‘The Mooch’ reveals Biden used teleprompter at post-debate Hamptons fundraiser: ‘Not going to be enough’
Anthony Scaramucci on Sunday called upon President Biden to go unscripted more often to prove that he's up to the job. AP
President Biden used a teleprompter during a ritzy weekend fundraiser in East Hampton, according to supporter and former top Trump aide Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci on Sunday.
Scaramucci, 60, who has acknowledged he was rattled by a frail Biden’s widely panned debate performance against Donald Trump, 78, on Thursday, commended the 81-year-old president’s vigor, even if it was behind a teleprompter, at the Long Island fundraiser he attended Saturday.
“I went to President Biden‘s fundraiser in East Hampton and I thought he did quite well reading the teleprompter today and meeting with people,” Scaramucci posted on X.
“However, that is not going to be enough to prove to the American people that he’s up for another 4 years,” said the now-pundit, who was Trump’s former White House communications director for 11 days.
The SkyBridge Capital founder relayed suggestions from hedge-funder pal Whitney Tilson about how the Biden-Harris campaign should hurry up and put the president in the spotlight more often in unscripted settings to prove he’s up to the presidency after last week’s disastrous showing.
Anthony Scaramucci revealed that President Biden used a teleprompter at a Hamptons fundraiser Saturday. AFP via Getty Images
The Mooch said those suggestions were for Biden to host an hour-long press conference weekly, doing an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” — and airing it ASAP — sitting down with the New York Times editorial Board, which just stunningly called for him to nix his re-election bid, and partaking in a late-night show.
“This can all be done in the next week – there is no time to waste,’’ Scaramucci wrote.
Biden has held the least amount of solo press conferences of any president in recent times, according to data from the American Presidency Project.
The New York Times editorial board famously called on Biden to drop out of the race Friday in the wake of his debate performance.
During his televised CNN debate with former President Trump, Biden mumbled at times, blankly stared off into the distance and struggled to hold his train of thought, amplifying already entrenched anxieties about his fitness for office.
Scaramucci has backed Biden this campaign cycle. But even he felt Biden did poorly during the debate.
Biden has insisted that he would not be running for reelection if he had any doubts about his ability. REUTERS
“That was brutal. President Biden lost the debate. It could cost him the election. They have to switch up their strategy immediately,” Scaramucci wrote of Dems after the showdown.
That was brutal. President Biden lost the debate. It could cost him the election. They have to switch up their strategy immediately.
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) June 28, 2024
Michael LaRosa, a former spokesman for first lady Jill Biden, dittoed Scaramucci’s assessment Sunday that something must change with the president’s re-election campaign.
“@Scaramucci you’re [100%] correct. I’ve been saying this exact same thing for a year but they TRULY do not want to listen to anybody else. But I’m glad you are speaking out about what you observed,” he wrote.
.@Scaramucci you’re 💯 correct. I’ve been saying this exact same thing for a year but they TRULY do not want to listen to anybody else. But I’m glad you are speaking out about what you observed. https://t.co/eGLZmiJPnN
— Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosaDC) June 30, 2024
LaRosa has long dinged Biden’s comms shop, accusing it of making things feel too scripted and choreographed.
Before the debate, some Democrats had felt optimistic that Biden could exceed expectations and pointed to his energetic performance at the State of the Union back in March.
But that was behind a teleprompter.
Democrats have suffered heart palpitations after President Biden’s debate performance Thursday. Getty Images
A day after the debate, Biden stumped in Raleigh, NC, where he acknowledged, “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”
Some of his supporters pointed to that rally as evidence that he’s still with it — but notably, he was behind a teleprompter there as well.
The next presidential debate is slated for Sept. 10 and will be hosted by CBS. Biden’s team insists he will still partake in that verbal bout.
His campaign had pitched the debates, and Trump eagerly accepted. Biden had hunkered down in Camp David for almost a week in advance of Thursday’s debate in preparation.