Joe Biden's hesitant performance against his rival Donald Trump on Thursday evening shakes Democrats and questions arise as the party has not yet officially invested the outgoing president as its candidate.
Biden supporters hoped that Thursday night's debate, the first Trump-Biden face-to-face since 2020, would dispel concerns about the outgoing president's age and intellectual health. During his State of the Union speech at the beginning of March, Joe Biden had not demonstrated his mastery and his pugnacity, despite his 81 years and the numerous criticisms that his forgetfulness sometimes fuels. ? “Four more years!” », roared the elected Democratic representatives of Congress. Who don't wake up so enthusiastic this Friday.
Thursday evening on CNN, Biden seemed to have difficulty expressing himself, muttering in a hoarse and sickly voice - a cold was the cause, his campaign team pleaded, a sore throat, Biden told the journalists who followed him, defending that it was “difficult to debate with a liar”. Early in the debate, the president paused while making a point about Medicare and tax reform and appeared to lose his train of thought. “We are able to make every single person…eligible for what I was able to do with the, uh, with – with Covid, or excuse me, with, deal with, whatever we have to do with , uh..." CNN's split screen between the two candidates, broadcast throughout the debate, provided little respite: while Trump remained stoic and smiling, Biden was sometimes seen waiting with his mouth open, his eyes lost, for his opponent finishes his response.
Midway through the debate, a Democratic strategist who worked on Biden's 2020 campaign called the effect a "disaster." “It’s clear, his performance was disqualifying,” a major Democratic fundraiser told Reuters after the debate. “I expect the fundraising to dry up,” he predicted.
“No one expected a masterful lesson in debate from Joe Biden, but no one expected such a fall,” a senior adviser told the American press. “He was bad on the message, bad on the substance, bad on the counterattacks, bad on the presentation, bad on the non-verbal level. There was no positive point in this debate for him”, except the date, “June and not October”, just before the election.
"Our main expectation is that he pulls out"
Three planners near three other potential Vote based official up-and-comers told Politico they were assaulted with instant messages all through the discussion, some inquiring "what on God's green earth." The night denoted "the most terrible presentation ever" and Biden was terrible to the point "that nobody will focus on Trump's lies," a benefactor told the American site. " Either he steps down, we reach an agreement, or he passes away is our only hope. In any case, we are dead," anticipated an individual going to a party in Atlanta to follow the discussion.
Formally, the line is in fervent protection of competitor Biden on the benefits. In a proclamation, Biden crusade chief Jen O'Malley Dillon said Biden "introduced a positive, winning vision for America's future," while Trump "offered a dim, retrograde window about what America will resemble in the event that he gets back to the White House."
No less than two up-and-comers well while heading to 2028 — Illinois Gov. Jay Robert "JB" Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — have said they support Biden even after his exhibition. Asked on MSNBC whether Biden ought to leave, Newsom said those conversations were "pointless." " A performance does not cause us to withdraw. What sort of party does this? ", He played the questioner.
Kamala Harris, vice president, rushed to Biden's aid because she was aware of the difficulties. Harris acknowledged on CNN and MSNBC that "it was a slow start" but that "Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong" and "he was able to find the rhythm where it counted." Additionally, to hold the belief that "our president has shown that he will win the election."