ATLANTA — President Joe BidenThe party’s top campaign managers had the unenviable task of countering his weak debate performance Donald Trump to the media immediately after Thursday evening’s event.
They argued that Biden’s debate performance should be judged on the content of his message and not the style of the messenger. But it was a tough sell as Biden gave muddled answers, mixed up numbers and took confusing side paths that clouded the message Democrats hoped he would deliver more clearly in the first presidential debate of 2024.
“I would never turn my back on President Biden, and I don’t know a Democrat in my party who would, especially after tonight.” Newsom told reporters after the debate, amid shouted questions about whether he regretted not seeking the Democratic presidential nomination himself. “We endorsed him. … We’re going to double down in the next few months. We’re going to win this election.”
Newsom was once considered a leading contender for the 2024 Democratic nomination, should Biden choose not to run. But Newsom has emerged as one of the Biden campaign’s most effective and visible surrogates.
Newsom and a half-dozen other Biden cheerleaders were mobbed by reporters after the debate, arriving as one after a stream of Trump surrogates who canvassed the room individually. Biden’s team included Sen. Rafael Warnock (D-Ga.), former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).
“I would be concerned if the president didn’t have a record to draw on,” Warnock told reporters. “This is a man who has passed historic legislation here in the state of Georgia.”
Mary Trump, the former president’s niece who has spoken out against her uncle, said voters should not focus on Biden’s specific accomplishments.
“I’ve heard a lot about the show and I would encourage everyone to focus on the content,” Mary Trump said. “We have two candidates for president. One is a blatant liar who doesn’t care about this country. The other one cares about America. He cares about democracy.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s surrogates claimed the debate was the clearest evidence yet that Biden is not ready for another term. At the very least, it gave them new ammunition to continue the attacks on Biden’s age and mental acuity.
“I really felt sorry for him,” said former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who is reportedly being considered as Trump’s vice presidential running mate. “He was trying to remember things they told him. Often he would start switching from one topic to another and then start to wander. It really wasn’t a good performance.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), another name on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, questioned Biden’s ability to run the White House on a day-to-day basis.
“I don’t mean to be cruel, but it’s just reality,” Rubio said. “Who actually makes decisions in the White House on a daily basis? “I don’t think the person you saw tonight could be involved in the details of governing right now.”
