Newt Gingrich reacts to Biden's 2024 White House bid: US will 'decay' without 'profound change'
The Fox News contributor joined 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss Biden's 2024 announcement and stalled negotiations on the debt ceiling.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich torched President Biden following his 2024 video announcement, issuing a stark warning on the media's role in protecting him despite plummeting poll numbers.
The Fox News contributor addressed Biden's re-election announcement during "The Faulkner Focus," highlighting the "cloud of corruption" that swirls around the first family over their international business dealings.
"I don't think he cares," Gingrich told Harris Faulkner Tuesday. "I think his view is he is the president. He thinks he can beat Trump, and he thinks that nobody can beat him for the nomination, and he's probably right. I can't imagine anyone defeating Biden for the Democratic nomination. So whether or not the country likes it, this is what they've got."
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"They've got a guy who has a huge… cloud of corruption... that gets bigger and bigger the more the House Republicans dig into the details. This is a guy who has tried to coerce the country on everything from transgender issues to climate issues to the border, and this is a guy who, frankly, is running a pretty incompetent administration, which is why most Americans think America is in decline, and most Americans say that we need a different approach."
Biden announced his re-election campaign in a pre-taped video Tuesday morning despite dismal bipartisan polling and ongoing investigations into the Biden family's overseas business ventures.
Hunter Biden's lawyers are expected to meet with Justice Department officials this week as potential charges loom in connection with money funneled from various foreign countries, including China, flagged in the form of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs).
Critics, including House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., have accused the Biden family of operating an "influence-peddling" scheme that could implicate the president, himself, as the committee continues to uncover answers.
Hunter has been under federal investigation, led by Trump-appointed Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, since 2018. The probe originally stemmed from potential tax-related crimes, but it is unclear if he will face any charges.
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Regardless, Gingrich argued the mainstream media has played a pivotal role in protecting the president as new details slowly surface in connection with the investigation into his son.
He warned the media's influence could enable him to secure a second victory in 2024, even against Donald Trump, despite the fact the family remains embroiled in scandal amid waning public approval.
"The elite media protects him every chance they can. NPR just did a piece on his announcement and said, ‘oh, gee, there are no scandals involved.’ Well, how can you watch everything we're learning about Hunter Biden and the entire Biden family about millions of dollars of money; Russia, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, etc., and say there are no scandals," Gingrich asked.
"Part of his protection is an elite media that hates Trump so much that they will do everything they can to protect Joe Biden," he continued. "Second on the left, they hate Trump so much, they'd much prefer Biden. So he may be able to run the equivalent of the basement campaign of 2020, sit in the Rose Garden, do almost nothing, and count on the underlying forces to take him to victory, but the polling numbers are very dangerous."
An NBC News survey found that 70% of Americans, including 51% of Democrats, do not think Biden should run for re-election, with 26% supporting the president.
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Almost half of the respondents who voted no cited Biden's age as their "major" concern with Biden running again – 48% categorized their concern as "major" while 21% said it was a minor concern; 29% of respondents said the issue of his age did not pose a reason in their logic whatsoever.
"The fact is our bureaucracies are tired, they're incompetent, they're filled with red tape," Gingrich said. "They're not getting the job done, and of course, nobody in the Democratic Party is going to take on the public employee unions, and nobody in the Democratic Party is going to take on the teachers unions."
"So we're we're right now going to continue decay unless we get a really decisive election in which the American people choose profound change," he continued.
Biden is currently the oldest president in U.S. history. He would be 82 years old during his potential second inauguration, and 86 years old at the end of a second term.
Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
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