President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama were caught on camera at Ethel Kennedy’s funeral Wednesday presumably talking about Vice President Kamala Harris’ election chances, a professional lip-reader told the New York Post.
Biden told Obama that “she” is “not as strong” as him to which the former president told him “that’s true” in a moment caught on camera and deciphered by Jeremy Freeman, a London-based forensic lip reader, who the New York Post paid for the translation. It is not immediately clear who Biden and Obama are referencing, though the New York Post infers that the conversation is about the vice president’s election chances. (RELATED: ‘What Are You Talking About?’: Bret Baier Pushes Back On Harris As She Struggles To Explain How She’ll Move ‘Forward’)
“She’s not as strong as me,” the president said to Obama, according to the outlet.
“I know … that’s true … we have time,” Obama seemingly said.
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” Biden added, according to Freeman.
JUST IN: The New York Post says a professional lip reader caught Obama agreeing with President Biden that Kamala is “not as strong” as he is.
Obama assured Biden, however, that they “have time” according to the Post
Biden: “She’s not as strong as me.”
Obama: “I know… that’s… pic.twitter.com/H5DANASJ3x
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 17, 2024
“A ‘lip reading expert’? Did your usual right-wing soothsayer have their out-of-office up? Only President Biden and President Obama know what they discussed, but this certainly wasn’t it,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told the New York Post.
Two former Biden White House officials who are now working on the Harris campaign told the New York Post that it is “not even like [Biden] to say that” and pushed the outlet to get “a new lip reader.”
Kerry Kennedy (L) is greeted by US President Joe Biden, former US President Barack Obama and former US President Bill Clinton during a memorial service for her mother Ethel Kennedy on October 16, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC. Kennedy, a tireless advocate for human rights and widow of assassinated US politician Robert F. Kennedy, died on October 10, 2024 at the age of 96, her family said. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden (L) speaks with former US President Barack Obama during the memorial service for Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late senator Robert F. Kennedy, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC on October 16, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
After dropping out of the presidential race in July, Biden told “The View” he was still in denial about why he was forced off the ticket by his party. The president told the hosts that polls showed he was still able to beat Trump and he even added that he thought he could beat the former president if he was still in the race.
“Our relationship is fine. Look — I never fully believed the assertions that somehow there was this overwhelming reluctance of my running again. I didn’t sense that. And although the polling, they said Biden’s polling was different, the fact of the matter is, my polling was about, always within range of beating this guy,” the president said.
“What I did was … I think there were — it didn’t make sense. There were some folks who would like to see me step aside, so they had a chance to move on. I get that, that’s just human nature. But that wasn’t the reason I stepped down. I stepped down because I started thinking about it … you know, it’s hard to think, I know you’re only thirty,” the president continued, leaning over to Farah. “But it’s hard to think of, it’s hard for me to even say how old I am.”
Today’s update.https://t.co/vsGVG189Sa pic.twitter.com/nnmpy6e0Lp
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 17, 2024
From September to October, Harris’ reputation among voters dropped five points to 43% and her negative rating increased four points, according to MSNBC national political correspondent Steve Kornacki. While most polls indicate a toss-up in the race and across key swing states, journalist Mark Halperin said Oct. 8 that he thinks Harris is in trouble.
“I just saw some new private polling today that’s very robust … She’s in a lot of trouble … The conversation I’m having with Trump people and Democrats with data are extremely bullish on Trump’s chances in the last 48 hours. Extremely bullish,” Halperin said. “Think of the seven battleground states. Which ones is Harris in danger of losing? I would say Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia.”