A CNN panel on Wednesday discussed how notable it was that former First Lady Michelle Obama did not mention President Joe Biden during her Tuesday Democratic National Convention (DNC) speech.
The former first lady spoke for about 20 minutes at the DNC before bringing former President Barack Obama onto the stage. CNN host John Berman and political director David Chalian, on “CNN News Central,” noted the former first lady did not talk about Biden, while the former president dedicated a portion of his speech to the president.
WATCH:
CNN Panel Says It ‘Was Hard Not To Notice’ Michelle Obama Snubbing Joe Biden In DNC Speech pic.twitter.com/XrDg0vmZrC
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“Barack Obama, the president, literally said ‘passing the torch’ so it’s not subtle. With Michelle Obama, there was something that she did, which was almost, ‘we’re passing the torch over Joe Biden.’ She didn’t mention Joe Biden,” Berman said.
“That was hard not to notice, right? She had zero mention of Joe Biden, the person that her husband put on the ticket and sort of elevated him to this new potential in his long-storied career,” Chalian responded. “And yet Barack Obama did make sure to dedicate several paragraphs of the speech to Joe Biden and to give him a tribute. Perhaps … that was one reason why Michelle Obama didn’t feel it was necessary. She knew it was the husband’s speech. But also we know that Michelle Obama saw her role here as far different. It wasn’t to check every box of a political speech.”
Chalian also characterized the former first lady as a “cultural figure” that “transcends politics in many ways.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also did not mention Biden during their first rally together after the vice president tapped the governor to be her running mate.
The Obamas endorsed Harris for president five days after Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid.
Biden took the DNC stage on Monday long after he was slated to deliver his primetime address to headline the first night of the convention, appearing close to midnight on the East Coast. Former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza suggestedBiden’s anger is why the president planned a departure from the DNC directly to California for a vacation following his speech.
“Joe Biden is pissed. He wanted his legacy to end differently,” he said. “But I think it’s really important to note he’s a human being, and what has transpired over the last two months is really, really, really difficult. And the fact that he’s shuttling out of the convention on Monday night after he gives the speech is super, super telling.”
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