President Joe Biden opened the debate with a hoarse voice and incoherent, jumbled answers, reigniting Democrats’ concerns about his age and his ability to take on the former president Donald Trump.
Many of the president’s answers were difficult to follow. At one point, Biden, seemingly losing his train of thought, said “we finally defeated Medicare,” while misspeaking about his own earned benefits policies.
In text messages with POLITICO, Democrats expressed confusion and concern as they watched the opening minutes of the event. One former White House and Biden campaign aide called it “terrible,” adding that they had to ask themselves over and over again, “What did he just say? This is crazy.”
Another veteran Democratic operative texted, “Biden seems to have taken a few minutes to warm up. I wonder if the lack of crowd was the right decision. And the poor man needs tea. Maybe a whisky.’
Jay Surdukowski, a New Hampshire lawyer and Democratic activist who co-chaired Martin O’Malley’s 2016 presidential campaign in the state, said: “Biden is toast – call it now.”
Biden’s rambling answers gave Trump multiple opportunities to fire back. At one point, after a response ostensibly about immigration, Trump said, “I don’t know what he said at the end. I don’t think he knows what he said.”
The president’s performance has been widely reported online and is likely to reinforce the impression that he has taken a step backward. The 81-year-old president’s age has long been a burden, and poll after poll shows that even many Democrats are concerned about his age.
Biden aides and allies hoped the onstage split screen between the two men would focus voters’ attention on the race. But during the debate, many Democrats began to doubt whether the strategy would actually work out in Biden’s favor.
A person familiar with Biden’s health claimed his performance was due to a cold. But the president’s team didn’t tell reporters that until Biden began answering questions in the debate.
A leading member texted: “Time for an open convention.”
