Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki is continuing her job as Biden spokeswoman despite now working as a contributor on MSNBC.
While appearing on MSNBC’s “Alex Witt Reports” on Sunday, Psaki suggested that the Biden campaign would be wise not to “underestimate” former President Donald Trump’s “evil charisma,” Mediaite reported.
Host Alex Witt asked Psaki if Democrats hoping for a Biden/Trump rematch in 2024 because they believe Trump has so many “negatives,” Biden could easily beat him might end up being a case of “be careful what you wish for.”
Psaki suggested that it could be, adding that it is difficult to figure out which opponent would be ideal.
Psaki pointed out that Donald Trump is a known entity and everyone in the country already has a certain view about him. She marveled that, despite being twice impeached and facing indictments, Trump still has support among some in the Republican base. She said Trump has a “version of evil charisma about him,” adding that Democrats and everyone else that hates Donald Trump “would be wrong to underestimate him.”
She said “on paper,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis looks like the harder candidate for Biden to beat, in part because he is much younger than the 80-year-old president. But Psaki suggested that despite winning Florida by nearly 20 points, DeSantis hasn’t laid out his “exact strategy” for the primaries, making it difficult “at this point” to “calculate” how he would do.
“But I wouldn’t underestimate Donald Trump,” Psaki added.
Based on the video President Biden released announcing his 2024 reelection campaign, which opens with images from the January 6 riot at the Capitol, it seems likely that the Biden Campaign is framing its message specifically with Donald Trump in mind.
A recent NBC News poll found that 70 percent of respondents, including 51 percent of Democrats, do not want Joe Biden to run for reelection, largely because of his advanced age.
By facing off against Trump, who will be 78 in 2024, the Biden campaign likely hopes to neutralize the questions about his age that would be highlighted against a Republican nominee like Ron DeSantis who is 36 years younger than the president.
