Former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine on Monday said his party lacks standing to dig into President Donald Trump’s health after ignoring former President Joe Biden’s clear decline.
Biden’s personal office announced Sunday that the former president had received a prostate cancer diagnosis ahead of the publication of a book on the topic of his decline and its cover-up titled “Original Sin” by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson. Turrentine argued on “The Morning Meeting” that Democratic leadership’s decision to rally behind Biden’s reelection backfired — and that it is now difficult for the party to credibly shift to attacking Trump’s fitness. (RELATED: After Democratic Panic, Harris Lines Up Softball Interview Tour)
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Ex-Dem Strategist Says Party Lacks ‘Credibility’ To Probe Trump’s Health After Turning ‘Blind Eye’ To Biden
“That’s the irony, is that even Democrats knew — because 70 to 80% of them kept telling pollsters in 2022 and 2023 he was too old. It was the party leadership that kept saying, ‘Nope, we’re going with him.’ Like, ‘We can’t have a primary. If he steps down, we’re going to get Kamala Harris,’ right? They had no faith in her,” Turrentine said. “Biden had no faith in her. [Chuck] Schumer, [Hakeem] Jeffries, [Nancy] Pelosi … we did all of these things thinking it would stop Trump. Instead, it strengthened Trump, right? Because he completely looked like the sane, rational, went through a competitive primary, etc. And now, as we look to go forward — like [host] Mark [Halperin] and I get email … ‘Why don’t you focus more on Donald Trump?’”
“There’s such little credibility within the party and the media to now pivot and say, ‘Well, now we have to ask all these questions about Trump’s health and about what Trump’s family’s doing and Don Jr.’ and, like, everything, when there was such a blind eye with all of what was going on with Biden,” he continued. “So look, we paid a price. We lost.”
Biden’s cancer is “aggressive,” but can possibly be managed effectively, according to the statement from his personal office.
The former president also previously underwent two operations to treat brain aneurysms and a pulmonary embolism in 1988, according to media reports from the time.
Trump’s doctor, United States Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, asserted in the president’s April report that Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health” in a memo published by the White House following his annual physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Presidential health records expert Raymond Scalettar told Halperin on his other daily show “2WAY Tonight” in April that Trump’s health report was “excellent” in terms of its level of details and test results.
“It’s an excellent report. It’s very detailed. We never had anything like this before. It’s very specific. He’s got excellent numbers as far as his physical examination and the findings, and his laboratory tests are excellent,” Scalettar told Hlaperin. “I think he’s, from the standpoint of what is reported — and I have no reason to doubt it’s complete and honest — and the integrity of a captain of the United States Navy, I think it’s an excellent report. And he appears to be in excellent physical and mental health.”
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