V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett
Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett, during a recent radio interview, expressed her support for President Biden, who is currently under immense pressure to step down as president. However, while voicing her support for the president, Plaskett described his debate performance — the catalyst for the growing voices calling for him to step aside — as "horrific." She also suggested that Biden might be suffering from dyslexia, a learning disorder that affects an individual's ability to read, spell, write, and sometimes speak.
“I believe maybe he even has dyslexia or something with when he's looking at things and how he's reading them. But when you talk to him — I was on Air Force One with him last month, and the amount of specificity that he gave in terms of policy, and numbers with his different things that he's doing, that he has done, it's a completely different person,” Plaskett stated.
She further elaborated on concerns within the Democratic Party regarding Biden’s physical capabilities, especially after the debate. “I talk to other members all the time, and their concern is not just that the debate was horrific, but what the debate exposed about him physically, and they were concerned about well, what if this happens again,” Plaskett explained.
Plaskett made these remarks on WTJX's Analyze This, a radio talk show hosted by former Senator Neville James. Her comments are significant as they come during a critical time for Biden, with reports from the New York Times and other sources suggesting that an announcement from the president to step aside is imminent.
Despite the calls for Biden to quit the race, Plaskett emphasized that these voices did not represent the majority of the Democratic Party. She also pointed out that the Democratic convention, scheduled for August 19-24, was too close for any major changes. The congresswoman criticized the Biden campaign for over-preparing the president with excessive statistics instead of allowing him to be himself. She noted that Biden had a strong performance at a rally the day after his debate with former President Donald Trump.
Addressing the potential for Kamala Harris to replace Biden, Plaskett discussed the intersection of race and gender in politics, drawing parallels to the 2016 election. She asserted that white women, who did not vote for Hillary Clinton, are unlikely to support a black woman as the first female president. “I was talking to a senior member of Congress, a white woman, and she was like, ‘Well, I think we’ll support Harris.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t believe you.’ And she was like, ‘Why? Why would you say that?’ I was like, ‘You, I could potentially believe, but black people do not trust, particularly white women in this because you guys wouldn’t even support your own candidate. And we don’t believe that you will let the first female president be a black woman,’” Plaskett said.
The congresswoman, running unopposed for Delegate to Congress in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has been a staunch supporter of Biden during his tenure and is a known opponent of Trump. She was one of nine Democrats tasked with prosecuting the House's impeachment case against the former president in 2021.
