President Joe Biden was praised by his wife after appearing in the first presidential debate on Thursday, despite a widely criticized performance.
First Lady Jill Biden greeted her husband onstage at the debate’s packed after-party, seemingly celebrating the very fact that the president had answered the moderator’s question.
“Joe, you did a great job! You answered all the questions and had all the facts!” Jill Biden cheered a smiling Joe Biden onstage.
Jill Biden says husband is ‘one of the most effective presidents’ in modern history ‘because of his age’
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden speak to supporters at a CNN presidential debate viewing party in Atlanta, Georgia, where Biden and Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, faced off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential election. (Thassos Katopodis/Thassos Katopodis)
“So let me ask the audience: ‘What has Mr. Trump done?'” the First Lady continued, before turning to the audience, gesturing and shouting, “Lies!”
The moment has been talked about since the debate, with numerous articles reporting that Jill Biden sounded like she was praising a child.
Biden’s debate performance was almost universally panned by critics for his slurred speech and erratic posture.
Biden’s ‘disastrous’ debate performance sparks media mayhem, calls for him to withdraw from 2024 election
Jill Biden greeted supporters of her husband at a campaign viewing party for the CNN presidential debate. (Thassos Katopodis/Thassos Katopodis)
Repeated stutters, long pauses and facial expressions conveying intense confusion have convinced some of Biden’s most vocal supporters that the president should step aside from his reelection campaign.
Thomas Friedman, a New York Times columnist and longtime Biden ally, wrote that the debate “moved me to tears” and that Biden realized it was time to step aside.
“In my lifetime, I cannot recall a more heartbreaking moment in American election politics precisely because it became clear that Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, is unfit to run for reelection.” He wrote.
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The Bidens were photographed arriving at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina and walking with Durham Mayor Leonard Williams (right). (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
CNN commentator Van Jones Tears of joy were shed When Biden won the 2020 presidential election, he made an emotional plea with the president to step down.
“I respect that he’s a good man. He loves his country. He’s doing the best he can. But tonight he had to rise to the challenge of restoring the trust of his country and his base, and he didn’t do it,” Jones said. “And I think there are a lot of people out there who would like to see him consider choosing a different path now.”
Joseph A. Wulfsohn of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
