Trump’s opponents criticize Biden after tough debates
Top line
Less than an hour after the high-profile debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump began, press, pundits and politicians from both parties declared that he would lose the decisive debate. On social media, some wrote that Biden seemed “old” and “weak,” and a few argued that Biden should drop out of the race.
US President Joe Biden delivers a speech during the CNN presidential debate at the CNN studios on … (+)
Key data
Biden’s voice was hoarse, several of his answers to questions were incomprehensible, he lost the thread and had to repeatedly correct himself after just 30 minutes of the broadcast on Thursday.
Criticism even came from some of former President Donald Trump’s fiercest opponents: “View” host and former Trump White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin tweeted that she was hearing from “viewers of all political stripes and the consensus is that Biden needs to be replaced” and that the debate was “worse than I think most people imagined.” In another tweet, she added that it was “hard to watch.”
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote on X that he wished Biden would reflect on his debate performance and drop out, and suggested that another Democrat, such as Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Senator Sherrod Brown (R-Ohio) or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, could now replace Biden and beat Trump.
Left-leaning political columnist Tyler Austin Harper wrote that any Biden staffers who allowed him to debate “should never work again.”
Brianna Wu, executive director of the Progressive Rebellion PAC, wrote that Biden was “beyond incoherent” and “looks old and weak,” adding that she “loathes Trump with every cell in her body” and predicting that “people who don’t follow politics closely will not vote for a candidate who seems so out of touch.”
Longtime GOP adviser Mike Murphy tweeted that he would vote for Biden but said the debate was “a disaster so far,” while Charlie Sykes, founder of the conservative anti-Trump website The Bulwark, wrote: “This is not good. Not at all.”
Marc Lamont Hill, host of BET News and presidential professor at the City University of New York, wrote: “Trump is officially kicking Biden’s ass right now…”
Longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz wrote on X that his focus group of undecided voters was “surprised and concerned about Biden’s vote,” adding, “That doesn’t bode well for questions about his health.”
Contra
Several media outlets reported on Thursday that Biden had a cold. The Wall Street Journal cited a campaign source and CBS cited a source familiar with the president’s debate preparation. A source familiar with the situation later told Forbes that Biden had a cold.
Important background
Biden’s physical and mental health will likely be closely monitored in Thursday’s debate, as concerns that the 81-year-old president is too old to serve another term may be his greatest weakness in the eyes of voters. In the aftermath of the debate, speculation mounted about whether Biden would drop out of the race and let another Democrat run in his place. CNN suggested there are serious discussions within the party about his successor.
Key quote
“There is a deep, widespread and very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party as we speak,” said John King, CNN’s chief national affairs correspondent. “It’s affecting party strategists, elected officials and fundraisers. And they’re having conversations about the president’s performance that they think is dismal… some of those conversations include the question, ‘Should we go to the White House and ask the president to resign?'”
Further visits
Further information
These are the likely Democratic presidential candidates if Biden drops out – as a tough debate leads to calls for him to step down (Forbes)
Biden loses the thread and repeatedly corrects himself in the debate with Trump (Forbes)
Trump-Biden debate: What to watch for – from the economy and mental fitness to immigration and abortion (Forbes)
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