The first presidential debate is in the books and the widespread conclusion isn’t about who may have won the clash of ideas, it’s outright concern for the well-being of President Biden.
The performance put on by the Commander-in-Chief was so disconcerting that even traditionally friendly media outlets were struggling to sugarcoat what they had just seen.
Biden malfunctioned frequently throughout the debate. He incorrectly said his son Beau died in Iraq, he falsely claimed the Border Patrol Union endorsed him, and claimed “we have 1,000 trillionaires in America.”
He often mumbled and slurred his words, culminating with this exchange where Biden rambled on, prompting Donald Trump to reply: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
BIDEN: *rambles incoherently about his failure to secure the border*
TRUMP: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.” pic.twitter.com/lxBpOVeTqJ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 28, 2024
Then there was the pinnacle of the debate performance. Biden’s magnum opus. When the internal wiring shut down and he quickly tried to course correct by randomly shouting, “We beat Medicare!”
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There are numerous similar clips of President Biden struggling – to put it gently – to convey his message to the American people in that debate.
What’s interesting, at least to this author, is that Biden’s friends in his own party and the media were not able to defend the performance.
In fact, they didn’t seem well at all after watching.
CNN contributor Van Jones was nearly moved to tears after watching the performance, saying, “That was not what we needed from Joe Biden.”
CNN’s Van Jones tearfully calls for Joe Biden to step aside. “That was not what we needed from Joe Biden.” pic.twitter.com/7ZVW2gePPR
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) June 28, 2024
Jones wasn’t the only one discussing the possibility of the Democrat Party replacing Biden before the election. Pollster Frank Luntz revealed his focus group said they “want Joe Biden to step aside.”
The group consisted of thus far undecided voters.
My focus group of undecided voters wants Joe Biden to step aside.
They like him and respect him – most voted for him in 2020. But they want him to go.
Tonight was a political earthquake. pic.twitter.com/tO0C79AQLk
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) June 28, 2024
MSNBC’s Joy Reid indicated that behind the scenes, Democrats were in a full-blown panic after watching Biden struggle throughout the debate.
When you’ve lost MSDNC…… pic.twitter.com/7y4PQkBolp
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 28, 2024
CNN’s Chris Wallace described the display as “a car accident in slow motion.” Which is an extremely charitable description of what took place.
Wallace concluded that President Biden “sunk his campaign tonight.”
CHRIS WALLACE: This has been, quite frankly, a car accident in slow motion that we’ve seen over & over…
Joe Biden sought this remarkably early time because he knew he was losing and he needed to change the narrative. He changed the narrative: he sunk his campaign tonight. pic.twitter.com/ivXWXfYAul
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 28, 2024
The Washington Post post-mortem of the debate said Biden was “rambling”, he “froze up”, and “often watched with his mouth agape and eyes flared wide — a split screen that gave off the impression of the aging grandfather that he is.”
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Dems Are A Mess Too
It wasn’t just the normally over-reactive media that were beside themselves over what they had just seen. It was actual key Democrat Party figures.
In that same WaPo column, it is revealed that Democrat donors had texted the reporter face-palm and vomit emojis as the debate progressed.
“We’re so (expletive),” texted one Democratic strategist in a battleground state. “He has great material. He just cannot deliver a single line.”
“Biden had a very low bar going into the debate and failed to clear even that bar,” wrote San Antonio mayor Julian Castro on X.
Former Democrat senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, said her “heart is breaking” having watched Biden’s debate performance.
“He had one thing he had to accomplish and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age, and he failed at that tonight,” she said.
It’s more heartbreaking for the country that, it became clear last night, does not have a leader right now. Perhaps they will finally get one in November.
