How state, local supporters and critics reacted to Pres. Biden's high-stakes press conference
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Former congressman Reid Ribble, a Republican who represented northeast Wisconsin for six years in the House, said Thursday he will vote for neither President Joe Biden nor his party's nominee, former president Donald Trump.
Like many Americans, Ribble watched President Biden's press conference Thursday -- the first solo press conference he's held this year -- amid a growing number of Democrats calling for Mr. Biden to step aside following his performance in the first presidential debate. In that debate two weeks ago, Biden at times struggled to put sentences together or finish thoughts before running out of time.
"He certainly seemed more alert than he did at the debate, which is a fairly low bar," Ribble, who served in the House from 2011 to 2017, said. "But I thought he looked alert and sounded alert."
Ribble said the president may have alleviated some Democrats' concerns, but when asked what he'd advise Mr. Biden to do if he were in his inner circle, Ribble compared the situation to taking the car keys away from his aging parents and in-laws.
"Up until that point, they were totally capable drivers. You couldn't say, 'Well they're not capable drivers,' but we were worried about what was coming," Ribble said. "And just because you were capable for the last four years, if you are not being observant to the slippage that's occurring, you're putting somebody in a really bad spot."
Milwaukee Ald. Mark Chambers acknowledged there have been whispers in the city's political circles questioning whether President Biden could win in November.
"There's a couple people who are skeptical of it; I'm not gonna deny that," Chambers said.
Chambers said those conversations often center around how Mr. Biden's recent gaffes give Mr. Trump and Republicans fresh fodder before the Republican National Convention takes center stage in Milwaukee next week.
Chambers said he defends Mr. Biden in those talks, pointing to the administration's accomplishments, such as slowing inflation and forgiving student loan debt.
"They're like, 'Trump is going and the Republicans are going to pounce on Biden's poor debate' and all this stuff," he said. "What I tell them is focus on the three-and-a-half years he's done. Focus on the administration he has."
When asked if Vice President Kamala Harris would be more likely to boost turnout in Milwaukee's Black neighborhoods, Chambers said he was confident both Harris and Mr. Biden will energize the city's Black voters.
"Would I think she'd make a great president? Yes, but right now, this is Joe Biden's time," Chambers said of Harris. "And it's time for us to stand behind him and focus on the matter at hand."
Biden campaign seeks, gets edits to Milwaukee radio interview
Madison-based Civic Media confirmed Thursday the Biden campaign requested two edits to the audio of an interview Mr. Biden recorded last week with Milwaukee radio host Earl Ingram.
In a statement posted to the company's website, Civic Media said it learned Monday Ingram's production team made those requested cuts. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the story. One of the edits was Mr. Biden touting how he has "more Blacks in my administration than any other president, all other presidents combined."
Ingram had previously revealed the Biden campaign suggested several questions for him to ask the president, and Ingram agreed to ask most of them during the 18-minute interview.
"Civic Media disagrees with the team’s judgments in the moment, both with respect to the handling of the interview questions and the decision to edit the interview audio," the company posted on its website.
Civic Media said it still supports Ingram and his team, but it will "clarify our internal policies" with non-news commenters regarding high-profile interviews.
In a statement, a Biden-Harris campaign spokesperson wrote, "Hosts have always been free to ask the questions and air the segments they think will best inform their listeners."
The statement did not confirm whether the campaign has sought the edits and did not answer CBS 58's question about whether the campaign planned to continue the practice in the future.
Two weeks ago, a Virginia TV station reported the Trump campaign canceled a reporter's interview after learning what the reporter wanted to ask the former president.