Two simple but meaningful words from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) — “senior moment” — and President Joe Biden’s flip-flop on providing aid to Israel in its do-or-die war with Hamas have seemingly united the GOP, including “Never Trumpers.”
After days of ducking the topic, Biden blurted out on Wednesday night that he had suspended military arms shipments to Israel at exactly the time it says it needs them most.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem,” Biden told CNN.
Johnson said he was shocked and claimed it was a policy flip-flop.
“My reaction honestly was: Wow, that is a complete turn from what I have been told even in, you know, recent hours,” Johnson said. “I mean, 24 hours ago, it was confirmed to me by top administration officials that the policy’s very different than what he stated there. So I hope that’s a senior moment,” he added.
Almost immediately Thursday morning, Johnson allies started to play up the “senior moment” comment, convinced that it would drive home concerns that Biden has become dangerously cognitively impaired.
“The line is catching on everywhere, in every media outlet — because Biden walked right into it, he walked into a deeply rooted narrative that 200 million voters have about him. The speaker just put a cherry on top of the sundae,” a House GOP leadership adviser said.
Biden’s age and regular confusion and mumbles aside, the policy hardening against Israel has also helped to begin uniting Republicans around Trump, who has blasted Biden’s ever-changing Middle East policy.
Even some noted Never Trumpers have expressed dismay and may go back to supporting Trump.
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Conservative influencer John Schindler tweeted to his 235,000 followers, “I was #NeverTrump before basically anybody. Biden screwing over our ally, at war, over domestic politics is the last straw. I am not pro-Trump but he’s not the worst evil now.”
And conservative pundit Jonah Goldberg tweeted, “Fwiw. I’ve heard from a LOT of reliably anti-Trump people — I mean really, really, anti-Trump people — who have had it with Biden tonight. Anecdotal, to be sure. But very telling in my circle.”
