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'I'm in Pampers!' Van Jones hits back at dogged Democrats who labelled Biden critics 'bedwetters' - as he challenges 81-year-old president to an unscripted sit down interview
Prominent progressive Van Jones has openly declared himself a 'bedwetter' - an apparent reference to what Joe Biden's campaign has called the 'bedwetting brigade' for panicking over his first debate performance.
Jones, whose bosses have included both Barack Obama and Prince, made the admission on-air on CNN, where he's worked as a contributor for more than a decade.
It comes days after the 55-year-old Tennessean couldn't hide his disappointment with the president and his weak, lethargic, performance, which he categorized as 'painful' for the Democratic Party.
On Monday, he doubled down, despite being a devout Democrat himself.
He went on to reference the new term used by Biden's team to slam those getting cold feet, before challenging the commander-in-chief to sit down for an unscripted interview to prove him wrong.
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Political commentator Van Jones (right) made the admission on CNN Monday, as more and more Democrats begin to distance themselves from the campaigning president
The prominent progressive aired his unease minutes before Biden addressed the nation (seen here), and days after his disastrous debate performance
'I'll tell you this: people are talking about bedwetters,' he said, quoting part of the biting phrase first used by Deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty in a campaign blast to supporters.
'I'm sitting here where I'm in Pampers, Huggies, and Depends, okay,' Jones went on to joke.
'Call me a bedwetter.'
The political commenter proceeded to grow more serious, while appearing remotely from Los Angeles minutes before Biden addressed the nation.
"I''m scared "I'm worried. I'm nervous,' he conceded. 'And a lot of people are.
'Everybody has the party line,' he continued. 'But behind closed doors, what people are worrying about is what are the polls going to show in the battleground states a week from now.
The former Special Advisor for Green Jobs for the Obama White House went on to insist that those polls - along with the waning confidence of Democratic donors - will be key in seeing whether Biden will take a seat in the Oval Office for four more years.
he said such a prospect remains uncertain, telling his CNN colleagues: 'We don't know what- what that's gonna look like.'
Last week, the 55-year-old Tennessean couldn't hide his disappointment with the president's debate performance, which he categorized as 'painful' for the Democratic Party
He went on to posit the next two steps that will decide the commander-in-chief's fate, before issuing his own provocation to see where the president's mental capabilities currently lie
He went on to posit the next two steps that will decide the commander-in-chief's fate, before issuing his own provocation to see where the president's mental faculties currently lie.
"Number one: What [are] the polls are going to show in a week?' he said
'Number two, are they going to be- can Joe Biden survive in an unscripted scenario?
'Can you sit down for an interview?' he said, seemingly speaking directly to the former senator.
'Can you do one? Can you do two or three? If so, then they're right - it was a bad day.
'But if you can't,' he continued, 'it's not a bad day — he's in a bad way.
'If you're in a bad way, that's different.'
A few days earlier, Jones said that the moment Biden lost the debate - which also aired on CNN - came in 'the first three minutes', when he appeared weak and raspy on camera.
'That was painful. I love Joe Biden, I worked with Joe Biden, he didn't do well at all, he did not do well at all,' he said.
He further framed the debate 'the old man vs. the con man' and tried to, as he put it, speak to his heart about a 'good man, who loves his country, he's doing the best he can.'
'He had a test tonight to restore the confidence of the country, of the base and he failed.'
Jones said that there's now a belief among Democrats that they 'want to see him consider taking a different course now' and claimed the party had to 'figure out a different way forward' in time for the convention in August.
'There is time for this party to figure out a different way forward, if he will allow us to do that, but that was not what we needed from Joe Biden and is personally painful for a lot of people,' he continued.
'It's not just panic, its pain of what we saw tonight.'
While not addressing calls for him to step aside during his own address later in the day, Biden continued to defend his cognizance his debate performance on Friday, while speaking out at a rally in North Carolina.
There, he told onlookers that he was still the party's best bet at beating Trump, despite what millions saw on TV.
'I know I'm not a young man, I don't walk as easy as I used to, I don't speak as smoothly as I used to, I don't debate as well as I used to.
'But I know what I do know,' he continued, before receiving a round of uproarious applause.
'I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.'
'I know, like many of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up,' he concluded.
While not addressing calls for him to step aside during his own address later in the day, Biden continued to defend his cognizance his debate performance on Friday, while speaking out at a rally in North Carolina
Biden has not only had to defend his continued candidacy among worried Democrats, but the media as well.
In an editorial over the weekend, the New York Times beseeched Biden to step aside.
In addition, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that 'retirement is now necessary' for the 81-year-old incumbent - asking him to pass the torch to a more competent candidate.
Meanwhile, several concerned aides on Saturday told Axios how the commander-in-chief should step down.
'This is no longer about Joe Biden's family or his emotions,' one fed-up adviser in told the publication. 'This is about our country. It's an utter f***ing disaster that has to be addressed.'
Experts, meanwhile, have said the decision is ultimately up to president this late in the game, despite reportedly being too tired to work past 4 pm and struggling to wake before 10 am.
In an editorial over the weekend, the New York Times beseeched Biden to step aside, and several concerned aides on Saturday told Axios how the commander-in-chief should step down
One Democratic House member who spoke to NBC News Saturday said they are one of many who believe Biden should drop out, despite none calling for that publicly.
They said three colleagues expressed the same sentiment during votes on the House floor on Friday, as Biden continued to defend himself in North Carolina.
Members of the house have also not wavered publicly, and their aides have also rejected the idea they are having second-thoughts behind closed doors.
'Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi has full confidence in President Biden and looks forward to attending his inauguration on January 20, 2025,' Ian Krager, a spokesman for the former House speaker said.
'Any suggestion that she has engaged in a different course of action is simply not true.'
Christie Stephenson, a spokesperson for Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, also added that her boss has 'made clear publicly and privately that he supports President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket from top to bottom.'
Brianna Frias, a spokeswoman for South Carolina's Jim Clyburn, said the rep 'has total confidence in President Joe Biden and the Biden-Harris ticket.'
'Any reports alleging that the Congressman has expressed anything other than firm support of President Biden are completely untrue,' she told NBC News.
Afterward, an email from Biden's team sent to supporters continued to defend the president, claiming that his dropping out would only 'lead to weeks of chaos' - along with the email blast that birthed the 'bedwetting term'
That said, the Democrats could be giving the president space as he mulls his next steps, with Camp David appearing to be a critical juncture in this decision making process as insiders say First Lady Jill holds the most influence out of her husband's inner circle.
'The decision-makers are two people - it's the president and his wife,' one of the sources familiar with the discussions told NBC News of this already known dynamic.
They added: 'Anyone who doesn't understand how deeply personal and familial this decision will be isn't knowledgeable about the situation.'
The biggest defense of the politician, however, came on Saturday from Deputy campaign manager Flaherty, during which he birthed the 'bedwetting' phrase now being used so openly.
He also said Biden dropping out of the race would only 'lead to weeks of chaos,' painting the concern of Democrats as the work of a 'bedwetting brigade.'