Here’s What Biden Told Obama at Kennedy Funeral Tete-a-Tete, Lipreader Says

The discussion appears to revolve around Vice President Harris’s standing in the upcoming election.

AP/Ben Curtis
Presidents Biden, Obama, and Clinton attend a memorial service for Ethel Kennedy at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington, D.C., October 16, 2024. AP/Ben Curtis

In a candid moment captured during Ethel Kennedy’s recent funeral at Washington, D.C., an off-mic conversation between Presidents Biden and Obama has been deciphered by a professional lip-reader, according to a new report.

The discussion appears to have revolved around Vice President Harris’s standing in the upcoming November 5 election, the New York Post reports. According to Jeremy Freeman, a forensic lip reader based at London, Mr. Biden, 81, remarked, “She’s not as strong as me.” Mr. Obama reportedly responded, “I know … that’s true,” adding, “We have time.”

Mr. Biden, who was reportedly pressured by fellow Democrats to step aside in favor of Ms. Harris on July 21, responded optimistically, “Yeah, we’ll get it in time.” Earlier, Mr. Obama emphasized the importance of spending time together, possibly indicating plans to campaign alongside Ms. Harris.

Although Mr. Freeman’s transcription does not explicitly mention Ms. Harris, the context suggests she was the subject of their conversation. Mr. Freeman noted the dialogue was “very supportive,” with no visible tension between the two leaders, despite some viral speculation spurred by Mr. Obama shaking his head during the talk.

Democratic insiders offered mixed reactions to the translation. Some viewed it as a straightforward assessment of the electoral landscape, while others questioned its accuracy. A Democratic source told the Post, “From the outset, there has been widespread concern that Harris was not a strong alternative to Biden, who clearly was a sinking ship. So much so [that] multiple House members floated the idea of an open convention or removing Harris from the ticket along with Biden.”


The New York Sun

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