Politix

President Biden's debate gaffes are ticking off some folks who work in the White House, because they've reportedly been kept away from him ... and now it's causing a divide among staffers.

Alex Thompson, the national political correspondent for Axios, joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," and broke down the disconnect happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Alex says lots of people who work with Biden are only given access to him between 10 AM and 4 PM when POTUS is at his sharpest, and that's why they were so shocked to see his slip-ups at Thursday's debate, which started at 9 PM ET -- a time when Alex says Biden is more prone to make mental mistakes.

Politics and rap music collided at the BET Awards 2024 ... when Vice President Kamala Harris slyly dropped a Kendrick Lamar reference to drive home her point about the upcoming elections.

In a pre-recorded clip airing during the ceremony Sunday, Harris took a call from host Taraji P. Henson ... who was worried about freedoms, women's rights, and the Supreme Court.

Kamala agreed there was a lot at stake, adding, "The majority of us believe in freedom and equality, but these extremists, as they say, "They not like us.'"

Chrissy Teigen's casting her vote for the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover ... and, she's no "Nonsense" about getting singer Sabrina Carpenter.

The model -- who appeared on the cover of this year's issue, BTW -- talked about her who she wants to follow in her footsteps in an interview with People ... and, she immediately pointed to the "Espresso" singer.

Teigen says Sabrina's participation in the mag would be awesome ... noting she and her kids are obsessed with SC's music right now -- though hopefully, the kiddos haven't heard Carpenter's steamy outros.

President Biden got a clear sign he should drop out of the race ... but not from his family or staff -- from a bi-plane.

Biden was in the Hamptons Saturday for a splashy fundraiser, as the relic of a plane flew overhead, pulling a banner that read "BI-DONE!"

Unclear if the Prez saw the sign. He was busy rubbing elbows with the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan. Ticket prices were steep -- going for as much as $250k a pop.

There's a hot debate brewing right now on social media after this week's Biden-Trump debate – and it has to do with who allegedly cut the cheese onstage.

As everyone knows, Donald Trump went toe-to-toe with his Democratic rival and current commander in chief, Joe Biden, at their first 2024 debate in Atlanta, Georgia.

During Thursday's Q&A session with CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, Trump was standing at a podium talking about tariffs he imposed on China while he was President and how Joe wouldn't remove them due to the influx of money into the U.S. after The Donald left office.

Donald Trump says America doesn't need a president who chokes in big moments ... adding that's just what President Biden did when debating him this week.

The 45th President of the United States took to Truth Social to blast his successor Saturday ... taking him to task for his poorly received performance at their debate in Atlanta Thursday.

DJT didn't hold back on his political nemesis ... repeating claims Biden's using the justice system to try and throw him in prison -- and implying a guilty conscience led to Biden's Thursday blow-up.

Omarosa is blasting Donald Trump for having the audacity to claim illegal immigrants are taking away "Black jobs" ... and says he owes voters some explanation for what he meant.

Trump's former 'Apprentice' ally tells TMZ ... his remarks at the debate about "Black jobs" and "Hispanic jobs" were totally insane. Like millions of people watching Thursday night, she says she was left wondering what exactly those terms signify to the former president.

As far as Omarosa is concerned, the only exclusively Black job she can remember in America is slavery ... which has her thinking Trump might have let some racism slip there by throwing it back 400 years.

President Biden's proving he has rappers on speed dial just like Donald Trump does -- recruiting a pair of hip hop legends to help rally his down south supporters!!!

TMZ Hip Hop got this video of Fat Joe and E-40 performing onstage Friday for the prez and First Lady Jill Biden's post-debate rally in Raleigh, NC.

Biden displayed a jolt of energy he didn't have during last night's debate, and it's safe to say, the audience was feeling it.

"Saturday Night Live" star Darrell Hammond isn't laughing about Thursday's presidential debate ... and is instead issuing a very stern warning regarding the country's future.

Darrell famously used to impersonate Donald Trump, Al Gore and Bill Clinton on 'SNL' ... but he told us he saw nothing funny about Thursday night's presidential face-off, calling the whole event sad and potentially dangerous.

This might sound odd coming from Darrell, who lampooned Trump for years, but he says fans should avoid mocking Trump's mannerisms ... because it makes him seem less dangerous.

These days, he thinks voters should take very seriously Trump's prior comments about wanting to become a dictator.

President Biden's not sweating last night's debate debacle, despite calls for him to step aside ... he's showing no signs of dropping his reelection bid, and is as fired up as ever.

POTUS is rallying supporters at a campaign stop in Raleigh, NC right now ... and striking a completely different tone than he did last night when he shared the stage with Donald Trump.

Biden admits he doesn't debate, walk or speak as well as he used to, but he says he knows how to get stuff done as president.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says if Joe Biden withdraws from the presidential race and another Democrat steps in, he's prepared to make the same offer he gave Biden ... if that candidate has a better chance of beating Trump, he'll withdraw from the race.

Kennedy appeared Friday on "TMZ Live" and restated his challenge ... if someone like Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Raphael Warnock, Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Governor Wes Moore snag the nom, he wants an independent poll taken in October. Whoever polls better against Trump will cross the finish line, and the other will withdraw.

Biden never responded to RFK's offer ... which he said wasn't surprising. A different candidate might, however, take him up on the offer to create unity.

The presidential debate was by all measures a disaster for President Joe Biden, but some big stars in Hollywood were crying foul.

Barbra Streisand -- a prominent Democrat -- went after the moderators for letting Donald Trump change the subject whenever he wanted in her view ... calling the proceedings unfair.

Meanwhile, fellow Dem John Cusack pointed to the Donald's newly found convict status ... and blamed CNN that "abdicated every definitional responsibility."

Foreign policy, social security and climate change all took a back seat to golf on Thursday night -- as Donald Trump and Joe Biden put politics aside for a few moments to trash-talk each other's skills on the links.

It all went down after No. 45 and No. 46 were asked about how they believe their bodies and minds would hold up over the next four years if they were elected the next president of the United States.

Trump stated he had no worries -- pointing out that he recently won two club championships as evidence. He then stated there's no way Biden could do that, adding, "He can't hit a ball 50 yards!"

Donald Trump and Joe Biden locked horns at the first 2024 presidential debate Thursday night in Atlanta, Georgia -- and, by most measures, the Republican nominee won ... or maybe more accurately ... the current President lost.

During the tense, 90-minute contest, the two candidates stood onstage at podiums fielding questions from CNN hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper at the network's Techwood Turner campus studio.

Right from the start, Biden came out of the gates struggling to answer a question on inflation with his hoarse voice barely audible as he gave a rambling response. His camp later told the press that Joe was sick with a cold.

Presidential candidates' sexual relations -- or lack thereof -- with porn stars are now a topic of national debate ... yes this is Trump vs. Biden 2.0.

Stormy Daniels found herself smack in the middle of Trump and Biden during Thursday's debate ... when Biden started taking shots at Trump's felony conviction.

It all started when Biden told voters, "The only person on the stage that is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now," a clear reference to Trump being found guilty of making hush money payments to Stormy.

Body language expert Patti Wood is weighing in on President Biden and Donald Trump's debate, and says just a few key gestures could impact who wins the war of words.

Patti tells TMZ ... viewers need to look out for 4 first impression factors, including credibility, likability, attractiveness, and power. Patti noted she'll keep a close eye on Biden Thursday night, as she says he's a master at likability -- citing his smile and crinkle around his eyes as evidence.

But, Patti's quick to point out Trump has one very important strength ... which is projecting power.