The Biden family and staff are reportedly blaming CNN for Joe Biden’s poor performance at last Thursday’s presidential debate with Trump in Atlanta. CNN has come under fire for making Biden look “pale and pale” after he allegedly appeared weak, dazed and confused due to a cold and unable to speak clearly and complete his thoughts.
Biden set the terms of the debate, with little opposition from Trump, who has long demanded a debate with Biden “anytime, anywhere.” Biden asked CNN to host the debate in late June instead of during the traditional fall campaign season, requiring no viewers and a mute button for Trump. Trump showed up and Biden was humiliated on national television in a debate that was meant to refocus the presidential campaign in Biden’s favor but ended up falling apart.
As the shock of Biden’s poor performance subsided, recriminations began to emerge in the media, with several of Biden’s top aides accused of overpreparing for his week-long retreat at Camp David and CNN He was severely criticized for his actions.
Most interestingly, CNN was accused of making Biden look pale in front of the camera because of the make-up worn by the network crew.
The New York Times and Politico reported on the CNN attack.
Excerpt from the New York Times:
Biden’s family is also said to be paying attention to members of the president’s staff, including senior White House adviser Ms. Dunn and her husband, the president’s personal lawyer Mr. Ball, who impersonates Mr. Trump in debate rehearsals.
They asked why Mr. Klain, the former White House chief of staff in charge of preparations, asked him to handle what they saw as too many statistics, and they were angry with Mr. Biden. Sources said that her face, which was tanned in the summer, looked pale with makeup.
Political excerpts:
Additionally, Biden campaign staffers are angrier at CNN’s conduct of the debates, according to several people familiar with the matter. Their complaints were lengthy, according to the trio, including that hosts should fact-check Trump more frequently, that Biden wasn’t told which shots he would appear on when he wasn’t speaking, and that makeup staff made him look too pale. However, Biden did agree to the terms of the debate before it took place.
After the debate, a post complaining about CNN’s visual treatment of Biden went viral on Twitter, with nearly 6 million views. The post was written by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump who released a recording of the conversation and published a book, Thus betraying her trust.
No one had to say a word.
CNN’s carefully considered framing and lighting design effectively convey the intended perception of vulnerability versus dominance in the visual composition.
Biden was photographed from the side, his face as pale as a ghost.
Trump was filmed directly without looking at his… pic.twitter.com/MpVAQO4kkS
— Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (@SWinstonWolkoff) June 28, 2024
Body language expert Joe Navarro analyzed the candidates’ appearance in POLITICO, contrasting Trump’s tanned, fit appearance with Biden’s (excerpt):
Trump’s tan makes Biden look pale
The first thing I noticed about Trump was his tan. You might think this sounds superficial, but appearance can make a big difference. Consider how disheveled Richard Nixon looked in the first televised debate in 1960—five o’clock shadow, no makeup, pale complexion—next to a young, tanned Senator John F. Kennedy in black and makeup.
Likewise, Biden looked as pale as a sheet next to a sun-kissed Trump. People naturally feel healthy, energetic and energetic from a tanned face. It’s another sign that Biden appears weak.
What else can I say about Biden’s body language?
I’ve been following Biden since the early 1990s, and he’s the most stoic I’ve ever seen him. At times he’s as motionless as a statue, especially in the first 40 minutes or so. His lack of movement was especially noticeable around Trump, who used dynamic hand gestures and aggressive finger pointing to grab the audience’s attention, emphasize his arguments and make him appear more dynamic.
I often say body language is persuasive, but Biden’s book is full of blank spaces. Of course, this could be because he wants to be respectful and listen attentively. But it could also be because, as we age, our gestures become more economical. Biden’s nonverbal communications did little to refute the notion that his age is catching up with him.
There are reports that the Biden family, headed by Hunter, does not want Joe to withdraw.
Next debate, they might want to hire a funeral director to do Joe’s makeup. They know how to make stiff people look lively.
