President Biden griped to former President Barack Obama that “she” is “not as strong as me” — with Obama agreeing “that’s true” — in a stunning off-mic conversation deciphered for The Post by a professional lip reader.
The apparent candid assessment of Vice President Kamala Harris’ standing going into the Nov. 5 election occurred Wednesday afternoon as America’s two most recent Democratic presidents conversed at Ethel Kennedy’s memorial service in Washington.
“She’s not as strong as me,” said Biden, 81, according to the translation, which was produced by analyzing the on-video lip movements during the discussion.
“I know … that’s true,” the popular former president agreed, adding, “We have time.”
“Yeah, we’ll get it in time,” said Biden, who was forced by fellow Democrats to relinquish the party’s nomination in favor of Harris on July 21 in a mutiny that Obama was believed to support.
Moments earlier, Obama said, “it’s important that we have some time together” in a possible reference to campaigning alongside Harris.
The dialogue was translated for The Post by Jeremy Freeman, a London-based forensic lip reader who was born deaf and for 16 years has served as a University College London-certified expert witness for litigants, the police and journalists.
Although Harris’ name was not included in Freeman’s transcription, it’s unclear to whom else the conversation could have pertained.
Freeman described the conservation as “very supportive” and said he detected “no tension” between Obama and Biden, as had been speculated in viral commentary due to Obama shaking his head at one point.
Democratic sources were divided when asked about the translation — with some saying they believe it was an honest take on the state of the 2024 race and others expressing such strong disbelief that they questioned the accuracy of the script.
“From the outset, there has been widespread concern that Harris was not a strong alternative to Biden, who clearly was a sinking ship. So much so [that] multiple House members floated the idea of an open convention or removing Harris from the ticket along with Biden,” said one Democratic source.