“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” CNN’s John King was stunned. It was President Biden’s worst night as a politician—ever.
On Thursday evening in Atlanta, the already-lowered bar suddenly disappeared into the floor completely. Biden didn’t faint or trip, but his voice was so hoarse that he struggled to speak at times, and he faltered repeatedly, unable to retain his train of thought.
He looked pale and gaunt, he grumbled and stumbled. Van Jones, apparently on the verge of tears, called the performance “painful.”
Democratic leaders were already smashing the panic button by early Friday morning, only hours after one of the most embarrassing debate displays in U.S. history. One party strategist characterized the mood inside the Democrat campaign summarily: “We are f–ked.”
Vocal Trump critic Matt Drudge concurred. In big, bold lettering at the top of his eponymous Report read Biden’s political obituary: “OPERATION: REPLACE BIDEN. DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE WITH 130 DAYS TO GO! DEBATE CATASTROPHE.”
For all of the discussion about Biden drinking “a whole gallon of energy drinks” as Speaker Johnson so elegantly put it, the president was low energy, confused, and combative from the start in all the ways a president mustn’t be. Hidden from the nation for a week to prepare, Biden looked and sounded like a shadow of the already faded man we’ve come to know.
From his very first words, Biden sounded and appeared befuddled, bemused, bewildered, and downright beaten-down. The former President Donald Trump was able to put the current White House occupant’s senior moments to good use.
“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” quipped Trump after Biden struggled to complete his thought. “I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
In another stark exchange, Trump jumped on a Biden gaffe, agreeing with the confused president’s claim that he had “beat Medicare.”
“He’s right,” Trump responded. “He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
Biden meant to say he “beat pharma,” a constant refrain during his campaign speeches, but he failed to find the words without a teleprompter or notecards to assist.
The late start time of 9pm EDT clearly hindered 81-year-old Biden, who appeared dissociated at times and seemed to rest his weight on the podium throughout the night, like a dazed boxer failing to find the ropes.
“They’re having conversations about the president’s performance which they think was dismal,” King continued in the after-debate coverage. “Some of those conversations include; Should we go to the White House and ask the president to step aside? Other conversations are about; Should prominent Democrats go public with that call?”
Trump wasn’t perfect, but he was more than good enough. The great irony of this first debate was that it was Trump, not Biden, who benefitted from a lowered bar of expectations.Trump essentially won by default. Both men were repetitive and redundant at times, but it was only Biden who appeared totally incapable of stringing together clear thoughts, let alone commanding the world’s superpower.
As if on cue, top media members rushed in to defend Biden on the hour mark. Fifty minutes into the debate, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell tweeted, “Two sources familiar with the situation say ‘President Biden has a cold.’”
Biden didn’t appear sick at an after-hours party organized and led by First Lady Jill Biden. The eleventh-hour admission of Biden’s sickness seemed like a last-ditch effort from the Democrats to salvage what was very clearly a disaster night for the president.
“The voice, open-mouthed look, and visual contrast between President Biden and former President Trump all have Democrats I’m talking to nearly beside themselves watching this debate,” noted CNN anchor Kasie Hunt.
Biden read like a bruised, old man who should’ve been anywhere else other than on that CNN stage on a hot, muggy night in Georgia. He should’ve been at home with his family, or on a windswept beach in Delaware. But there he was. On the national stage. Again. And this time he was all out of gas.
The former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) told Rachel Maddow that some elected Democrats have confided that they “feel like they’re confronting a crisis” following Biden’s performance. And the former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said members of Congress and operatives in the Democratic Party have already begun quietly asking if Biden can be replaced.
Republican VP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy joked that Biden might’ve been given a lobotomy before the debate. Andrew Yang, who debated Biden seven times in 2020, said it was time to seek a different candidate to lead the Democratic ticket.
“He’s a different guy in 2024. #swapJoeout,” tweeted Yang in the middle of the debate.
Fittingly enough, there was California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom in the “Debate Spin Room” at CNN’s studios in Atlanta openly attacking Trump only minutes before the debate began. If anyone has the starpower and name recognition to challenge Trump at this late stage in the race, it’s most likely Newsom.
Newsom was hounded by press members following the debate. When asked if he anticipated replacing Biden at the top of the Democrat ticket, Newsom grinned.
“Our nominee is Joe Biden,” he replied. “I’m looking forward to voting for him in November. In a second interview, Newsom doubled down: “You don’t turn your back because of one performance.”
The former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley predicted Biden will be switched out before the Democratic Convention in Chicago this August. “Mark my words,” Haley said. “Biden will not be the Democratic nominee. Republicans, get your guard up!”
It’s been nearly 60 years since the last contested convention, when riot police clashed with protestors on the streets of Chicago. The Democratic Party spiraled into chaos over divisions over the Vietnam War and the assassination of then-Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy two months before the event in Chicago.
With massive pro-Palestinian protests planned for the convention and serious questions lingering about Biden’s cognitive abilities following his rough outing on Thursday, this year’s Chicago convention may bring more of the same.
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