Joe Biden’s poor performance in Thursday’s presidential debate with Donald Trump has thrown the Democratic Party into disarray, with one New York politician calling for the elderly president to cancel the debate.
Former Senator Alessandra Biaggi of the Bronx, New York, was one of a few prominent politicians who took to social media to air their frustrations minutes after CNN went off the air.
“President Biden is a good and honorable man. He has much to be proud of. It’s time to step aside and end this campaign,” Biaggi said. I wrote it to X.
“To the Biden team, please serve your country and tell the truth. We need a strong candidate now. There’s still time.”
The embarrassing debate was a moment of clarity for several other Democrats who had previously stressed that the 81-year-old incumbent’s age would not hinder his performance.
Biden made a series of gaffes throughout the 90-minute debate, including saying his late son “died in Iraq” and saying he “defeated Medicare.”
Speaking on a CNN panel, John King criticised the president’s performance as a “game changer” for Democrats.
“There is deep, widespread and very intense panic within the Democratic Party,” King said.
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“It started a few minutes after the debate started, and it’s still ongoing. It’s involving party strategists, elected officials, fundraisers. They’re debating the president’s performance, they think it was terrible, they think it reflects negatively on other candidates in the party, and they’re debating what to do about it.”
David Axelrod, an adviser to former President Barack Obama, acknowledged that many Democrats were “shocked” by Biden’s expression at the start of the debate.
“There’s no arguing either way about the response of Democratic leadership,” he said.
“He seemed a little confused. He certainly got stronger as the discussion went on. But by that point, I think panic had set in.”
Axelrod is not the only former Obama administration official to voice his dissatisfaction, with former Deputy Secretary of State Joel Wertheimer saying it’s time for Biden to “step back.”
“At this point, Kamala may be better than Biden and the only alternative, but I don’t think she has a much better chance.” Wertheimer wrote about X.
“Anyway, if you like Biden and Harris and you’re just a Democrat who wants to win, I think it’s worth publicly saying that they need someone other than them.”
Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s White House communications director, said it was simply “not a good debate for Joe Biden.”
Kennedy heir and former first lady of California Maria Shriver also weighed in, saying Biden’s performance was “heartbreaking in so many ways.”
“I love Joe Biden. I know he’s a good man. I know he has a good heart. I know he’s committed to our country and he surrounds himself with good people.” She wrote to X.
“This is a critical political moment. Democrats are panicking. It’s going to be a long night.”
