Topline
Press, pundits and politicos on both sides of the aisle declared President Joe Biden is losing his high-stakes debate with former President Donald Trump less than an hour into the faceoff, with some writing on social media that he looks “old” and “weak”—and a handful arguing Biden should drop out of the race.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on ... [+]
Key Facts
Biden’s voice was hoarse, several of his answers to questions were unintelligible, he lost his train of thought and repeatedly had to correct himself just 30 minutes into the program Thursday.
Criticism poured in even from some of former President Donald Trump’s staunchest opponents: View host and former Trump White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin tweeted she’s hearing from “viewers of all political stripes and the consensus is Biden needs to be replaced,” and the debate is “worse than I believe most people imagined,” adding in another tweet it’s “hard to watch.”
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote on X he wishes Biden would reflect on his debate performance and drop out, suggesting that another Democrat, such as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sen. Sherrod Brown, R-Ohio, or Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, could replace Biden now and beat Trump.
Left-leaning political columnist Tyler Austin Harper wrote any Biden staffers who allowed him to debate “should never work again.”
Progressive Rebellion PAC Executive Director Brianna Wu wrote that Biden is “beyond incoherent” and “looks old and weak,” adding that she “loathe[s] Trump with every cell in [her] body,” and predicts “people that don’t follow politics closely are not going to vote for a candidate that seems this gone.”
Longtime GOP consultant Mike Murphy tweeted that he’s voting for Biden but said the debate is “a disaster so far,” while Charlie Sykes, founder of the conservative anti-Trump website The Bulwark, wrote, “this is not good. At all.”
BET News host and City University of New York presidential professor Marc Lamont Hill wrote “Trump is officially whipping Biden’s a** right now…”
Longtime GOP pollster Frank Luntz wrote on X his focus group of undecided voters is “surprised and concerned about Biden’s voice,” adding “this doesn't bode well for questions about his health.”
Contra
Multiple outlets reported Thursday that Biden has a cold, with the Wall Street Journal citing a campaign source and CBS citing a source familiar with the president’s debate prep. A source familiar with the situation subsequently told Forbes that Biden has a cold.
Key Background
Biden’s physical and mental health was expected to be closely watched in Thursday’s debate as concerns the 81-year-old president is too old to serve another term are perhaps his greatest weakness in voters’ eyes. Speculation swelled in the aftermath of the debate about whether Biden would drop out of the race and allow another Democrat to run in his place, with CNN suggesting there are serious talks within the party about replacing him.
Crucial Quote
“Right now as we speak, there is a deep, a wide and a very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party,” CNN Chief National Correspondent John King said. “It involves party strategists, it involves elected officials, and it involves fundraisers. And they’re having conversations about the president’s performance, which they think was dismal . . . some of those conversations include “‘should we go to the White House and ask the president to step aside?’”
Further Viewing
Further Reading
Biden Loses Train Of Thought And Corrects Himself Repeatedly In Debate With Trump (Forbes)
