WASHINGTON – The debate was always going to be a gamble Joe Biden — but the bet may prove more costly than he imagined after he gave a performance that was widely criticised as clumsy and disjointed.
Alarmed by the spectacle, some Democrats worried they might have to dump Biden from the ticket, even as his campaign aides emphasized that nothing from the evening should disqualify him as a candidate.
Heading into the debate, Biden’s advisers believed that once voters would get a good look at the unfiltered Donald Trump — once they heard his outbursts and taunts — they would appreciate Biden’s steadfastness and realize they had no choice but to give him another term.
So they organized a debate months earlier than usual, and Trump accepted.
Minutes later, the plan seemed to have backfired.
Biden gave a shaky performance, speaking in a hoarse voice that sometimes trailed off into inaudibility. In split-screen shots, Biden held his mouth open as he listened to questions and answers, a contrast to his opponent’s look of cold determination.
After discussing the social safety net, he inexplicably said, “We’re beating Medicare,” the popular program that provides health care to older Americans.
“He defeated Medicare; he has defeated it to the death,” Trump responded.
When Biden’s advisers watched the performance, they were initially concerned. They said his hoarseness was due to a cold. But they failed to prepare viewers by explaining his condition ahead of time, which made Biden’s speech all the more shocking.
Even Biden’s former communications director Kate Bedingfield said afterward that “it was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden.”
The mood in Biden’s campaign offices brightened as he gradually gained traction and his voice grew stronger. Aides said Biden had some catchy lines that they plan to share widely on social media, most notably when he said of Trump, “Only one of us is a convicted felon, and I’m looking at him.”
Of Biden’s rocky start, one of his aides said, “He just needed to warm up.”
“Not an ideal start,” another admitted, insisting there was “no mass panic” at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, about his overall performance.
Biden’s team was encouraged when it conducted a private test to gauge what average viewers thought of the debate in real time. Voters record their reactions to what the candidates say by turning the dials in one direction or the other.
Several campaign sources said voters reacted negatively to some of Trump’s responses, including his defense of his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and interfered with Congress’s counting of electoral votes that confirmed Biden’s 2020 victory.
Other answers Trump gave could alienate independent voters, Biden’s aides said. They cited voters backing away from some of Trump’s insults, including when he called Biden “the worst president in the history of our country.”
Biden smiled at that. Historians rated Trump this year as the worst president in history, which Biden also emphasized.
Another bright spot for Biden’s campaign was the fundraising efforts, which aides touted in the hours leading up to the debate. One aide said the campaign took in more donations on Thursday than on any other day this election cycle, though the person declined to disclose the total.
With Biden’s missteps still fresh in people’s minds, some Democratic strategists, elected officials and opinion makers openly called on him to withdraw from the race.
Nicholas Kristof, an influential New York Times columnist, wrote on X that Biden “should reflect on this debate performance” and withdraw in favor of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Biden’s Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, or another candidate better positioned to defeat Trump.
That is unlikely to happen, and the way to oust Biden against his will is difficult for a Democratic Party that has staked everything on his re-election.
Biden aides stressed that whatever happens on the debate stage, the fundamentals of the race remain unchanged. The election remains a choice between what they see as a successful and stable incumbent president versus Trump, who poses a threat to American democratic norms built over more than two centuries.
They hope that voters will remember what’s at stake in the coming days and overlook Biden’s missteps.
“Biden’s voice is hoarse, but voters shouldn’t let that distract them from Trump’s endless stream of lies and anger,” said a Democratic officeholder and Biden ally. “Trump attacks women and immigrants and offers nothing positive for our future.”
However, it is clear that Team Biden’s bet on the debate did not pay off as planned. What they wanted to see was the confident and powerful Biden who gave an impressive performance during his State of the Union address in March. That’s not the one that showed up in Atlanta on Thursday.
“I was expecting State of the Union Joe,” said a member of Biden’s fundraising team.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
