Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Monday pressed Biden to prove his competence, seemingly at odds with her own efforts to discredit a report from last month that suggested Biden was showing signs of decline in private meetings.
“More than a week after the debate and after talking to voters, I believe President Biden needs to work harder to demonstrate he can run a strong enough campaign to defeat Donald Trump,” Murray said in a statement.
Patty Murray’s latest comments about Biden’s competency appear to contradict her defense of him last month. (Getty Images)
“Our nominees must be able to clearly articulate all of what the Democratic Party has accomplished and what we will do to make life better for American families,” she said.
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The senator, third in line to the presidential succession, said, “I have deep gratitude and great respect for Joe for leading a historic first term as president, but we will need to see a more strong and energetic candidate on the campaign trail in the near future to convince voters that he is the right man for the office. At this critical time for our country, President Biden must seriously consider how best to preserve his incredible legacy and preserve it for the future.”
President Biden spoke on June 7, 2024, while standing next to the Pointe du Hoc memorial in Normandy, France. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Murray’s suggestion that Biden must prove himself appears to be a stark difference from his public comments last month.
When a bombshell Wall Street Journal article last month revealed several lawmakers’ worrying views of Biden, Murray blasted the paper for not publishing a story defending Biden’s abilities.
“To my surprise, everyone is attacking. president “He’s a Republican with an agenda,” she argued on X (formerly Twitter).
“I From the WSJ Regarding January’s Ukraine meeting, the President was fully engaged and ran the meeting in a way that kept everyone together,” Malley tweeted. WSJ Sources said Biden spoke incredibly quietly during his talks with Ukraine, reading from notes to explain points that should have been easy to remember, taking long periods of silence and closing his eyes for unusually long periods of time.
Sen. Patty Murray speaks after the Senate Democrats’ weekly policy luncheon on February 15, 2022, at the U.S. Capitol. (Reuters/John Cherry)
“I’m not being quoted. I wonder why,” Murray criticized last month.
Murray’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment by publication time.
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Fox News Digital asked the senator’s office whether he believes his words and feelings are inconsistent, whether he stands by his comments in response to the Wall Street Journal report, whether he maintains that Biden showed no signs of slowing down in January or even just last month, and whether he thinks the debate was simply a bad night, as Biden claims.
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