"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough called on Democrats to "take a deep breath" and "honor" President Biden by not demanding he drop out of the race yet, one week after he said it was Democrats' "last chance" to decide if Biden was fit for office.
"Let’s be smart. Let’s take a deep breath, and let’s understand, it’s only July the 5th. Such an historic decision should not be made in haste," he said on his show Friday, returning to the airwaves for the first time in a week after a planned vacation.
"No doubt, there’s panic all around. I said eight days ago that the president needed to consider getting out, said that we needed to give it time, needed to see what’s going to happen. And I think we’re still there," Scarborough said of the backlash the Biden campaign is facing following last Thursday's disastrous debate performance.
"I mean, it is July the 5th. This happened eight days ago. And decision time is not upon us yet. And though it may be coming soon, I think we should first honor a man who was first on the ballot 54 years ago by giving him the time and the space to make his decision before we tell him that we’ve made ours," he continued.
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The MSNBC co-host, who has been one of the staunchest backers of Biden on the liberal network throughout his presidency, seemed more concerned about Biden's re-election chances last week, even questioning if Biden should drop out immediately.
"I think we have to ask the same questions of him that we have asked of Donald Trump since 2016. That is, if he were CEO, and he turned in a performance like that, would any corporation in America, any Fortune 500 corporation in America keep him on as CEO?" he asked.
Despite calling Biden's presidency an "unqualified success," Scarborough questioned if it was time for Democrats to replace Biden as the nominee.
"This is a battle for the future of American democracy. And now is a good time. In June, thank God, in June, not October, in June, this is the last chance for Democrats to decide whether this man we’ve known and loved for a very long time is up to the task of running for the President of the United States," Scarborough warned on the June 28 show.
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In the weeks leading up to the June debate, the MSNBC host mocked reports about rising concerns over the president's mental fitness for office.
"These Republicans never learn. They constantly underestimate Joe Biden. They constantly say he’s an old man, he can’t speak," Scarborough blasted the GOP on his May 16 show.
Scarborough said Biden proved critics wrong with his State of the Union address and made his critics "look like children."
"He's far beyond cogent. In fact, I think he's better than he's ever been intellectually, analytically," he said in March.
However, on Friday's show, Scarborough acknowledged the work Biden needed to do to assure his party and supporters he is capable, but he cautioned Democrats not to panic over the debate performance being the potential end of his campaign.
"He needs to answer the question, is he capable of moving forward? He knows he needs to answer that question. He needs to answer it in interviews. He needs to answer it in press conferences. He needs to answer it at the NATO summit. He needs to answer it in everything that he does," the show co-host said.
"So, Democrats, you better get this right. You’d better think through it. You better take your time. You better take a deep breath, and you better get this right. And if you do, America will follow you. Most Americans do not want the other guy to be elected president of the United States, so don’t put them in a position where they feel like they have to vote for the tyrant by default. Do take the time necessary, though, to get this right, because American democracy is riding on it, and the whole world is watching what you’re doing," he said.
Since the president's widely-panned debate performance on June 27, Democratic donors, allies and backers in the liberal media have been sent into a panic and prompted calls for him to drop out of the race.
Biden said in an interview this week that he "screwed up" but added that voters should trust his 3 ½ year record in office over his performance in a 90-minute debate. He's also scheduled to give an interview to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton flack, has gone viral in recent weeks for his monologues warning of another Trump presidency.
