Former US president Donald Trump was seen in a candid video published on Wednesday calling US President Joe Biden an “old, broken-down pile of crap” who is on the verge of pulling out of the November elections.
The video, obtained by The Daily Beast, was filmed as Trump sits in a golf cart with his youngest son, Barron. It is unclear where or when the footage was filmed or if Trump was aware that he was being recorded.
In the video, the presumed Republican presidential candidate can be heard remarking on his clash with Biden at a campaign debate last week, in which the president gave a wobbly performance, sparking calls for him to step aside in favor of a different Democratic contender.
The footage begins with Trump asking “How did I do with the debate the other night?” to which a person is heard saying he was “fantastic,” as the former president hands some dollars to one of a group of people talking to him.
“We kicked that old, broken-down pile of crap. He just quit, you know, he’s quitting the race,” Trump says. “I got him out of it.”
“And that means we have Kamala,” Trump continues, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris. “I think she’s going to be bad. She’s so bad. She’s so pathetic. She’s just so fucking bad.”
Trump then returns to discussing Biden: “Can you imagine that guy dealing with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin? And the president of China, who’s a fierce person. He’s a fierce man, a very tough guy,” Trump says before asserting “they’ve just announced he [Biden] is quitting” and then driving off in the golf cart.
Biden on Wednesday vowed to stay in the race amid growing concerns he is not up to another four years in the job.
“No one is pushing me out. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end,” Biden said in an email blast by his campaign, urging supporters to “pitch in a few bucks” to help defeat Trump in the November 5 presidential election.
Asked Wednesday if Biden was considering stepping down, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Absolutely not.”
In his debate with Trump last Thursday, Biden mumbled under his breath, lost his train of thought at times and, at one point, talked of beating Medicare. The president has said that he was tired after two foreign trips and the White House has said he had a cold.
But Biden is under increasing pressure, including from some of his closest allies. Some donors have called for him to step aside, and other Democrats are openly worrying that he is not equipped to beat Trump in November.
There are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives preparing to call for Biden to step aside if he seems shaky in the coming days, according to one House Democratic aide.