Major twist after Joe Biden’s trainwreck debate
After a charismatic Democrat was touted as a possible replacement for Joe Biden, the US president has surprised everyone.
It sounds like Plan B is even less palatable to the Democrats.
The morning after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate against Donald Trump saw a wave of calls for him to step down, but the octogenerian had a surprise in store.
Not only is he planning to see his campaign through to November’s election; he also plans to front up for a second debate against Mr Trump in September, according to CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche.
Mr Biden repeatedly froze and misspoke during the debate on Thursday, which left doubts in the minds of even the most hopeful viewers about his mental and physical fitness.
He also spoke in a soft, scratchy voice, which anonymous aides claimed was the result of a cold.
But he came roaring back on Friday (local time), delivering a rousing speech at a North Carolina rally that included admissions about his performance the night before but no doubt about his intentions.
“I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to,” Biden said.
“Well, I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. I know, like millions of Americans, when you get knocked down, you get back up.
“I know what it will take to bring this economy to everybody. I know what it’ll take to rally the world to stand up against Putin and defend freedom.
“And I know what it takes to keep the world safe and free for the years ahead. Folks, I give you my word as a Biden, I would not be running again if I didn’t believe, with all my heart and soul that I can do this job because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”
Mr Trump, meanwhile, is clearly riding the high of his opponent’s low.
During a rally in Virginia on Friday afternoon local time, Mr Trump told his supporters Mr Biden was “grossly incompetent” and a “trainwreck”.
“Did anybody last night watch a thing called a debate?” he asked the crowd in Chesapeake.
“[Mr Biden] is the worst, he’s the most corrupt, the most incompetent president in the history of our country.”
He also told the crowd Mr Biden “studied so hard” before the debate, but “didn’t know what he was doing”.
The rally reached a crescendo when Mr Trump made a reference to his former show The Apprentice, saying voters were going to tell Mr Biden in November: “You’re fired, get out of here”.
Others will also need convincing after Mr Biden’s debate train wreck.
“This was a disaster for Biden. Many Democrats are looking for a new candidate after this debate,” Doug Muzzio, a retired public affairs professor at Baruch College, told The Post.
“Biden was tentative, rambling and sometimes incoherent,” he said.
“Trump, on the other hand, was clear and relatively coherent. He looked like he knew what he was talking about. Even though he repeatedly lied, he lies in an articulate way.”
According to a CNN flash poll, taken straight after the debate, 67 per cent of registered voters said Mr Trump had won the debate. Prior to the debate, 55 per cent of the voters expected Mr Trump to prevail.
It led many to tout the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, as a possible replacement for Mr Biden.
Charismatic Mr Newsom was mobbed by reporters after the debate ended with many asking if he would replace the elderly president.
At 56, Mr Newsom is a quarter of a century younger than Mr Biden and he currently has the best odds to win the 2024 election of any alternative candidate.
However, Mr Newsom played down any idea that he would run saying the suggestion was “unhelpful” and “unnecessary”.
Interviewed on MSNBC Mr Newsom said: “We’ve got to back this president. You don’t turn your back on him because of one performance. What kind of party does that?
“We need to deliver for him at this moment. With all due respect the more time we spend having these conversations, going down these rabbit holes, it’s unhelpful to our democracy.”
According to Politico, Democrats were so concerned about Mr Biden’s performance that some are actively speaking about replacing him. One unnamed advisor said they received half a dozen messages from senior donors throughout the debate declaring it a “disaster”.
One donor told the publication that it was “the worst debate in history”.
“Biden needs to drop out. No question about it,” the donor said.
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, said Mr Trump and Mr Biden “seemed about 30 years apart tonight.”
Mr Trump, 78, is actually less than four years younger than Mr Biden, 81, but appeared lucid and calm next to the President who lost his train of thought and at times seems confused.
But there some still ready to support Mr Biden.
Former President Barack Obama took part in the Democrat damage control on Friday.
“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Obama tweeted. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.
“Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
Billionaire NBA owner Mark Cuban, who has been a vocal opponent of a second Trump term, also delivered a measured but defiant response to what he saw.
“His performance was awful. But so was Trump’s. Biden was feeble. Trump couldn’t directly answer a single question and lied with every response,” Cuban tweeted.
“The reality is Joe wasn’t capable last night of debating someone who only lies. He doesn’t have the energy or ability to shout him down, hold him accountable and laugh at Trump’s responses.
“Joe could have held his own against a candidate that actually can discuss policy. But that wasn’t the challenge last night and Joe wasn’t prepared or capable of dealing with Donald and his style.
That aside, there is no way you could listen to Donald last night and come away feeling confident that Trump has the ability to go deeper than his practiced soundbites. He repeated himself often and never directly answered the moderator’s questions.
“There was nothing that would give anyone confidence he could hold his own in any complicated situation. Or that he could intellectually go toe to toe with any world leader or adversary.”
“Unfortunately, this election is not about policies. It’s about soundbites, social media and who delivers them better and the algorithms that deliver them to voters,” Cuban added.
“Trump is far better than Biden at soundbites and marketing. That’s reality. For that reason, I’m also open to the discussion to replace Biden and/or Harris.
“It’s not like Trump’s approval ratings are high. They aren’t. It could be an open door to find someone that immediately out performs Trump ...
“But if that doesn’t happen, I’m still voting for Biden, the ethical candidate who unquestionably stands by his oath and puts country over self interest.”
Left-winger Mr Newsom could be a smart choice of candidate for the Democrats.
He has been a staunch defender of abortion rights and has made California a haven for women from states where the procedure is banned.
He has also championed green policies and has made California the first state to offer health insurance to illegal immigrants.
Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Maryland, has also been touted as a possible replacement, although she has just a 2.7 per cent chance of winning the US election according to pollsters.
However, Mr Biden would need to step down in order for there to be another candidate and he has shown no interest in doing so.
There is, in theory, a way of ousting him if voters turned on him but it is unlikely that the Democrats would launch a hostile takeover of their own nominee.
If Biden did step down during his presidency, vice-president Kamala Harris would become president.
However, if he did so now she would have to win a majority of delegates like any other candidate.
- with the New York Post
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