As MAGA supporters cheered a conservative — and disgraced — political commentator's reporting that President Joe Biden plans to withdraw from the presidential race as early as this weekend, critics agreed: be plenty skeptical — and it's probably false.
Mark Halperin, a commentator for the far-right-leaning Newsmax TV, reported Thursday, citing multiple anonymous sources, that while Biden plans to drop out, he will "NOT resign the presidency" and "will NOT endorse [Vice President Kamala] Harris."
Furthermore, according to Halperin, he'll endorse an open convention with Harris and about three others.
The report drew immediate cheers from the right, which celebrated another negative Biden storyline.
"LET’S DESTROY THEIR WHOLEPARTY!" wrote @JoeyMannarinoUS.
"And the hits just keep coming for the democrats," wrote @AmericaPapaBear. "How many Ls is that for them this month alone?? It is gonna be a fun rest of the summer!"
Read also: Trump unleashes epic whining tirade as stunned Newsmax host watches interview derail
But then critics weighed in, including Fox News reporter Brooke Singman, who said Biden campaign spokesman T.J. Ducklo denied the report, calling it “entirely inaccurate.”
"Another #Biden aide tells me: 'The President is more committed than ever to winning this election," she said.
Furthermore, Former South Carolina Rep. Bakari Sellers called the reporting "weirdly false."
"The trial balloons are cute though."
Chimed in Mike Harvey, Democratic nominee for Florida Senate District 23: "No withdrawal plans have been discussed by POTUS or his advisors at this time. President Biden is still the head of the party and candidate for President. The rumors, testing the waters are not helping."
And Dan Cluchey, former senior White House speechwriter, jabbed Halperin's post for seemingly identifying his source.
"Very difficult to tell who the source of this dodgy information is — if only he’d left some sort of clue… a name, perhaps, planted subtly somewhere within the leak… perhaps in a way that aggrandizes his role in a moment of historic importance… hard to say…" said Cluchey Thursday.
MSNBC and NBC News dismissed Halperin in 2017 along with several other organizations after a group of women accused him of sexual misconduct.
