Montana’s federal delegation in Washington D.C. reacted in predictable ways Friday following a chaotic June 27 presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The debate — the earliest presidential debate in history — was marked by a lackluster performance by Biden, leading to widespread discomfort among Democrats worried that the 81-year-old incumbent will struggle to succeed in November. Some national media outlets reported Friday morning on a “movement” among some in the party to force Biden off the ticket. Trump’s performance was less halting, though he was widely criticized for spreading falsehoods about everything from the 2020 election to his own record as president. At one point, the debate descended into an argument over who had the better golf swing.
Two of Montana’s three Republicans in Washington D.C. — Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Matt Rosendale — said Biden’s performance demonstrated that Trump is the clear choice in November general election. Western district Congressman Ryan Zinke did not respond to a request for comment before this story was published.
“Joe Biden performed exactly as I thought he would,” Rosendale said in a statement provided to Montana Free Press by spokesperson Ron Kovach. “He had difficulty formulating a coherent sentence, and his facts and data were often inaccurate and delivered by a clearly confused man. Joe Biden’s marginalized cognitive state was on full display last night for our county, but also for the world, which puts us in a very dangerous position.”
“Montanans saw a stark contrast last night — President Trump projected strength and Joe Biden projected weakness,” Daines said in a statement provided to MTFP by spokesperson Rachel Dumke. “Montanans know Biden’s policies have been harmful. I strongly disagree with Sen. Tester’s comments that ‘Joe Biden is absolutely 100% with it.’”
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A spokesperson for Tester, Montana’s lone Democrat in D.C., who is presently locked in a tough re-election bid, told MTFP he will work with whoever is in the White House come January. The spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether Tester thinks Biden should relinquish his campaign, as some Democrats have suggested.
“Sen. Tester has always worked with President Trump when it was good for Montana and stands up to President Biden when it doesn’t work for Montana. He’ll do whatever it takes to defend Montana regardless of who is in the White House,” the spokesperson wrote.
