CNN anchor and former presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace offered a pessimistic assessment of Biden’s debate performance on Thursday, saying the president “couldn’t have done any better.”
Wallace told CNN Clip Highlights Mediaite reported that the president “was inept tonight on the biggest stage he wanted.”
Biden’s team had wanted an early debate with Trump and had been pressuring the Republican to agree.
“After all that preparation, he didn’t perform any better. You can’t bounce back from that,” Wallace said.
Biden and those around him appear to be aware of the importance of a debate with former President Trump, having spent a week at Camp David for strategy meetings and mock debates in preparation for the big moment.
But Biden’s performance has faltered, unsettling Democrats and raising questions about whether he can be replaced from the slate of candidates.
“I was actually struck by how he came out at the beginning of the debate, the tone of his voice. He seemed a little confused. He certainly got stronger as the debate went on,” Democratic strategist David Axelrod said on CNN after the debate. “I don’t know if it’s going to lead to anything, but you’re going to hear arguments about whether he should continue.”
A White House official said Biden had been suffering from a cold during the debate, and his campaign defended him as questions swirled about his status as the top Democratic candidate.
“Of course he’s not backing down,” Biden campaign spokesman Seth Schuster said after the debate.
