Monday on the RealClearPolitics radio show — weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, and here on our website — Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth break down how the world of politics is reacting to news that former President Biden has prostate cancer. Is the timing too suspicious? Former Obama advisor David Axelrod said the diagnosis should “mute” conversations about a “cover-up” of Biden’s deteriorating health. Tom Bevan disagrees: “Absolutely not. That’s why they did this, this is no coincidence. The timing of this announcement was to generate sympathy for Biden.” Carl Cannon added: “Remember in 2022, when Biden blurted out that he had cancer? This was called misspeaking, just a glitch. But that’s not the kind of thing you say by accident. It turns out, apparently, he was telling the truth, and his staff didn’t want him to tell the truth. I don’t use the word cover-up very often, but that seems like what’s going on here.” Andrew Walworth cited Dr. Zeke Emanuel telling MSNBC that given the severity of the diagnosis, Biden either didn’t test for prostate cancer or hid it for years: “None of this is alleviating pressure on Biden, it seems to me this increases the need for answers.” “The thing about Biden’s mental acuity was not a cover-up. A cover-up assumes something is hidden. Biden’s mental fitness was not a secret. This was just straight-up gaslighting of the American people,” Tom Bevan said. “They were just lying right to our faces. The cancer diagnosis is more of a cover-up; that’s something we couldn’t have known.” *** After that, starting at minute 13, the Mexican Navy training ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge last night has become political, as New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer blames President Trump’s cuts at the Coast Guard. “He said the exact same thing about the Democratic administration when that container ship knocked down that bridge in Baltimore,” Carl Cannon joked. “I’m sure there are some people who say, ‘Good job! Way to go after Trump, Chuck!’ But I think the vast majority thinks this looks foolish,” Bevan added. *** Next, at minute 17, President Trump is calling for a “major investigation” into Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, and Beyonce, suggesting in an overnight “Truth Social” post, they were paid to endorse the Harris campaign and perform at her events. “What’s the crime here?” Cannon wondered. “Great, make fun of the Democrats for how they spend money, and make fun of wealthy Democrats for taking money from a campaign that they said had a moral imperative to defend democracy. That’s grist for conversation, but I thought Trump didn’t want to weaponize the criminal justice system.” “When they pay Oprah’s production company a million dollars and then she says she wasn’t getting paid personally, you could ask a question about that,” Andrew Walworth commented. “They paid Beyonce $ 168,000, and I don’t know what she did other than show up.” *** In the next segment, starting at timestamp 23:20, RCP White House correspondent Phil Wegmann joins Tom Bevan to discuss what we know about President Trump’s call this morning with Russian President Putin. According to Trump on Truth Social, the two-hour call went very well and peace talks with Ukraine will begin “immediately.” “The subtext here comes from press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said this morning that the president is ‘weary and frustrated by both parties.’ And over the weekend, Vice President Vance said during a meeting with the Pope — who could mediate these talks — that he would not underplay the possibility that the U.S. walks away!” Wegmann reported. Wegmann also breaks down how Trump’s “big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill is doing and the latest Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s mass deportation plan. *** Finally, at timestamp 35:40, Carl Cannon talks to RealClearReligion contributor Myra Kahn Adams about her ongoing series: “Bible Study For Those Who Don’t Read The Bible,” and her new piece about the growing tension between the vice president and the secretary of state: “Vance and Rubio Are Auditioning Daily for a 2028 Audience of One” “It was sparked by a May 4 ‘Meet the Press’ interview Trump had,” she said. “He mentioned JD Vance, but he also mentioned Rubio. This really threw people for a loop because he was setting up a rivalry. 2028 is so far away, but the reality show aspect of it is something I think Trump really enjoys.” “This is a reality show,” she said. “It’s going to run four seasons until 2028, and there are a lot of colorful characters. It’s going to be very Shakespearean, it’s going to be fun to watch.” *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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