The race for the White House is Donald Trump’s to lose after the Democratic Party twisted itself into knots over President Biden’s debate debacle and whether the struggling 81-year-old should remain at the top of the top of ticket, ex-Gov. David Paterson said.
Paterson praised Republican ex-President Trump for mostly showing restraint while rival Biden and fellow Democrats are stuck in political quicksand — and said it will be difficult now for Biden or any replacement to defeat the Republican nominee despite his scandals.
“If you notice [last] week, you’ve heard very little from a former president by the name of Donald Trump. When Donald Trump makes a lot of noise and aggravates a lot of people, that’s one thing,” Democrat Paterson said Sunday on WABC 770 radio’s “The Cats Roundtable.”
“But I think in this particular case, his silence indicates that, ‘Why say something, when everything‘s going my way and the Democrats are all over themselves?’”
He said even Trump — never one to avoid the limelight or attack opponents on social media and at rallies — understands that sometimes silence can be golden.
Meanwhile, Paterson believes Biden and his team’s explanations for the president’s disastrous debate performance — and attacks on fellow Democrats who questioned his mental acuity — have only made matters worse.
“I really don’t have an opinion, one way or the other as to whether or not [Biden] should drop out of the race. But I just think that this handling [of last week’s debate] was really very poor. I know that the former president is dying to jump on, but he’s smart enough to know not to,” Paterson said.
“When you’re in trouble,” Paterson said. “Stop attacking everyone.”
He said Biden, 81, would have elicited more compassion by simply saying he botched the debate, apologizing and vowing to do better next time — instead of blaming a cold and lack of rest for his blunders.
He said Trump, 78, is now well positioned to win back the presidency, noting that Vice President Kamala Harris’ public opinion poll numbers are worse than Biden’s, and that it would be hard for any another lesser known candidate to gain traction in just a few months before the election.
“You’re going to have to go up against Donald Trump who is playing with the house’s money right now. That is going to be a difficult task for President Biden or whomever would come off the bench and take his place,” Paterson told host John Catsimatidis.
Trump has his own serious legal woes, but he caught a break last week when the US Supreme Court issued a ruling granting presidents immunity for “official acts” that could impact ongoing criminal cases.
The sentencing in his Manhattan hush money trial was postponed from July 11 to September in light of the ruling.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said he would make a decision on if and how the immunity ruling affects the case by Sept. 6, and that the sentencing would take place Sept. 18 “if such is still necessary.”
Trump faces up to four years in prison, but could also be handed probation or community service, after a Manhattan jury convicted him May 30 of covering up a $130,000 payout to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide alleged details of a sexual encounter from voters before the 2016 presidential election.
