WASHINGTON – The debate will always be a gamble for Joe Biden – but the gamble could prove more expensive than he imagined after giving what was criticized as a clumsy and incoherent performance.
Alarmed by the spectacle, some Democrats worried they might have to dump Biden from the ticket, even though his campaign advisors insisted that nothing that night should disqualify him as a candidate.
Heading into the debate, Biden’s advisers believed that once voters closely observed the unfiltered donald trump – once they heard his outbursts and insults – they would appreciate Biden’s steadfastness and realize they had no choice but to give him another term.
So they launched a debate months earlier than usual and Trump accepted.
Minutes later, the plan seemed to have backfired.
Biden performed unsteadily, speaking in a hoarse voice that at times became incomprehensible. In split-screen footage, Biden kept his mouth open as he listened to questions and answers, in contrast to his opponent’s look of cold determination.
After discussing the social safety net, he inexplicably uttered, “We beat Medicare,” the popular program that provides health care to older Americans.
“He beat Medicare; he beat him to death,” Trump responded.
Watching the performance, Biden’s advisers were initially concerned. They said his hoarseness was caused by a cold. But they didn’t prepare viewers by explaining his condition in advance, making Biden’s statement even more shocking.
Even Biden’s former communications director Kate Bedingfield said afterward that “it was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden.”
The mood inside Biden’s campaign offices improved as he gradually gained ground and his voice grew stronger. Aides said Biden offered some choice phrases that they plan to circulate widely on social media, particularly when he said of Trump: “Only one of us is a convicted felon, and I’m looking at him.”
Of Biden’s rocky start, one of his aides said, “He just needed to warm up.”
“Not an ideal start,” admitted another, while insisting that “there was no mass panic” at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, about his overall performance.
Biden’s team was excited to conduct a private test of what the average viewer thought about the real-time debate. Voters record their reactions to what candidates say by turning knobs in one direction or another.
Multiple campaign sources said voters reacted negatively to a series of Trump’s responses, including his defense of his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and interfered in Congress’ counting of electoral votes. that certified Biden’s victory in 2020.
Other responses by Trump could alienate independent voters, Biden aides said. They mentioned that voters recoiled at some of Trump’s insults, including when he called Biden “the worst president in the history of our country.”
Biden smiled at that. Historians ranked Trump as the worst president in history this year, which Biden made a point of mentioning.
Another positive point of Biden’s campaign was the fundraising – which advisors praised in the hours before the debate. An aide said the campaign received more donations on Thursday than on any other day in the election cycle, although the person did not disclose the total.
With Biden’s stumbles still fresh in people’s minds, some Democratic strategists, elected officials and opinion makers have begun openly calling for him to drop out of the race.
Nicholas Kristofan influential New York Times columnist, wrote on who would be in a better position to defeat Trump. .
This is not likely to happen, and the mechanics of removing Biden against his will are difficult for a Democratic Party that is betting everything on his re-election.
Biden’s aides have emphasized that whatever happens on the debate stage, the fundamentals of the race remain unchanged. The election remains a choice between what they see as a successful, stable president and Trump, who poses a threat to American democratic norms built over more than two centuries.
In the coming days, they hope, voters will remember the stakes and ignore Biden’s stumbles.
“Biden’s voice has been hoarse, but voters shouldn’t let that distract them from Trump’s endless stream of lies and anger,” said a Democratic official and Biden ally. “Trump is attacking women and immigrants and offering nothing positive for our future.”
It is clear, however, that the Biden team’s bet on the debate did not bear the expected fruit. What I wanted to see was the confident, energetic Biden who gave a commanding performance during his State of the Union address in March. That wasn’t who showed up in Atlanta on Thursday.
“I was waiting for the State of the Union Joe,” said a member of Biden’s fundraising team.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
