It took just 30 minutes during Thursday night's presidential debate for Democrats to begin speaking at length about replacing President Joe Biden on the November ballot.
Months earlier than expected, Biden and former President Donald Trump met under unusual circumstances: CNN's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper hosted the showdown in a studio with no audience, no commercial breaks and no microphone cuts. Biden hadn't been seen in public for a week in preparation, but his 81-year-old age was on full display. He failed to galvanize the largely restrained former Trump.
“Every Democrat I know is texting me that this is awful,” former Obama campaign official Ravi Gupta tweeted just 15 minutes after the debate began.
“Just say it publicly and start the hard work of creating space for the selection process at the convention. I would vote for a corpse over Trump, but this is suicidal,” Gupta continued.
Every Democrat I know is texting me that this is bad. Just say it publicly and start the hard work of making space for the selection process at the convention. I would vote for a corpse over Trump, but this is suicidal.
— Ravi Gupta (@RaviMGupta) June 28, 2024
The debate marked the beginning of a battle between the legacy media and Democratic Party activists over the president's eligibility for reelection.
Thirty minutes after the debate began, the New York Times Published An editorial by a deputy editor about the “intense anxiety” she was hearing from Democratic Party leaders, calling his performance a “disaster.”
“I like Joe Biden, but he just didn't get it right,” Van Jones, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, said on CNN's solemn post-debate show.
“We're still a long way from hosting the convention, but there's still time to find another way to move forward if the president allows it,” Jones added.
Minutes into the debate, the president's first big lie was revealed when he claimed he was the first president to have had no Americans die overseas in the past decade. Biden made no mention of the 13 soldiers who died during his administration's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
“When he was president, people were being killed in Afghanistan and he did nothing about it,” Biden said. “When he was president, we still had the notion that we were a safe country. The truth is, I'm the only president who has done that.” [in] “There has not been a time in this century, in this decade, anywhere in the world where soldiers have not died.”
Minutes later, after the president stumbled while answering a question about the national debt and taxes, Tapper eventually came to his rescue, abruptly interrupting Biden to direct the question at Trump.
“We can cancel his debt, we can help make sure that we get child care, elderly care, all the other things that we have to do, that we continue to strengthen our health care system and make sure that everybody gets the same things that I've been doing with COVID-19, excuse me, dealing with all the things that we have to do,” the president continued, before pausing and looking down.
“Look, we finally got over Medicare,” Biden said after a few minutes of silence.
Biden breaks down, Jake Tapper rescues him pic.twitter.com/oUkv5vqKeR
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 28, 2024
“I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don't think he knows what he said,” Trump said, after Biden paused.
The incidents have thrown the Democratic Party into turmoil, with many taking to Twitter and in the media to call for the president to resign just weeks before the Democratic National Convention, when the party may choose Biden's successor.
“Folks, Democrats need to nominate someone else before it's too late,” former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wrote on Twitter.
Folks, the Democrats need to nominate someone else before it's too late. #swapjawout
— Andrew Yang 🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) June 28, 2024
“I hope Biden reflects on his performance in this debate and announces his decision to withdraw from the race, leaving the choice of the Democratic nominee to the National Convention,” New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted.
We hope that Biden will reflect on his performance in this debate and announce his decision to withdraw from the race, leaving the selection of the Democratic nominee to the party convention. Gretchen Whitmer or Sherrod Brown or Raymond There is still a chance they can get in and beat Trump.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) June 28, 2024
POLITICO Published The article detailed the “confusion and concern” felt by Democrats watching Biden on the debate stage.
“Biden is finished. The time is now,” Democratic activist Jay Sadukowski told Politico.
“It's time for an open convention,” one prominent activist texted the outlet.
Media outlets tried to rescue Biden about an hour into the forum, reporting that the president had a cold because he was speaking with a visibly hoarse voice. I got it. There was no mention of Biden having a cold before the debate.
What's new: “President Biden has a cold,” two sources familiar with the situation say.
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 28, 2024
Ahead of the debate, Biden spent time preparing a mock stage at Camp David with aides, who trained him to “fire up” Trump by bringing up Trump's felony convictions and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, a source told NBC News.
Instead, the two of them ( Conclusion Discussion of golf handicaps.
Trump tries his hand at jiu-jitsu to answer J6's question:
No one crossed the border on January 6th.
On January 6th, we achieved energy independence.
On January 6th, restrictions were eased to the greatest extent to date.
On January 6th, we were honored around the world.
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) June 28, 2024
An hour after the debate, CNN continued to report on the “panic” spreading across the Democratic Party following Biden's debate performance.
“Does he know how bad this is?” asked CNN anchor Erin Burnett, who was watching Biden at the post-debate party.
