President Joe Biden responded to comments about his presidential campaign following his debate performance on June 27, telling supporters at a rally a day later that he doesn’t debate as well these days.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” he said at a rally in North Carolina on Friday. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job.”
In the aftermath of the debate, some top Democrats and media pundits, including those from the left-leaning New York Times opinion section and MSNBC, suggested that President Biden be replaced or step down as his party’s presumptive nominee due to his debate performance.
Some expressed concern about his age, his health, and how he often misspoke during the debate when responding to questions. Members of his campaign and President Biden early on Friday morning said that he was dealing with a cold.
During his speech on Friday, the president appeared more animated and energetic.
“I know how to get things done. I know, like millions of Americans, I know, when you get knocked down, you get back up,” he said, adding that “I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job.”
Also at his rally, President Biden criticized former President Donald Trump and his policy positions, making note of the former president’s felony conviction in New York City last month.
Communications Director for the Biden-Harris campaign, Michael Tyler, backed the president’s remarks about his debate performance but argued that the night began to “crystallize” the alleged threat posed by the former president.
“You'd rather have one bad night than a candidate with a bad vision for where he wants to take the country,” he said during a gaggle on Air Force One after the rally.
The chorus calling for his replacement prompted several top Democrats and the Biden campaign to try to reassure other members of the party.
“From a performance standpoint it wasn’t great, but from a values standpoint it far outshone the other guy,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a former House speaker, told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. She said “no” when asked about whether the Democrat Party should seek a new nominee. A similar answer was given by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) when asked about President Biden being replaced.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, defended President Biden during a CNN interview, acknowledging that the debate performance was “not a good look.” But, he added, “It doesn’t change the fact that there is a clear and stark contrast in this race, and two very different visions for the future,” referring to the policy positions of President Biden and former President Trump.
Meanwhile former President Trump told Fox News on Friday that he does not believe that his Democrat opponent will be replaced and suggested that he would have performed well on Thursday no matter who he had faced.
Due to Democrat Party rules, it would be a difficult prospect to replace President Biden on the ticket, in part due to him winning enough party delegates during a number of states’ primary elections this year.
A post-debate poll hosted by CNN showed that about two-thirds of voters thought that former President Trump was the winner of the debate, while about a third believed President Biden won.
