United States President Joe Biden’s allies struggled this Friday (28) to contain the fallout from his performance in the first presidential debate of 2024, after he struggled to counter a series of attacks and false allegations from his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Biden’s campaign had hoped a strong performance would dispel concerns among voters that the 81-year-old Democrat is too old to serve a second four-year term.
Instead, a hoarse-sounding Biden fumbled with his words at times, especially in the early stages of the debate.
A Biden donor, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the president, called his performance “disqualifying” and predicted that some Democrats will again call for Biden to step aside in favor of another candidate ahead of the party’s national convention in August.
Panicked Democrats exchanged messages asking if Biden would consider dropping out.
A Democratic Party strategist said it would be unprecedented for a candidate to withdraw from the race so late in the election cycle, but there will be calls for Biden to do just that.
Interviews with undecided voters confirmed it was a bad night for Biden. They described her performance as weak, embarrassing and difficult to watch.
Two White House officials said midway through the debate that Biden had a cold, but that only further reflected his aides’ anxiety about his performance.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that Biden had gotten off to a “slow start” but argued that his record in three and a half years as president outweighed a 90-minute event.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom — who could be a leading Democratic alternative if Biden were to step down — dismissed the notion that Biden could be replaced.
The debate at the headquarters of CNN in Atlanta took place much earlier in the campaign than any modern presidential debate, with more than four months – an eternity in US politics – before the November 5 election.
That could mitigate the damage done to Biden as the memory of his performance fades and the news generates new headlines.
With opinion polls showing the race tied before the debate, even a small shift could alter the trajectory of the campaign.
At a Waffle House restaurant in Atlanta in the early hours of Friday, Biden stopped to eat on his way back to the campaign trail and told reporters: “I think we did well.”
Asked if he had any concerns about his performance, he said: “No. It’s hard to debate a liar.”
The second and final debate of this year’s campaign is scheduled for September.
Source: CNN Brasil
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