The Republican National Committee (RNC) launched a new ad Friday that features prominent figures criticizing the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s fitness for office.
The ad, titled “Joe Biden: Unfit To Lead,” repeatedly highlights Biden struggling to make a coherent statement and includes critical comments from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, and Fox News anchor Bret Baier.
Partial transcript:
Narrator: It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a phone in the White House and it’s ringing, something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide will who answers that call.
Booker: There’s a lot of people who are concerned about Joe Biden.
Axelrod: He kind bumps along kind of Mr. Magooing his way through this.
Baier: There were some answers Shannon, that were word salad. I mean they were just all over the map.
The ad ends with the words “Joe Biden: Unfit To Lead” appearing on the screen.
“Americans are starting to see firsthand that Joe Biden is unfit to lead, a concern Democrats themselves have expressed since he launched his campaign,” RNC spokesman Steve Guest said in a statement. “At a time when law and order is under attack, the choice is clear: leave the security of our nation in the hands of an incompetent lifelong politician who supports defunding the police, or trust President Trump to prioritize the safety of the American people.”
WATCH:
The remarks from Sen. Booker were made during a Democrat debate in September in which then-candidate Julian Castro tore into Biden over the issue of fitness for office after he appeared to contradict himself on healthcare.
“The difference between what I support and what you support, Vice President Biden, is that you require them to opt in, and I would not require them to opt in,” Castro said. “They would automatically be enrolled, they wouldn’t have to buy in.”
“They do not have to buy in,” Biden responded.
“Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?” Castro fired back. “Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago? I can’t believe that you said two minutes ago that they had to buy in, and now you’re saying they don’t have to — you’re forgetting that.”
Achievement Unlocked: Elder Abuse#DemDebate pic.twitter.com/srZXph8Mn9
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 13, 2019
Following the debate, Booker appeared on CNN, where he said, “I think we are at a tough point right now, because there’s a lot of people concerned about Joe Biden’s ability to carry the ball all the way across the end line without fumbling. And I think that Castro had really legitimate concerns about can he be someone in a long, grueling campaign … and has every right to call out.”
“I think there were a lot of moments where a number of us were looking on the stage when he tends to go on sometimes,” Booker continued. “At one point, he was talking about communities like mine listening to record players. I don’t remember the last time I saw a record player … But there are definitely moments where you listen to Joe Biden and you just wonder …”
Sen. Cory Booker on Julián Castro's jab at former VP Joe Biden's memory: "Castro has some really legitimate concerns about, can he be someone in a long grueling campaign that can get the ball over the line? And he has every right to call that out." #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/rRxWIV0FmL
— CNN (@CNN) September 13, 2019