Presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West talks to supporters at a Harlem rally in New York City on May 21, 2024. | Source: Anadolu / Getty
Independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West said in no uncertain terms how he feels about Thursday night’s debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, calling it “appalling” and a “farce” while drawing attention to issues he suggested were ignored by the presumptive nominees and debate moderators alike.
West spoke out amid widespread bipartisan criticism of Biden’s debate performance, which was marked by several instances of him losing his train of thought and frequent stuttering, with both placing a brightening spotlight on lingering concerns about the president’s cognitive ability. West also took aim at “Trump’s lies,” dozens of which were told during the debate and went unchallenged by moderators.
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It was in that context that West took to X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the debate concluded and sounded off on both Biden and Trump as well as the debate itself.
“This presidential debate is pure farce! Trump’s lies, contempt and hatred are beyond appalling! Biden’s lies, senility and emptiness are pathetic!” West wrote and said in separate social media posts, including a video of himself speaking. “Both are simply living in worlds far removed from the realities of America and abroad! Both will continue the barbaric genocide in Gaza! Is America now addicted to self-destruction?”
West encouraged people listening to consider another choice for president beyond Biden and Trump.
“My presidential campaign provides a stark alternative of Truth Justice and Love!,” he added.
West took his rhetoric several steps further in the video version of that statement.
President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. | Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty
In a selfie video, West said “Biden doesn’t have both paddles in the water” and called him “senile” and “flat as a pancake” before bashing the president and Trump because “Neither one of them talked about poverty. Neither one of them talked about the barbaric genocide in Gaza. Neither one of them talked about the need to get beyond the lies and hatred and the revenge and the attempt to hide the crimes.”
West asked: “Where is the talk about the truth? Where is the talk about justice? Where is the talk of talking about love in the deepest sense?”
He said those qualities have been the basis on which his campaign is being run.
There were no lies detected in West’s posts.
However, the prospects of a third-party candidate being elected president have never been viable for American voters, if history is any indication, suggesting West still has a steeply uphill battle to supplant Biden and Trump from their major partisan perches.
That is especially true after the North Carolina Board of Elections on Wednesday blocked West and fellow independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from being on the state ballot. The North Carolina Board of Elections said it needs more time to review their petitions to be on the ballot, making it unclear whether Tarheel State voters will be able to cast ballots for either West or Kennedy. North Carolina is widely regarded as a so-called swing state — a state that can help sway national election results — that voting experts say can help Biden win in November.
West, who is running as part of the newly formed Justice For All independent political party, said the decision by the North Carolina Board of Elections is evidence that “Democracy is under attack!”
In the latest national poll tracking presidential candidacies, West received just 2% of the support.
In what could be a damning premonition to West’s campaign, a new report from the Pew Research Center published on Thursday found that third-party and independent presidential candidates typically “fall short of early polling numbers.”
West’s criticism of Biden and Trump has been a hallmark of his campaign well before Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta.
Back in December, West speculated about Biden’s future in the race amid reported fears about the president’s age and repeated polls reflecting voters’ dissatisfaction with the country’s direction. At the time, West said he anticipated that Biden wouldn’t make it to Election Day and would end up dropping out of the race early, sentiments that have reportedly been increasingly expressed by Democrats and Republicans alike following Thursday night’s debate.
“I’m not even sure whether I’ll be running against Biden,” West said before predicting Biden would “have an LBJ moment” – a reference to former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision to not seek reelection; a decision that was made just about eight months before Election Day in 1968.
The 2024 election, on the other hand, is about four months away.
West also rejected the notion that his candidacy would play the so-called “spoiler” role for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
“I don’t accept the spoiler category,” West previously said. “A vote for Biden, a vote for Trump is a vote for Biden and a vote for Trump.”
He also reasoned: “If you’re in a race, and you make a case, and they vote for you, how do you become the spoiler?”
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No Blacks Allowed: The 2024 Presidential Debate
Biden And Trump Debate: 5 Takeaways For Black Voters To Consider
