Mehdi Hasan Tells Jake Tapper ‘It’s Crazy That Joe Biden Is Willing to Wreck His Presidency’ for Netanyahu

CNN’s Jake Tapper interviewed former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan on Wednesday to discuss the Michigan presidential primary the night before and the protest vote against President Joe Biden over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Practically speaking, what needs to happen for most of those voters to come back in the Democratic fold? A ceasefire? What else?” Tapper asked Hasan about voters angry with Biden over his staunch support for Israel.

“So a lot of those voters, well, I can’t say a number, but a significant chunk are probably lost,” Hasan replied.

“They’re gone. I think they are lost,” added the former Al Jazeera host.

“Not to Trump? They’ll go third-party?” interjected Tapper.

Hasan agreed and added,

Or stay home, look, if you are somebody in Dearborn who’s lost not 10, not 20, 30 members of your family in Gaza, you’re going to show up to vote? You’re going to vote for Biden, even if there’s a ceasefire tomorrow? You can’t expect that.

But there is a significant chunk of people who do want this to be seen as an act of pressure. They don’t want to vote for Trump. They’re not pro-Trump. They just want to see the best version of Joe Biden and of America. They want a ceasefire. They want an end to the killings, not peace in the Middle East or a two-state solution or utopia. Put a stop to the killings, over 100 people a day. American weaponry, American money. They want to see that ceasefire. You’re seeing Joe Biden promising a ceasefire is coming. I’m skeptical, but I think the white House realized that they have to do something here.

“So you make the point that they’re not going to go to Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country,” Tapper followed up. “I don’t know what you would call this gambit of the Biden administration to force Netanyahu to sign a document saying I will only use American armaments in compliance with international law, which Netanyahu seems reluctant to sign. What if that forces some sort of change in leadership in Israel? Might that be seen as more concrete even than a ceasefire?”

“I actually think the aid position is somewhere that Biden can have a lot of effect. You know, conditioning aid is very popular on the Democratic base, even members of Congress,” Hasan replied, adding:

I think it’s mad that five months into the war, the Americans say, can you sign something? Saying you’ll follow international law should not be done on October the 8th. It’s crazy that we’re asking that now. And by the way, I also think it’s crazy that Joe Biden is willing to wreck his presidency, potentially, and American democracy if Trump gets backing for Benjamin Netanyahu, a man who has basically I can’t find the daytime language for it, done bad things to every Democratic president in my lifetime, Bill Clinton struggled with Netanyahu, Barack Obama struggled, and now Biden could sacrifice his own presidency. For who? For Bibi.

“Thanks for keeping it clean, I appreciate it,” joked Tapper.

Watch the full clip above.