DONALD Trump mocked Joe Biden for having an “awful facelift” and laughed about his stutter while watching a debate between the 2020 Democratic candidates, a new book claims.
The former president remained confident of his position in February 2020, writing off challenges by the likes of Pete Buttigieg but showing most concern fellow New Yorker Michael Bloomberg, it adds.
In his new book Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender, details Trump’s interaction with journalists as the presidential campaigning got underway.
In one interaction, Trump reportedly gave journalists a play-by-play of one of the Democratic debates as they traveled with him aboard Air Force One from Phoenix to Las Vegas.
“Trump then started offering his own color commentary: Bloomberg was smart, but not quick,” Bender wrote, according to an excerpt seen by Fox News.
“Biden had an awful facelift. Bernie was sharp, and Warren was nasty but a good debater.
“But the climax for Trump was Bloomberg melting down when rivals, led by Warren, skewered him over his history of sexual harassment allegations and past support for stop-and-frisk policing,” Bender added.
“Trump crowed at every stammer he saw on-screen. ‘He stutters like Biden!’ Trump said.”
Biden struggled with a stutter as a young boy and spent years battling to overcome it.
A plastic surgeon has also claimed he had a lot of cosmetic surgery to fill his wrinkles, fix his hairline, and whiten his teeth.
Dr. Barry Cohen, a Washington, DC-area plastic surgeon, told the Washington Examiner: “Without any question, Joe Biden had hair transplants.
“In fact, he had bad plugs years ago.
“Subsequently, he filled in his frontal hairline to camouflage the bad ‘Barbie dollesque’ plugs.
“I suspect he has regular Botox and probably filler. If he had a facelift, he needs another.”
Cohen said that he didn’t expect Biden to face scrutiny for his procedures because they are now common.
He added: “No one cares anymore.”
Buttigieg? That f***ing guy? Nah.
Donald Trump
Despite his confidence in reelection at the start of 2020, Trump was reportedly anxious about Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, and was repeatedly asking aides their thoughts on him.
“Trump was anxious about Bloomberg, too, and had to be constantly reassured,” Bender wrote.
“‘What do you think of Bloomberg?’ he’d ask Oval Office visitors. ‘Who are you most worried about?’”
He reportedly dismissed Buttigieg when an aide suggested the former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor was his main contender.
“Buttigieg? That f***ing guy? Nah,” he allegedly responded.
At this point in the race, the Democratic field was still highly congested and Trump was buoyed by high approval ratings.
“The president was feeling emboldened,” Bender wrote.
“His approval ratings were at the highest point of his presidency, he’d removed or reassigned many of the administration officials who had testified against him during impeachment, and now Democrats were falling apart.”
After the incident on Air Force One when he delivered the debate blow-by-blow to reporters, Trump reportedly told them his confidence in his second term.
“I’m the president, and I’m going to stay the president. And you’re finally starting to realize that!” he allegedly said.
Biden would go on to win the Democratic nomination and the election, despite claims from Trump that it was “rigged.”
Bender’s claims in the book have led to some backlash from Trump himself.
The former president blasted him as a “third rate reporter.”
Trump added that it was a “waste of time” giving interviews with reporters post-presidency.
Other claims Bender has made include that some Republican National Committee (RNC) officials did not vote for Trump in 2020.
The RNC disputed this in a statement to Fox News.
“This is not true. There was no organization or team more dedicated to re-electing President Trump than the RNC,” a national party spokesperson said.
