CNN political director David Chalian said President Joe Biden’s Thursday speech in Maryland showed why Democrats are ecstatic they replaced him with Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee.
Biden and Harris delivered remarks in their first speech together since the president dropped out to tout their effort to decrease the price of drugs, according to The New York Times. Chalian, on “CNN News Central” said, although Biden had no major slip-ups, he looked old and did not appear to be an ideal candidate for president.
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CNN Politcal Director Says Biden’s Speech Shows Why Dems ‘So Thrilled’ He’s ‘Not Their Candidate’ pic.twitter.com/bfmcTg4uoU
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 15, 2024
“I think in that one display, we saw why Democrats are so thrilled that Joe Biden is not their candidate anymore, just from his performance and his ability to complete thoughts … I’m not suggesting he had a meltdown. I’m just saying, you see the 81-year-old man that they are relieved is no longer their standard bearer for the election going forward for the future,” Chalian said.
“But you also see the appreciation they have for really popular policies such as lowering prescription drugs, something Democrats have been talking about on the campaign trail for years,” he added. “And now he got it done. So there’s the real appreciation and the real satisfaction that they don’t need to be rallying around him for this campaign season.”
The Maryland speech was a celebration of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcing the results of Medicare’s negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, the NYT reported. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act enabled Medicare to negotiate with companies to lower the costs of prescription drugs, according to the CMS.
If the negotiated prices had been in effect in 2023, Medicare “would have saved an estimated $6 billion,” according to the report. The new prices will take effect in the beginning of 2026.
“This is a fight all of us have been fighting for a long time: taking on Big Pharma,” Biden said during the rally, accordingto the NYT.
Featured Image Credit: Screenshot/Grabien/CNN
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