President Joe Biden’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was forced out of primetime on Monday night at what was supposed to be a convention focused on his re-election campaign before his party pressured him to drop out of the race.
Biden being forced out of primetime — 8 p.m. EST to 11 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday — after he gave up the nomination, despite winning all the delegates during the primary, became the top story of the night as many expressed shock at the utter disrespect that he was shown.
“If Biden is pushed back past prime time, it will be treated as a) a major story of the first night and b) a serious slight to the President,” said ABC News political analyst Jeff Greenfield.
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Former CBS News White House corresponded Mark Knoller posted: “They took the nomination away from him and now booted him out of prime time.”
“They should have gone straight from Hillary to Biden,” said TIME reporter Charlotte Alter. “Pushing Biden out of primetime is a huge mistake.”
Political consultant Ron Fournier said that Democrats forcing Biden out of primetime was “malpractice.”
“It’s unconscionable to have President Biden’s address occur at midnight ET,” said Democrat Christopher Hale. “We should postpone some upcoming folks and put the president up there soon.”
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One longtime Biden aide told Axios: “This is awful. He literally set up a campaign and handed it over to them—do they have to cut him out of prime time?”
Political strategist John Ashbrook posted on X: “The Dem coverup of Biden’s dementia continues tonight. They’re pushing his speech past prime time in case he messes up.”
Senior Trump campaign official Tim Murtaugh wrote: “The DNC is actually shoving the president of the United States into the overnight hours in a stunning display of disrespect.”
Other notable responses included:
Joe Biden doesn’t even know he’s been pushed off prime time.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 20, 2024
So much for a respectful sendoff: It's nearly 11pm EST and Biden hasn't taken the stage yet. What a travesty. Generation defining backstabbing going on in front of our eyes. Every word of every one of these superfluous speeches played a role.
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 20, 2024
They actually took the sitting 81-yr-old POTUS who they know has said publicly he can’t do events past 8p and let him stew in the green room for hours and hours at the convention that was supposed to be his so a bunch of D-listers could play star. Honestly this is just mean.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) August 20, 2024
