Radio host Charlamagne tha God ripped into former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison for keeping “quiet” and not telling the “truth” about former President Joe Biden‘s reported shortcomings during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Newsweek reached out to the DNC via email Friday night for comment.
Why It Matters
The exchange underscores continued ongoing debate inside and outside the Democratic Party over who, if anyone, should have raised public concerns about former President Biden’s fitness to run in 2024, a debate that critics say shaped the party’s messaging and contributed to its 2024 election loss.
What To Know
Harrison appeared on The Breakfast Club to discuss his post-DNC work and to address questions about the party’s handling of the 2024 campaign cycle.
When asked about the party’s handling of policy issues, such as immigration and the border, Charlamagne asked if leaders could have handled it better.
“Did you think they got it wrong on the border?” Charlamagne asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Harrison replied. “There are things that we should have done better on the border.”
The former chair was also grilled on how Democrats publicly handled Biden’s final months in office. “It’s just hard to believe y’all, Jaime, now — simply because we know what y’all watched the last four years,” Charlamagne said, according to Fox News, referring to Biden’s health.
Harrison also took aim at CNN‘s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson’s book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,“which depicted Biden as having diminished physical and mental faculties, while aides and advisers reportedly concealed this from the public.
“Man, Original Sin is a bunch of sh**,” Harrison said.
Charlamagne added that whoever the next leader of the Democratic Party is, they need to be able to “throw that old regime under the bus and talk about all the things that they got wrong.”
Charlamagne ripped into other former Biden officials, including former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, saying that she lied on Biden’s behalf for years.
“I ain’t lie about a da** thing,” Harrison said.
“Well, you ain’t tell the truth. You just kept quiet,” Charlamagne said back.
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, on X in July: “Republicans won’t be lectured on ‘transparency’ by the same Democrats who orchestrated one of the most shameless and dangerous cover-ups in history – Biden’s obvious mental and physical decline. When they claim they’re for transparency, roll the tape. They lied to the American people for years to hide Joe Biden’s decline.”
Representative Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican, on X in July: “Kevin O’Connor and Anthony Bernal’s refusal to answer questions about Joe Biden’s mental capacity illustrates a clear, coordinated coverup of the truth. If we immunize them, they can no longer plead the fifth. If they still refuse to answer? Contempt of Congress.”
DNC Chair Ken Martin, at a meeting with party leaders this week, in part: “Americans are hungry for leaders. They’re hungry for candidates who are on the side of working people. They’re hungry for leaders who give a damn about their circumstances, and they’re hungry for a government that gives people freedom, not fascism.”
What Happens Next
Democrats face continued political and messaging choices as they look toward upcoming midterm cycles.
The party’s internal debate — whether to emphasize accomplishments, acknowledge mistakes, or pursue a mix of both — has immediate implications for candidate recruitment, fundraising and messaging on issues like immigration.
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