Democratic Attorney General Accused of Sending ‘Coded’ Message to Joe Biden

Dana Nessel, Michigan’s Democratic attorney general, has been accused of sending President Joe Biden a “coded” message calling on him to end his reelection bid.

Biden faced growing calls to leave the 2024 race following the first presidential debate on June 27 in which he gave a series of incoherent and confusing responses and appeared to trail off at times without finishing sentences. A Biden aide previously told Newsweek that the president was fighting a cold. He also said he had been tired from international travel and has no plans to drop out of the race.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Nessel arguably joined the calls by responding to a soccer player announcing she had not been chosen to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games.

The athlete, Alex Morgan, who turned 35 last week, wrote: “Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage. This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest.

“In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country. LFG”

In response, Nessel wrote: “I adore Alex Morgan. One of the greatest of all time. But she’s aged significantly from her prime playing days & gracefully accepted that in order to win the gold it was time to pass the baton.”

Some users then suggested Nessel should be more direct.

“Alex Morgan can still run circles around most people,” one X user said in response. “If you want to call out Biden, just do it!”

Another wrote: “Can we all please just say what we mean, clearly, out loud, with conviction, in public, so that we can move on from this?”

A third, government relations strategist Liam Donovan, wrote: “What is it with Michigan pols and coded tweets?”

Journalist Ryan Saavedra wrote: “Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) appears to take a passive aggressive shot at President Joe Biden but botches it. She suggests that Alex Morgan ‘gracefully accepted’ that she shouldn’t play anymore in order for the team to win. That’s not what happened. Morgan was not picked and she responded by saying she was ‘disappointed’ by the decision. Many were shocked by the decision not to pick her. She said she would still support the team.”

Newsweek contact Nessel by website form for comment.

Since the debate, Biden’s odds of victory against former President Donald Trump have also slumped, according to bookmakers, and multiple House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to drop out.

Mike Quigley of Illinois, the fourth House Democrat to call on Biden to exit the race, was asked on CNN about Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman’s comments defending the president.

Fetterman wrote: “Democrats need to get a spine or grow a set—one or the other. Joe Biden is our guy.”

In response, Quigley said: “I think what takes a spine is to step aside and recognize the president of the United States doesn’t have the vigor necessary to overcome the deficit here, and it’s going to affect us all.”

Biden has also lost the support of some donors. George Conway, a Trump critic and attorney who previously donated $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund, the maximum permissible amount, said Biden and Trump should withdraw.

Despite criticism, Biden is on course to officially become the party’s nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. The general election is November 5.