Geraldo Rivera says he 'wanted to hug' Joe Biden after debate performance days after saying he 'misses' Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, DC: Geraldo Rivera expressed sympathy for President Joe Biden following his debate with Donald Trump on Thursday, June 27.

The television pundit's sentiments for the president come after he recently said he "misses" Trump.

Geraldo Rivera says he 'felt so badly for our' president Joe Biden

During the panel discussion as part of NewsNation's coverage of the presidential debate, Rivera said, “It was so dramatic, it was jaw dropping and I felt so badly for our president. I wanted to hug him."

 “Why didn’t someone bring him a glass of water? Why was that microphone 6 miles away from his mumbling mouth?” he added.

Biden who gave a weak performance raised concerns among Democrats and prompted questions about his viability as the Democratic candidate and media pundits suggested he should withdraw from the race, according to The Hill.

Throughout the CNN debate, the president appeared hoarse, struggled to form coherent statements, and spoke softly.

“What happened here cannot be minimized. I don’t care what party you are," said Rivera.

During the panel discussion, fellow pundit Bill O’Reilly joined Rivera and said Biden was “off his game” and “melted down totally 20 minutes in.”

“That sound bite will be run a million times between now and Monday. And that’s what sticks in people’s minds," said O'Reilly.

Geraldo Rivera says he still likes Donald Trump except for 'what he did on January 6'

In a recent development, Rivera said he "misses" Trump and shared his feelings of nostalgia for the former president after a new audio tape surfaced, according to OK Magazine.

The recording, part of a conversation between Trump and Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh, is featured in the forthcoming book 'Apprentice in Wonderland.'

In the recording, Trump briefly acknowledged his defeat in the 2020 election before correcting himself.

He talked to Setoodeh about his relationship with Rivera, saying, "He is — after I lost the election — I won the election, but when they said we lost, he called me up three or four times."

In a recent interview with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, Rivera claimed that it was Trump who reached out to him after the election. He stressed that he had "no interest in a 'p****** match'" with Trump.

Rivera expressed a mix of nostalgia and regret about his relationship with Trump, especially after the events of January 6.

"I feel nothing but melancholy and a wistful kind of friendship lost. I like the president very much. I still like him except what he did on January 6. That kind of ended our relationship," said Rivera.