Democrats panic over Biden's halting performance, Trump meets pre-debate goal by staying on message

Democrats on Thursday night got what they had least hoped for in incumbent President Joe Biden's debate performance, a shaky 90-minute exchange with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump that appeared to affirm to voters that the 81-year-old incumbent cannot meet the demands of another term. 

“I think there was a sense of shock actually, how he came out at the beginning of this debate," David Axelrod, a former top adviser to former President Barack Obama, said on CNN. "He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on. By that time, I think the panic had set in and I think ... there are gonna be discussions about whether he should continue."

To be sure, Biden got off to a poor start in the debate hosted by CNN, the first of two before Election Day.

He stumbled through his opening remarks and appeared at times to struggle for the right words. And though he seemed to find his footing as the night went on, Biden also made several incorrect statements including that he is the only U.S. president this decade who doesn't have any troops dying anywhere in the world.

At least 16 U.S. service members have died while serving overseas during Biden's presidency, including 13 killed in an attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan in August 2021.

"It was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden," said former Biden White House communications director Kate Bedingfield. "I don’t think there’s any other way to slice it. His biggest issue was to prove to the American people that he had the energy, the stamina – and he didn’t do that."

Top news outlet also, and essentially unanimously, were critical of Biden's performance.

Politico posted a story with the headline "'Biden is toast – calling it now': Biden stumbles, rambles in opening of debate" just over halfway into the affair. That quote came from New Hampshire Democratic activist Jay Surdukowski. Other observers, such as former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, suggested replacing Biden as the party nominee "before it’s too late."

Biden also acknowledged that black American, who traditionally vote Democrat, were particularly still struggling with the high cost of living. 

"I don't blame them for being disappointed," he said. "Inflation is still hurting them badly."

Prior to the debate, Trump and his team appeared to try to manage expectations, acknowledging Biden's experience on stage and suggesting the key to success would be a just-the-facts performance from Trump that focuses on the economy and illegal immigration.

The Trump campaign swiftly declared victory after the debate in Atlanta, saying the candidate "delivered the greatest debate performance and victory in history to the largest voter audience in history, making clear exactly how he will improve the lives of every American."

While Democrats, their supporters and others were critical of Biden, they nevertheless did not say his performance meant he was outshine by Trump.

"Trump stuck to his factually incorrect messaging points tonight, but President Biden wasn’t capable of counteracting them in real time in a convincing way,” Henrietta Treyz, managing partner and director of economic policy research at the consulting firm Veda Partners, told "The New York Times."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X.