Sunshine and cool temps (comparatively speaking, that is) just past the noon hour Wednesday here in California’s Central Valley — hopefully we’re now actually (and finally) on a downward slope to autumn.
After a super-hot summer that seemingly won’t quit, maybe fair days ahead.

Also this morning Joe Biden offered a nice-guy, no-malarkey persona during an appearance on ‘The View.’ And the ladies are fully enthralled by him:

Watching this video you will go through a full range of reactions – from anger, to tears and laughter. Watch this. pic.twitter.com/jheePqvt6v

— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress) September 25, 2024

Details via The New York Times:

President Biden on Wednesday delivered a blunt assessment of the character of his predecessor, telling the hosts of “The View” on ABC that “there’s not a lot of redeeming value” to former President Donald J. Trump. Asked if he would have won if he stayed in the presidential race, Mr. Biden replied: “Yes. I was confident I would beat Trump. He’s a loser.”

But in an appearance that was part personal, part policy and part political, Mr. Biden said he was “at peace” with his decision not to run again. He also made an enthusiastic pitch for Vice President Kamala Harris: “She is smart as hell, No. 1,” he said. He added that “she’s tough, she’s honorable, and the thing I like about her — and one thing to share in common — is that we have an optimistic view in the future.”

Mr. Biden’s appearance on the “The View,” his 10th, was the first time a sitting president has appeared live on the show. His first appearance was when he was a senator in 2007. In 2010, Barack Obama became the first sitting president to appear on the show with a recorded interview.

[…]

He also made the usual jokes about his age. Looking at Alyssa Farah Griffin, a host, he said: “I know you’re only 30, but it’s hard to think of — it’s hard for me to even say how old I am. No, I’m serious. I give you my word. It’s like, holy God, that can’t be right, this can’t be right … No woman close to me is as old as I am. None.” To which Whoopi Goldberg, another host, interjected, “Right now they are!”

Later, during a commercial break, an ABC employee pointed out that there was a 95-year-old woman in the audience. Mr. Biden flashed her a thumbs up and said he wanted to meet her.

The president arrived in New York this week for the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. He delivered his fourth and final address there on Tuesday and used the speech, a valedictory of sorts, to celebrate his administration’s defense of Ukraine and his own work to restore America’s global alliances.

He said on “The View” that he still believed peace was possible in the Middle East, but also conceded that “all-out war is possible.”

The appearance on “The View” was another in a series of farewells for Mr. Biden. On Wednesday evening, he and the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, will host a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for world leaders and U.N. officials.

Mr. Biden received an enthusiastic welcome from the show’s six hosts, but none more enthusiastic than from Ms. Goldberg, who said she did not like the way Democrats had treated him and likened Mr. Trump to “a bug” that kept buzzing around and would not go away.

“I’m going to just say it out loud, because nobody says it out loud,” she said. “I didn’t like the way it was done publicly.”

To Mr. Biden she said, “You were my ride or die,” adding, “I just want to say thank you, but thank you for everything you’ve done in my entire life.”

Further view of Joe on The View:

Joe is a BFD, or not, yet once again here we are…

(Illustration out front: ‘Joe Biden Painting,’ by Billy Jackson, and found here.)