According to a professional lip reader who decoded the conversation for the New York Post, President Joe Biden complained to former president Barack Obama that "she" is "not as strong as me" and Obama agreed, adding more drama to the off-mic exchange.

The Post reported that on Wednesday afternoon at Ethel Kennedy's memorial service in Washington, the two most recent Democratic presidents of the United States engaged in a casual conversation.

During the conversation, they seemed to give Vice President Kamala Harris an honest evaluation of her status in the upcoming November 5 election.

“She’s not as strong as me,” said Biden, 81, according to the translation, which was produced by analyzing the on-video lip movements during the discussion.

The Agreement

“I know … that’s true,” Obama reportedly said, agreed. He also added optimistically, “We have time.”

Following a mutiny that was supposedly supported by Obama, Biden was coerced by his Democratic colleagues into giving up the party nomination to Harris on July 21. "Yeah, we'll get it in time," he said.

Just a few minutes earlier, Obama said, “It’s important that we have some time together,” possibly referring to campaigning alongside Ms Harris.

Forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman, who was born deaf and has worked for 16 years as an expert witness for litigants, police, and journalists certified by University College London, translated the dialogue for The Post.

From Harris

Even though Freeman's transcription omitted Harris' name, it remains uncertain to whom else the discussion may have been directed toward.

Despite what others have assumed online—in response to Obama's head shaking—Freeman characterized the conservation as "very supportive" and claimed he saw "no tension" between Obama and Biden.

When asked about the translation, Democratic sources were divided. Some said they thought it was an honest assessment of the 2024 contest, while others were so shocked that they doubted the script's veracity.

From Democrats

“From the outset, there has been widespread concern that Harris was not a strong alternative to Biden, who clearly was a sinking ship. So much so (that) multiple House members floated the idea of an open convention or removing Harris from the ticket along with Biden,” said one Democratic source.

“Democrats essentially robbed Peter to pay Paul and are now stuck with a less likeable sinking ship.”

For his part, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates shrugged off the conversation, saying, “A ‘lip reading expert’? Did your usual right-wing soothsayer have their out-of-office up? Only President Biden and President Obama know what they discussed, but this certainly wasn’t it.”