Biden mobilizes crowd and tries to allay concerns about debate in Raleigh

But in North Carolina, the president briefly jogged to the microphone with a grin and an appreciative wave after rapper Fat Joe fired up rally attendees by dedicating his song “All the Way Up” to Biden. Before he spoke, first lady Jill Biden – wearing a black dress with the word “Vote” in white lettering – sought to portray Thursday’s debate as a standoff between her husband, who she said “told the truth,” and former President Donald Trump, who told “lie after lie.”

Biden spoke in a stronger, firmer voice than the weak, raspy tone that had unnerved even his allies during the debate. Aided by a teleprompter, he made a far more succinct argument against Trump than he did Thursday night, when his uneven performance sent waves of panic through the Democratic Party. And the applause swelled from the crowd in Raleigh, which seemed eager to calm Trump down. him when he admitted that he was no longer a “young man”.

“I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as fluently as I used to. I can’t debate as well as I used to,” Biden said, raising his voice. “But … I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job.”

“I know, as millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden continued. “Folks, I give you my word as Biden, I would not run again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job.”

“Yes you can! Yes you can! Yes you can!” the crowd shouted in response.

It was a much-needed shift in energy on a day when the Biden team did its best to distract the national debate from the threat that Democrats might begin to abandon their candidate.

The problem for Biden, however, was that more than 51 million Americans watched Thursday night’s debate, and it may take more than a lunchtime rally to erase their memories of his appearance.

On Friday morning, senior Biden campaign officials met with donors in Atlanta to calm fears that have been building in Democratic circles and the donor community as concerns mount that Biden could defeat Trump. Privately, leading Democrats worried about whether Biden could realistically stay in the race while officials and donors held discussions about ways to replace him on the ballot.

In Biden’s inner circle, top advisers insisted the president would stay in the race and downplayed the debate performance, arguing that focus groups and internal polls showed Biden doing better than Trump with key voters. Biden, they claim, remains the only option to defeat Trump, who they say poses an existential threat to American democracy.

Biden’s aides announced that the campaign raised $14 million on the day of the debate and the morning after — calling that total “a sign of the strength of our grassroots support,” with a spokeswoman noting that the campaign’s finest hour of fundraising came after the debate. Chris Korge, the chief financial officer of the Biden Victory Fund, said in a text message that “regardless of what people think about the president’s performance at the debate,” they know “how he performed as president” and that the backlash against Biden “will spur our donors to fight even harder.”

Still, clips of Biden’s performance continued to circulate on social media, from his candid gaze to his confused sentences. Democrats wondered privately and publicly how Biden could recover.

Many of the opening speakers in Raleigh made no mention of the debate Thursday night — they drew the audience’s attention to the upcoming battle with Trump in North Carolina, a state the former president won but where the Biden team believes it has the stronger hand this election cycle. And like Jill Biden, the Biden team signaled that it is moving forward — by framing the debate as a confrontation between truth and lies that would illuminate what is at stake for the American people in the election.

Biden picked up on this theme, telling the audience in Raleigh that Trump had set a “new record for most lies in a single debate.”

He noted that Trump was once again proud of the Supreme Court’s decision to Roe v. Wade Decision that would have guaranteed abortion rights in America. He pointed to Trump’s conviction on 34 counts in New York for falsifying business records. And he continued to portray Trump as a threat to democracy, pointing out that he has repeatedly refused to say he will accept the result of the November election.

“We will preserve, protect and defend our democracy,” he said. “That is what is at stake in this election in America – your freedom, your democracy. America itself is at stake.”

Biden later spoke at the opening of the visitor center at Stonewall National Monument, which commemorates the 1969 uprising that helped birth the gay rights movement after New York police raided the Stonewall Inn. Biden called on politicians from the crowd, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand — and brought them onstage for a hug — before announcing musician Elton John.

Biden said the bar had become “a place of crying for freedom, dignity, equality and respect” and that the 1969 riots had “marked a turning point for civil rights in America and inspired the hearts of millions around the world.”

Biden linked this moment to his election campaign and repeated his argument that the country is in a “battle for the soul of America.”

“But I see the pride and hope and light that all of you – all of you – bring,” Biden said. “I know it’s a fight we will win and we will continue to make progress in. LGBTQ+ people are some of the most inspiring people I know.”

At a fundraiser in Manhattan on Friday evening, Biden was greeted with a standing ovation.

“Folks, I would not run again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job because, quite frankly, there’s too much at stake. Donald Trump is a real threat to this nation,” Biden said at an event attended by other LGBTQ+ stars such as Billy Porter and Alan Cumming.

Earlier, several participants at a rally in North Carolina had dismissed criticism of his performance in the debate.

“He was probably tired,” said Kathy Bolger, 74, of Zebulon, North Carolina. “His voice was hoarse. That was to be expected, but I think he did well.” Bolger said she felt Biden often tried to answer several questions at once and stumbled. Still, Bolger said she remained an ardent Biden supporter and would vote for him again.

Ross Dragon, 50, who lives in Raleigh and works for the state of North Carolina, said he saw only part of the debate but acknowledged that Biden could have presented himself better.

“It is a battle within a war, and decisions should not be made based on one battle,” he said.

Dragon, who said he supported Biden in 2020, said he plans to vote for him and has no concerns about his age. “If you look at his policies, the things he’s passed, you can’t argue with them – so you have to make something up,” he said. “If age is an issue, then Trump shouldn’t be on the stage either.”