PRESIDENT Joe Biden is defiantly refusing to drop out of the presidential election despite increasing calls from top Democrats calling on him to end his reelection bid.
The 81-year-old president’s performance during Thursday’s presidential debate with his predecessor, Donald Trump, sent shockwaves of concern rippling through the Democratic Party.
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Biden, who locked horns with Trump in the first debate of the 2024 election cycle, failed to convince American voters that despite his age, he’s still fit for a second White House term, according to a CNN poll.
Despite a disastrous debate, Biden has aggressively brushed off calls for him to drop out of the race, the outlet reported.
Biden remains committed to a second debate on September 10.
During Thursday’s showdown, Biden and Trump, 78, clashed over a raft of issues, including immigration, the January 6 Capitol riots, the state of the US economy, and environmental concerns.
Leading into the debate, questions swirled about the president’s fitness for office following a string of gaffs, blunders, and episodes where critics said he looked frail.
The president’s health has been a hot topic throughout his presidency, with voters asking whether he can manage another four years in office.
Those fears were reignited on Thursday when Biden stumbled through his sentences, spoke hoarsely, and appeared to freeze on stage.
Biden struggled throughout to overcome the early blunders.
JOE’S WOES
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official, called the debate “kind of a Defcon 1 moment.”
Other commentators, who usually refrain from speaking negatively about the president, were also quick to share their concerns.
CNN host Van Jones appeared close to tears while discussing Biden’s performance, asking a post-event panel whether they thought Biden was right for the job given his health.
David Axelrod, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama, said, “I think there was a sense of shock, actually, of how he came out at the beginning of this debate, how his voice sounded.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on, but by that time, I think the panic had set in,” he added of Biden’s political party.
Biden’s ex-communications director, Kate Bedingfield, also criticized her former boss’s performance.
“It was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden,” she said.
“I don’t think there is any other way to slice it.”
An unnamed Democratic advisor, who is thought to be a big supporter of the president, told the New York Times Biden’s affection has run dry.
“Biden is about to face a crescendo of calls to step aside,” he said.
“The man on the stage with Trump cannot win.”
Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang shared the hashtag #swapJoeout on X.
“What’s Joe Biden’s superpower?” he said.
“That he’s a good guy who will do the right thing for the country.
“In this case, that’s stepping aside and letting the DNC choose another nominee.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told The Sun Biden’s performance was “worse than anyone can believe.”
He described Biden as “totally unfit for office.”
What’s Joe Biden’s superpower?
Andrew Yang
His comments come as a poll reveals that the majority of independent voters want the president axed from the ticket.
Over 60% of independent voters believe Biden should be dropped, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail.
Only 38% believe the President is the correct candidate.
The poll also found that 68% of independents believe Trump came out of the debate on top.
Biden stumbled early in the debate, first losing his train of thought while discussing healthcare.
“Making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the, with the Covid, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look…” he trailed off.
“Look, if we’ve finally beat Medicare,” he added before CNN’s Jake Tapper ended his turn with, “Thank you, President Biden.”
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JOE’S ‘OUR GUY’
Biden also stumbled when discussing billionaires and immigration, with his opponent admitting during the debate that he could not understand the president.
Vice President Kamala Harris admitted after the debate that her boss had “a slow start” but insisted there was “a strong finish.”
“People can debate on style points, but ultimately, this election… has to be about substance, and the contrast is clear,” she said during a post-debate interview on CNN.
Despite Biden’s poor performance, some top Democratic politicians have not called on the commander-in-chief to stand down.
Gavin Newsom told the Mail it was a “farcical” idea that he could replace the president as he called such questions “really distressing.”
The Californian Governor described Biden as “our guy” and accused critics of “muddying the waters” with “diversion tactics.”
Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stuck by Biden despite his dismal performance.
“The choice in this election remains very simple,” the former New York senator, 76, said.
“It’s a choice between someone who cares about you – your rights, your prospects, your future – versus someone who’s only in it for himself.
“I’ll be voting Biden.”
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An X, formerly Twitter, user shared a clip of Biden freezing up and looking off into the distance while trying to finish a sentence during the debate.
“This is the only moment in the debate that really matters. Biden can’t finish a sentence. This is the exact thing he needed to avoid, but he couldn’t,” he wrote alongside the video.
The president has been suffering from decreasing approval ratings almost since he assumed office in January 2021, according to an ongoing poll by Reuters-Ipsos.
Biden currently had a 36% approval rating going into the debate — his lowest in two years.
Trump, too, had a low approval rating at the end of his first term — just 34% when he left office after the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
When Biden and Trump matched up in September 2020, over 73 million people tuned into what became an infamously chaotic debate that this year’s hosts have vowed not to repeat.
This time around, CNN decided to mute each candidate’s mics when not their turn to speak and take away the studio audience.
Speakers were not allowed to bring any props or notes onto the stage and were not permitted to speak to their staff during the two scheduled breaks.
The differences led to viewers blasting the event as “dry,” and even “the worst debate” some had ever seen.
Some asked whether the president’s “voice is gone,” while others begged, “Is Joe Biden whispering?”
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BIDEN FIGHTS BACK
When asked how he would address concerns about his ability to handle the presidency as an octogenarian, Biden took a jab at his opponent about his own health status.
“This guy’s three years younger and a lot less competent,” Biden shot back.
The pair went on to bizarrely divert the age-based questions to golf, with Biden challenging Trump to a game to test their physical skills.
“You can see he is six foot five and only 225 pounds,” Biden said.
“I’m happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”
At another point, Trump was asked about how he would deal with his political rivals if he returned to the White House — and he quickly turned the question into an attack on Biden.
“This man is a criminal. This man – you’re lucky. You’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We’d have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,” Trump claimed.
Biden fired back, jumping on Trump’s alleged affair with ex-porn star Stormy Daniels.
“The idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American, just because you’re a president, is wrong, is simply wrong,” Biden said.
“How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things, of having sex with a porn star on the night – and while your wife was pregnant?
“I mean, what are you talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat.”
Trump was quick to fire back, insisting he “didn’t have sex with a porn star” before moving on to discuss his pending criminal cases.
What are Trump and Biden’s platforms?
A look at what issues matter most to the candidates.
Biden’s talking points:
- The importance of democracy after the January 6 attack on the Capitol
- Advocate for abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with a 6-3 judgment in 2022
- His Build Back Better plan, the $2.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill introduced in 2021
- Support for Ukraine and Israel while they are at war
- Highlight the strong US economy and low unemployment rates during his presidency
Trump’s talking points:
- Slam issues at the US-Mexico border, which was a critical talking point for his 2016 win
- Criticize the slew of criminal and civil lawsuits filed against him
- Applaud the Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Discuss a plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, although he hasn’t said which country he wants to win
- Advocate for parents’ rights to regulate and restrict discussion of gender, sexuality, and race in schools
Biden has largely come under fire in recent months for his performance on the economy, which he has said is doing well despite consumer complaints about ever-present inflation.
Many voters have also questioned the president’s dedication to managing the immigration situation on the southern border with Mexico and an antiquated immigration system.
“We’ve made significant progress from the debacle that was left by President Trump,” Biden said during his closing statement.
He elaborated on his policies for taxes, childcare, healthcare, inflation, and more key topics throughout the 90-minute debate.
Earlier this month, Biden announced sweeping changes through a series of executive actions that bar migrants from seeking asylum in between ports of entry when the border becomes overwhelmed — resulting in a 40% drop in border crossings, according to Politifact.
He also shared a new policy that would protect over half a million undocumented migrants who are the spouses or children of U.S. citizens from deportation.
TRUMP TAKES HIS STAND
Trump has often been seen by voters as tougher on immigration, extremism, and foreign policy.
Trump declared, “We’re living in hell,” in his closing remarks on Thursday, criticizing the country’s current state.
He compared the situation to the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally, saying it is “a thousand times worse” under Biden’s leadership.
Trump accused Biden of causing national unrest due to a lack of respect.
Some of his most well-known initiatives were the Muslim Ban, the Mexican Border Wall, and the border patrol’s child separation policy — although whether these moves actually lowered rates of illegal immigration into the US is still up for debate, according to experts at the Migration Policy Institute.
During one particularly heated exchange, Trump brought up Evan Gershkovich — the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned by Russian authorities last year on trumped up charges of spying for the CIA.
Gershkovich is the first journalist to be arrested under such charges in Russia since the height of the Cold War.
“Now we have a hostage, the Wall Street Journal reporter,” Trump said. “I think [he’s] a good guy.
“And he’s over there because Putin is laughing at [Biden] probably asking for billions of dollars for the reporter.
“I will have him out very quickly as soon as I take office — before I take office,” Trump promised, without offering any details on how he would secure his release.
The former president is also often lauded by supporters for his handling of the economy, who say that he managed the country like a successful business.
Trump was president during the COVID-19 pandemic when the US took on unprecedented levels of national debt — but millions of people individually benefited from the federal government’s multiple stimulus checks.
The stock market did better under the previous president, but both Biden and Trump oversaw years of strong growth in GDP and the job market, according to Forbes.
LEGAL TROUBLES TAKE BACKSEAT
Trump’s recent conviction on 34 felony counts at the conclusion of his first criminal trial in New York City last month over the payment of hush money to Daniels was also an inevitable talking point.
The only person on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden fired off at one point.
Although Trump is the first former president to become a felon, experts have said they are unsure of how important his criminal background will be for voters in this year’s election.
Trump did not directly respond to the jab, instead changing the subject to the legal troubles of the President’s son, Hunter Biden, for falsifying information about his drug use to purchase a firearm.
The former President has continued to make claims about issues with the 2020 election that have been debunked by experts, politicians, and several civil groups.
His Stop the Steal campaign was an instrumental element of the January 6 Capitol Riots and has again become a rallying cry for many Trump supporters during this election cycle.
There has been no proof of fraud relating to the 2020 election.
Trump’s other three trials — on the mishandling of classified documents, Georgia election interference, and January 6 election subversion — are unlikely to face a jury before the election and, therefore, unlikely to influence its outcome.
The former president and current Republican presidential candidate faces 57 more felony charges in addition to the 34 he was already found guilty of.
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