Former Obama speechwriter and “Pod Save America” host Jon Lovett has admitted that he held back concerns about Joe Biden’s health during the 2024 campaign because he wanted Biden to win re-election.
Speaking on Jon Stewart’s “The Weekly Show” podcast, Lovett said he was worried about the president’s physical and cognitive state but chose not to talk about it publicly. “I remember feeling I want to talk about this as a huge liability. To talk about this is something Joe Biden can overcome, but I’m not going to go so far as to say, ‘I think Joe Biden must drop out. He is too old to be president,’” Lovett said.
He added, “A, because I didn’t know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but B, if Joe Biden is the candidate, I want him to f—king win.”
Lovett admitted he feared that any criticism from the left would be used by Biden’s political enemies. “It was about being honest about Joe Biden’s age as a liability while knowing that if he is the nominee, I want to be clear that I thought it was important to make sure we did everything we could to reelect him,” he said.
He explained his reluctance further: “Having the words we’re saying taken out of context and all of a sudden be part of the case against Joe Biden from the right — that would use any person criticising Joe Biden from the left as a weapon against him.”
The issue of Biden’s health has been drawing more attention, especially following the release of the book Original Sin by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson. The book claims the White House deliberately tried to downplay concerns about Biden’s decline.
Lovett himself features in Original Sin, in an anecdote describing a meeting with Biden on April 26, 2024, alongside co-hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer. According to the book, the trio were left “deeply disturbed” after the meeting, reportedly finding Biden “rambling” and “incoherent.”
US President Donald Trump has also criticised Biden's physical and mental decline. Last week, Biden, who is 82 years old, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doctors have described the form of cancer as 'aggressive'.
Speaking on Jon Stewart’s “The Weekly Show” podcast, Lovett said he was worried about the president’s physical and cognitive state but chose not to talk about it publicly. “I remember feeling I want to talk about this as a huge liability. To talk about this is something Joe Biden can overcome, but I’m not going to go so far as to say, ‘I think Joe Biden must drop out. He is too old to be president,’” Lovett said.
He added, “A, because I didn’t know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but B, if Joe Biden is the candidate, I want him to f—king win.”
Lovett admitted he feared that any criticism from the left would be used by Biden’s political enemies. “It was about being honest about Joe Biden’s age as a liability while knowing that if he is the nominee, I want to be clear that I thought it was important to make sure we did everything we could to reelect him,” he said.
He explained his reluctance further: “Having the words we’re saying taken out of context and all of a sudden be part of the case against Joe Biden from the right — that would use any person criticising Joe Biden from the left as a weapon against him.”
The issue of Biden’s health has been drawing more attention, especially following the release of the book Original Sin by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson. The book claims the White House deliberately tried to downplay concerns about Biden’s decline.
Lovett himself features in Original Sin, in an anecdote describing a meeting with Biden on April 26, 2024, alongside co-hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer. According to the book, the trio were left “deeply disturbed” after the meeting, reportedly finding Biden “rambling” and “incoherent.”
US President Donald Trump has also criticised Biden's physical and mental decline. Last week, Biden, who is 82 years old, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doctors have described the form of cancer as 'aggressive'.
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