Former Bill Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos on Thursday put the pressure on Joe Biden not to run, hyping Hillary Clinton’s performance at Tuesday’s presidential debate. Good Morning America co-host Stephanopoulos cheered, “Hillary Clinton smoking out Joe Biden after Wednesday night's debate.’
Stephanopoulos, who Politico revealed in 2009 participated in daily Democratic strategy calls with James Carville and Rahm Emanuel, told viewers that “a lot of Democrats seem to think the door is closing on a possible bid by [Biden].”
Regarding the debate, reporter Jon Karl lectured, “The party, instead of seeing a wounded front-runner with Hillary Clinton out there, saw a very strong performance for Hillary Clinton and much less of a rationale for Biden to get into the race." (On Wednesday night's World News, Cecilia Vega hailed the Democrat's "victory lap.")
Stephanopoulos even worried about whether Barack Obama should be appearing with Biden, fretting, “The Vice President had lunch with the President yesterday. This could be putting the President in kind of a tricky situation. What's the White House thinking?”
In May of 2015, it was revealed that Stephanopoulos secretly donaed $75,000 to the Clinton Global Initiative.
A transcript of the October 15 Good Morning America segment is below:
7:09am ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: The race for president now. Your voice, your vote. And front-runners riding high. Hillary Clinton smoking out Joe Biden after Wednesday night's debate. Donald Trump packing in more big crowds.
...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's talk to Jon Karl about this now and, Jon, Vice President Biden out there yesterday saying he was proud of what he saw on the debate stage. But it comes as a lot of Democrats seem to think the door is closing on a possible bid by him. He's not saying anything.
JON KARL: No decision yet from Biden, but I've got to tell you, George, I've spoken to a lot of Biden confidantes, people very close to the Vice President. There is a growing sense even among them that he may have waited too long, that the decision is being made for him. I mean, the debate, a big factor, as one Biden longtime friend told me he needed to be at that debate. This Biden friend said if you're going to run for president you actually need to run. The party, instead of seeing a wounded front-runner with Hillary Clinton out there, saw a very strong performance for Hillary Clinton and much less of a rationale for Biden to get into the race.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Also closing in on the first deadline October 29th in Georgia. Meanwhile, the Vice President had lunch with the President yesterday. This could be putting the President in kind of a tricky situation. What's the White House thinking?
KARL: Well, I got to tell you, I cannot find a single senior staff member in the White House, a single senior aide to the President who thinks Biden is going to run. The clear sense in the west wing is that he will not run. Although, George, all of those senior officials acknowledge that they don't know for sure, that Biden has not told them anything.
STEPHANOPOULOS: No one knows what's in his heart and mind. Okay, Jon Karl, thanks very much.
