Liberal columnist tells Biden his return to ‘limelight’ is ‘worst thing in the world’

Liberal columnist Al Hunt told former President Joe Biden on a Thursday podcast that his public appearances are harmful and urged him to avoid the spotlight.

Since leaving office in January, Biden has delivered a public speech and sat down for interviews with “The View” and BBC. On “Politics War Room,” co-host James Carville criticized Democrats for speaking out against Biden ahead of a forthcoming book about his decline during his presidency, prompting Hunt to say they should instead be telling Biden to lay low — advice he then gave himself.

LISTEN: 

“Well, one thing they ought to say, and then I’ll say right now is, ‘Joe, go to Rehoboth in Wilmington. Get off of television. You are making a fool of yourself. You’re planning some kind of counter to this [Jake] Tapper book,’” Hunt said. “‘That is the worst thing in the world because, you know what, you’re not up to it right now, Joe. You once were; you’re not now. Please just go and, you know, take comfort in your friends and your family and stay out of the limelight.’”

Carville had just called out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg before Hunt offered his advice to Biden. Buttigieg admitted Tuesday that Democrats “maybe” would have been better off in the 2024 election cycle if Biden had never run for reelection.

During Biden’s May 8 appearance on “The View,” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked him about the allegations that he was in cognitive decline during his presidency. The former president denied the reports, but rambled randomly before former first lady Jill Biden felt the need to step in to defend him.

“The White House — being president is not like a job. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a life that you live. You live it 24 hours a day,” she said in part. “That phone can ring at 11:00 at night or 2:00 in the morning. It’s constant. You never leave it. And Joe worked really hard. I think he was a great president and if you look at things today, give me Joe Biden any time.”

However, after Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21, he held few public events, having none scheduled in 43 of the first 75 days following his withdrawal, according to an Axios analysis.

Moreover, certain members of Biden’s cabinet felt the former president was not dependable at 2 a.m. in an emergency by the last year of his term, CNN reported, based on Tapper’s upcoming book.

Carville also urged Biden to step aside from political discourse on Jan. 22, saying that his continued involvement would damage the Democratic Party.

“No one wants to hear from this guy anymore,” the Democratic strategist said at the time. “Okay, just go to your condo in Rehoboth and stay there.”

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