Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden on Monday, in a live stream event on Periscope. The endorsement comes a week after he dropped out of the race. While Sanders asked his supporters to get behind Joe, his official endorsement came during the event, which was presented in a conversation between the former frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and the presumptive nominee.
Shaun King. the civil rights activist and co-founder of Real Justice PAC, watched the event on Periscope, and noticed something odd about the conversation. “I can hardly believe what I am watching,” he tweeted. “In his conversation with @BernieSanders – @JoeBiden is clearly reading from a TelePrompTer. It’s supposed to be a CONVERSATION. I’ve never seen this happen in my entire life.”
I can hardly believe what I am watching.
In his conversation with @BernieSanders – @JoeBiden is clearly reading from a TelePrompTer.
It's supposed to be a CONVERSATION.
I've never seen this happen in my entire life. https://t.co/1GcGvFCIFE
— Shaun King (@shaunking) April 13, 2020
During the event, Briahna Joy Gray, former National Press Secretary for Bernie’s 2020 campaign, noted “At one point, Biden said ‘next one.’ Like he was signaling the next cue card.”
Others watching the live stream event noticed Biden’s stiff reading of the teleprompter as well.
Watching an incredibly eloquent, competent bernie sanders endorse braindead joe biden reading off a teleprompter made me want to cry lol
— annie (@proto_bitchass) April 13, 2020
Why did Biden require a teleprompter for a conversation that was planned? It's not like Bernie was going to zing him. Biden is going to get crushed. https://t.co/mq0WzOR6sq
— ryan smith 🛡️ (@iamryanjsmith) April 13, 2020
Biden on the teleprompter while having just a regular conversation with Bernie is L I T
— Derek Tulowitzky (@DerekTulo) April 13, 2020
Despite a teleprompter, Joe Biden said he and Bernie Sanders are creating 6 policy working groups but Biden repeated "the economy" twice.
"One on the economy, one on education, one on criminal justice… one on immigration, climate change, and the economy."
What's the 6th Joe? pic.twitter.com/EGZVxlEty2
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) April 13, 2020
biden struggling to read from the teleprompter during the livestream with bernie was very presidential I think
— cinnabunny (@notsofiacoppola) April 13, 2020
Biden is literally reading from a teleprompter while "talking" to Bernie. Wow. His handlers have prepared this shitshow.
— El Brocko (@ChickHearnBern) April 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/SwopePutney/status/1249765339212271616
lol I just watched Joe Biden have a "conversation" with Bernie READING OFF A TELEPROMPTER. Idk about you, but that's a big red flag for me. Like…he really can't hold a conversation lmaooo this is the guy Barack killed the primaries for? holy
— Blank 🇭🇹 (@HantzleyxA) April 13, 2020
(Bernie’s face says it all. What the heck did I just do?)
Joe Biden gets confused by the teleprompter:
"I will make an educator?"
— Kambree (@KamVTV) April 13, 2020
I love how Biden mumbles for 10 seconds after Bernie asks him a question and then – voila – he's as fluent and coherent as ever.
Magic? No, it's called a teleprompter. https://t.co/b1GvXW3wkW— Babayev (@babayevsky) April 13, 2020
It is pretty difficult to watch. There are times that Biden looks off-camera towards someone as though there’s an issue. Honestly, there are times it looks like Bernie is looking off-camera as well. I don’t know if he was using cue cards to know what topics to discuss or what, but the event looked very scripted on both ends.
If Democrats think Joe Biden can handle a debate with Donald Trump, they are in for a very rude awakening.
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Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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