The aftermath of Joe Biden’s debate performance against Donald Trump left his campaign reeling as they faced tough questions from reporters about his fitness for office and whether he should be replaced as the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Despite being prepared to come out swinging after the debate, Biden’s campaign found themselves backed into a corner as concerns about his age and performance during the debate took center stage. Surrogates for the campaign, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, were bombarded with questions about potentially replacing Biden at the top of the ticket.
Democratic strategist David Plouffe described the situation as a “Defcon 1 moment,” highlighting the stark contrast between Biden and Trump during the debate. Even staunch supporters of Biden acknowledged that his performance did little to alleviate concerns about his age and ability to lead.
Calls for Biden to step aside and let the DNC choose another nominee were echoed by former primary challenger Andrew Yang, but the likelihood of such a scenario is slim given the proximity to the election and potential party disarray.
While Biden’s campaign tried to shift the focus to Trump’s lies and misinformation during the debate, the conversation remained fixated on Biden’s performance. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other surrogates continued to attack Trump’s credibility, but the damage had been done.
In the end, Biden himself addressed the issue head-on at a post-debate watch party, emphasizing the need to beat Trump and calling on his supporters to rally behind him.
As Trump’s allies celebrated their victory in the spin room, Democrats like Newsom and Senator Raphael Warnock faced a barrage of questions about Biden’s performance. Former Senator Claire McCaskill admitted that Biden had failed to reassure America of his ability to lead at his age, marking a challenging moment for the campaign moving forward.
