Obama Raised Concerns About Trump, Biden Race Before Debate

Former President Barack Obama reportedly expressed concerns over a rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump ahead of the recent debate.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post published a new report detailing that Obama has privately spoken with allies about Biden’s path to reelection and how it has become more difficult now following his performance in the debate against Trump, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

The report detailed that Obama has discussed with Biden how difficult it is to win reelection. According to the Post, Obama made his concerns clear to some of those close to him just prior to the debate.

Newsweek has been unable to independently verify the reporting from the Washington Post.

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson and the Obama Foundation via email for comment.

The report from the Post comes shortly after The New York Times published a new story reporting that Biden recently spoke with an ally to weigh his decision on possibly dropping out of the 2024 race, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

Responding to the report on X, formerly Twitter, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said, “That claim is absolutely false.”

“If the New York Times had provided us with more than seven minutes to comment, we would have told them so,” Bates said in the post.

Biden, 81, who has previously been the subject of concern about his age, received a wave of criticism following his debate performance. Viewers saw that he sounded hoarse and seemed to lack energy, sometimes struggling to answer questions.

A Biden aide told Newsweek late Thursday night that the president was battling a cold during the debate. Even so, there were calls for his replacement from some Democrats.

In January, the Post reported that Obama spoke with Biden about his concerns over Trump’s strengths and the possibility that he may be a stronger candidate than some others realize.

In a post to X following the debate, Obama said, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.

“Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight—and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”

A CNN poll following the debate found that 67 percent of debate watchers said Trump won, compared with 33 percent that said Biden won.