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POINTING FINGERS: Who’s to blame for President Biden’s rocky debate performance? Everyone but the president, Biden family members are reportedly saying. A look behind the scenes:
President Biden’s family blamed staff for his rocky debate performance, as the commander in chief is laying low again at Camp David on Monday, according to reports.
The president and first lady Jill Biden aren’t scheduled to return to the White House until Monday night. On Sunday, Biden’s wife, children and grandchildren used a gathering at Camp David to urge him to stay in the race and keep fighting despite his debate performance, and some family members criticized how his staff prepared him for the faceoff, The Associated Press reported, citing four people familiar with the discussions.
Politico also reported that Biden’s family members cast blame widely on Biden staffers, complaining that they did not adequately prepare the president to go on the attack more, to focus more on laying out his vision for the next four years rather than getting bogged down in defending his record, and that they allowed him to become overworked without enough rest beforehand.
The family’s criticism was hurled specifically toward Anita Dunn, the senior adviser who frequently has the president’s ear; her husband, Bob Bauer, the president’s attorney who played Donald Trump in rehearsals at Camp David; and Ron Klain, the former chief of staff who ran point on the debate prep and previous cycles’ sessions, Politico reported, citing three people briefed on the family conversations but not directly involved.