‘If He Could, He Would’: Brian Stelter Hammers Biden For Not Doing Large Scale, Engaging Events Amid Confidence Crisis

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar interviewed former CNN host and media reporter Brian Stelter on Tuesday about what President Joe Biden could do to right the ship after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last week.

“I wonder, Brian, if you think sitting down for an interview would do the trick?” Keilar asked.

“I’ve been making calls about this, Brianna, for the last 24 hours. I’ve heard from lots of white House correspondents, network executives. There certainly is a lot of interest in an interview,” Stelter replied, adding:

That would be a prized interview right now. But this reminds me of the old phrase about putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. An interview at this point would just be a Band-Aid on a giant, gaping bullet hole. This body President Biden is bleeding out, and a single interview is not going to change that. The news in the last couple of hours is just even more damning for him.

I think instead of in just an interview, think about another debate. Think about a rematch between Trump and Biden. Think about a series of press conferences. Think about a series of town halls that would be a little bit more, I think, in the realm of what might help at this point. But, an interview. It’s a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.

“I guess that’s my question. Does he need to do something that mirrors more the debate that it is at night, right? That it is something that is for an extended period of time, that it is not on the prompter. I know they’ve been pointing to, for instance, this North Carolina event he had right after the debate, but that was a very different thing?” Keilar followed up.

“And this raises a question about whether he can, in other words, if he could do that, he would do that by now,” Stelter replied, adding:

Today it’s Tuesday, the debates almost a week ago at this point, and everyone understands he was at fundraisers over the weekend. He was hanging out with his family at Camp David. But in the middle of a crisis, a president usually takes action in a crisis.

He’s right now in a political crisis of his own making, and he’s not taking that action. We’ve heard reports about the president being best equipped between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.. If he could hold a primetime news conference, he probably would. And I think that’s probably what a lot of Democrats are getting at as we hear these private calls.

I think, Brianna, what’s so interesting now is what people are saying in private is more honest than what they’re saying in public. You know, I’m hearing Democrats say to me that, you know, this is a guy that’s been wrapped up in bubble wrap for years, and now they’re starting to get honest about the condition he’s in.

Watch the clip above via CNN.