Politix

Joe Biden says there's no need for him to take a formal cognitive test to prove his abilities to lead the nation ... claiming his involvement in daily world issues should be enough to show he's up for the gig a second time around.

In a full ABC special Friday, Biden fought hard to defend himself from his rough June 27 debate performance ... explaining to George Stephanopoulos he was just down with a serious bout of cold -- so bad he took a COVID test.

While he says he didn't end up having COVID, Joe insisted exhaustion also played a part in his performance. He also admitted he didn't listen to his instincts in terms of preparing -- so looks like a variety of things contributed to his bad night.

Kamala Harris is currently the top choice among fellow democrats to replace Joe Biden at the head of the ticket if he bows out of the presidential race -- and there's been a recent shift within the party to try to make that happen -- yet Donald Trump couldn't be happier with that possible scenario, TMZ has learned.

Former Democratic Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan tells TMZ ... the American people are realizing it's not realistic to move forward with President Biden after the commander-in-chief's disastrous June 27 debate against Trump -- his Republican rival. Instead, many dems are beginning to recognize that Kamala is their path forward.

"She is the only candidate [because] she is VP and on the ticket with him that will inherit his war chest and campaign infrastructure," according to Ryan, who lost reelection to J.D. Vance in 2020 after more than 20 years in office.

Donald Trump just upped the ante for Joe Biden in their 2024 race for the presidency – challenging the current commander-in-chief to another, less restrictive debate to test their competence.

Trump - the presumptive Republican presidential nominee – posted a long screed on his Truth Social platform, throwing down the gauntlet for a "no holds barred" debate with Biden – his Democratic rival.

The former U.S. president opened by asking Biden to debate him onstage alone so they could talk about the future of the country.

Donald Trump was caught on video talking major trash about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris – never once holding back in his slash-and-burn assessment of his democratic rivals.

In shocking footage obtained by the Daily Beast, the former republican U.S. President was seen sitting in a golf cart next to his son Barron while chatting with a bunch of people on a fairway. One of them was filming Trump as he tore Biden to shreds in the 44-second clip.

It starts with Trump asking the group how he did in the June 27 debate before labeling Biden a “broken-down pile of crap." Trump also referred to the current Commander in Chief as a "bad guy," who was quitting the 2024 presidential race and bragged about pushing him out.

Mike Rowe's drumming up support for his new movie "Something to Stand For," urging Americans to rally around at least one thing -- feeling grateful for one great moment in our history.

We caught up with Mike on "TMZ Live" ... and he revealed the inspiration for his doc/movie came from witnessing how deeply divided Americans are during this election year.

He tells us he's hoping people can come together, especially on the 4th of July, to cut the country some slack and celebrate its progress.

Joe Biden has been steadfast up to this point -- he's in the 2024 race to stay, but that's not the way top officials in his campaign are feeling.

TMZ has learned one top campaign official is privately telling at least one mega-donor ... "It's only a matter of time" before Biden bows out.

We're told the official is saying the focus has now shifted from singular support for a Biden re-election to, "Democrats have to retain The White House." In other words, it's no longer all about Biden.

Waka Flocka has a stern message for all of his fans ... Stay the hell away from his concerts if you're a Joe Biden supporter!!!

The Grammy-nominated rapper made that point abundantly clear during his Monday performance onstage at Club Sky in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Waka stopped in the middle of his set to address the packed crowd about the 46th president of the United States and potential 2024 democratic nominee for the White House.

President Biden is offering up an explanation for his lackluster performance debating Donald Trump ... he says his travel schedule had him running on fumes, and feeling sleepy.

Biden made the excuse Tuesday at a campaign fundraiser in McLean, Virginia ... and said he almost fell asleep on the debate stage.

POTUS blamed his lack of energy on being sapped from long trips in the weeks before Thursday's first presidential debate, including a trip to France in early June for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Ivanka Trump is addressing her father's felony conviction for the first time ... saying it's agonizing to see what's happening to her pops.

Donald Trump's daughter was clearly impacted by his New York trial, in which he was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the hush money case -- telling the "Lex Fridman Podcast," "It's painful to experience, but ultimately, I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Lex Fridman asked her about all the legal turmoil going on with Donald and how it's impacting her.

10:15 AM PT -- Arthur Aidala, Rudy Giuliani's New York lawyer, tells TMZ ... "Of course, we are disappointed by it all, but we can't say we are surprised. The court has been very heavy handled with Mayor Giuliani from the inception of this matter. We are exploring any appellate options. Rudy and I traded some text messages -- he was not surprised at all – he felt there was no likelihood he would get a fair shake."

9:46 AM PT -- One of Rudy Giuliani's attorneys, L. Allyn Stockton, tells TMZ ... "If what New York has revoked his license for is similar to his conduct in Georgia, then they have revoked his license for merely representing a client zealously."

Rudy Giuliani has just lost his license to practice law in New York state.

A high-ranking BBC presenter from the UK has ignited a firestorm by suggesting President Biden should have Donald Trump murdered.

David Aaronovitch, who presents Radio 4's "Briefing Room" show, caused an uproar with a now-deleted X post reading, "If I was Biden, I'd hurry up and have Trump murdered on the basis that he is a threat to America's security."

He threw in the hashtag #SCOTUS ... tying his comment in response to the Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling.

The Joe Biden everyone saw during his car crash debate with Donald Trump was the same Joe Biden his closest confidantes have seen numerous times behind closed doors for more than a year, according to Carl Bernstein.

The famous Washington Post journalist sat down with CNN host Anderson Cooper Monday night to discuss Biden's horrible performance against Trump during last week's debate in the run-up to the 2024 Presidential election.

Citing anonymous sources, Bernstein told Cooper that Biden's top aides have witnessed similar behavior by the commander-in-chief on "15, 20 occasions in the last year and a half."

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.