Several of President Biden’s allies took to Sunday morning shows to defend the president following a debate performance that many considered disastrous.
During the first presidential debate between Biden and former President Trump, many Democrats in the media were shocked and underwhelmed by the president’s performance, with Biden’s raspy voice and incoherent answers raising concerns about his age and mental health, and whether he could serve another four years in office.
Some media outlets and Democratic Party insiders have called on Biden to step aside and hand the party’s top spot to another Democrat.
But some Democrats tried to defend the president, attacking Trump, CNN and even wavering Democrats in the process.
Voters expressed concern after the debate about Biden’s age and his ability to serve a second term. ((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) | (Photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) | (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
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Fetterman reflects on ‘difficult’ first debate in which he defended Biden
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and criticized the editorial boards of The New York Times and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for calling on Biden to drop out of the race.
Fetterman referenced his own lackluster 2022 debate with Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz after suffering a stroke, suggesting that one performance isn’t the end of the world.
“It’s not worth it. There was a similar uproar after my debate. In fact, I would go so far as to say I had a harder night than the president,” Fetterman said. “And now here I am having this conversation, and I want to remind everyone watching right now that Biden is #1 and Trump is #0 and he’s the only one who beat Trump. I truly believe Joe Biden would do it again, even though all the Democrats are tired of it.”
Fetterman cited his “difficult” debates, argued Biden can still win and accused Democrats of “defecting” to Trump.
Fauci recalls ‘positive’ experience with Biden
Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked on ABC’s “The Week” whether Biden should run again. Fauci didn’t offer an opinion, but said it has to be a personal decision and “how you feel and what you think you can do.”
“This is just a personal choice, and I don’t think you can generalize,” Fauci said.
Fauci declined to comment on the debate or anything “politically sensitive,” but insisted he’s had a “very positive” experience with Biden so far.
“He asks sharp questions. He gets to the point,” Fauci said. “So my personal experience with him has been pretty good.”
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Speaker Pelosi urges voters to focus on Trump, not debate
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a direct attack on Donald Trump during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Voters have expressed concerns about Biden’s ability to serve another term, but Pelosi has argued the focus should be on the former president.
“So what do they think about the other candidate?” Pelosi asked. “Do they think after that performance that he has the integrity to be president? You shouldn’t judge a president on one debate.”
“The reality is that the response to Donald Trump’s lies is what people are watching, and we should be having debates where he has to spend half the time rejecting what he says because he knows nothing about the truth,” she added. “There’s sincerity on one side of the screen and dishonesty on the other.”
Democratic Representatives Nancy Pelosi and James Clyburn defended Biden during an appearance on CNN on Sunday. (Getty Images)
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Former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield argued the debate would not have changed the outcome of the election, despite polls showing most Americans feel Biden is not capable of serving another term.
“The reality is that the race hasn’t fundamentally changed,” Bedingfield said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
She added: “I think there’s universal agreement. [it] “It wasn’t a great night for Joe Biden, he said so. But all the data that’s come out since Thursday shows that the fundamental conflicts haven’t changed. People aren’t suddenly going to Trump.”
Bedingfield also argued that voters were similarly unhappy with Trump’s debate performance and said Biden could bounce back from Thursday.
“The thing for Biden to do now is go out there and do what he did in North Carolina and show that energy and show that it was just a bad night. Every campaign bounces back from a bad night,” she said.
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Clyburn: No one has fact-checked Trump
Rep. Jim Clyburn (R-Calif.), speaking with co-moderator of the debate, CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash, criticized CNN’s production of the debate.
“I don’t like debates where nobody fact-checks anyone,” Clyburn said. “You just say what you want to say, and you know it’s a lie. This guy lied over 30 times! Nobody checked it! And then he said it’s up to Joe Biden. I’m not so sure.”
He continued, “If I ask you a question and you give me a false answer, then I should follow up and give you the facts and see how you respond to that. So, for me, that was not the way to plan a debate. And anyone who did that, who agreed to that, should really think about what they’re doing.”
“Well, this debate was the one that President Biden agreed to when he first proposed it,” Bash reminded him at the time.
US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate at CNN studios in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on June 27, 2024. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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