president, compared to 41 percent who said they approve of Biden’s current job performance, according to USA Today.

DISTORTING DEPORTINGS There will be more deportations under Biden’s administration than there was under Trump’s. A Reuters article this morning breaks down Title 42 which compelled border agents to expel 2.8 million migrants from 2020 to 2023. Biden lifted the title in 2023 after Covid… which unwittingly led to more deportations.

BOEING CONSTRICTOR In a deal with the Justice Department, Boeing agreed on Sunday to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government over two fatal crashes of the 737 Max in 2018 and 2019. Boeing agreed to pay a $487.2 million fine and invest at least $455 million in strengthening safety programs.

‘National Conservatives’ on Trump’s Project 2025 comments

This year’s National Conservatism Conference, or NatCon, is off to a good start. The confab is being held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC, and the Heritage Foundation’s president Kevin Roberts called it “the most important gathering of conservatives in the twenty-first century.”

The first speech of the day, delivered by NatCon’s chairman Chris DeMuth, set up the mood, saying that “those who don’t embrace our ideas, like the British Tories, are off to the dustbin.”

Senior director of policy at the Conservative Partnership Institute Rachel Bovard followed DeMuth, arguing that the conservative establishment “must be replaced now.” “A new fusionism,” she added. “must be rejected.” “Their time has passed… They wet their beds; they can sleep on them.”

The Spectator asked around about Donald Trump’s recent comments about Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 (“I know nothing about Project 2025”).

“I’m not surprised by Trump’s tweet,” one conservative DC non-profit executive at the conference said. “It makes complete sense because, for example, Trump is not a strict pro-lifer — and 2025 has policies that restrict the abortion pill.”

“They presented themselves as the ‘conservative agenda,’ with the media depicting them as Trump’s platform although officially they aren’t,” he added, explaining that he both supports the project’s mission and agrees with Trump’s electoral strategy.

“Project 2025 is the future of the Republican Party,” David Carlson, an attendee who served as the former treasurer of the Georgia Young Republicans, told The Spectator. “What’s happening right now is a coordinated hit piece by some of the neoconservative Trump campaign operatives to undermine the populist elements of the Republican Party.”

“Has Project 2025 made mistakes in messaging and promotion of their program? Yes. Does Project 2025 represent Trump? No. But the current infighting being spurred on from this event will further destabilize and undermine the conservative cause in America,” Carlson added.

The Spectator asked more than five Heritage employees for a comment; they all — wisely — declined to comment.

-Juan P. Villasmil

Teacher’s union boss delivers Dwight Schrute-esque rant

National Education Association president Becky Pringle delivered a completely  “unhinged rant” over the weekend, reminding critics of an infamous scene from The Office.

During the NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Philadelphia, Pringle addressed 7,000 people, calling for transformative social justice change in education. However, most viewers found themselves distracted by her exaggerated and over-the-top movements.

“We worked hard to rid ourselves of a tyrannical, deceitful and corrupt White House, but the reality is that the seeds that were sown during that horrible season continue to germinate,” Pringle said. 

“We are the ones who help shape the heart of this nation’s hope and dreams. We are the ones who hold steadfast to the belief in the plausibility of the possible. We are the heirs of all who did this work before us. We must keep going. NEA delegates, we can do this work. We must do this work,” she added.  

“Our students are depending on us to win all the things,” Pringle said. “All the things! All the things! All the things,” she repeated while flailing her arms, pounding her fists on the podium and throwing her head backwards. 

Her ridiculous performance prompted critics such as school-choice advocate Corey DeAngelis to compare her speech to Dwight Schrute in The Office, when Jim tricks him to perform a speech by Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini slightly edited to be about paper sales. 

The only conclusion to be drawn from her speech is that “Becky Pringle thinks she is a revolutionary,” said the National Review’s Jack Crowe. Is she trying to restore “social justice” to the education system or start the next Cultural Revolution?

-Elisenne Stoller