Biden’s disastrous debate pitches his reelection bid into crisis

If Joe Biden does not win the election in November, it will be remembered in history that it only took 10 minutes to ruin his presidency.

It was evident that a political crisis was going to happen when the 81-year-old leader awkwardly walked onto the stage in Atlanta, standing a few feet away from former President Donald Trump. This debate could be one of the most crucial in presidential history.

In a subjective analysis, Biden's performance in the televised debate on Thursday was considered the weakest since the tradition started in 1960 with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The debate took place in a television studio without an audience, similar to how it was during Kennedy and Nixon's time.

During the debate on CNN, the Democrats became very worried about the thought of going into the election with a weak candidate leading their party.

Ron Klain, the debate coach for Biden, is known for saying that you can lose a debate at any moment, but you can only win it within the first 30 minutes. This means that the president's performance was extremely damaging. The atmosphere of the evening was established long before the halfway point.

It's too soon to predict how voters will react and if the president can recover. However, Biden narrowly defeated Trump in crucial swing states during the pandemic in 2020. His popularity was under 40% before the debate, where he was essentially tied with his opponent in the polls. If just a handful of voters abandon him, Trump could regain control of the White House.

There is no indication that Biden cannot carry out his duties as president, which involve making difficult decisions on national security. He recently completed two demanding trips abroad. However, based on Thursday's events, his ability to effectively communicate with the nation and promote his plans for a second term is significantly impaired.

If the debate was the president's great opportunity to change the course of a close race with Trump, in which he is in serious danger of losing re-election, it was a disappointment. Biden finished the evening with the Democratic Party in turmoil, with important discussions happening privately among senior leaders about whether his campaign can still continue, just two months before the Democratic National Convention.

The former president did not shy away from his own troubling behavior. He acted in a rude and polarizing manner. He spread unbelievable lies about his time in office, his efforts to overturn the last election, and often rambled incoherently, especially when questioned about climate change. He shamelessly denied his involvement in the attack on the US Capitol by his followers on January 6, 2021.

The former president, who has been impeached twice and convicted of felonies, refused to commit to accepting the outcome of the 2024 election if he were to lose. He made grandiose and unclear statements about how his personal charisma would make foreign enemies obey him. Additionally, he had difficulty countering Biden's arguments about tax cuts for the wealthy and the challenges faced by workers. His grasp on policy issues appeared shaky, mirroring his time in office.

When the older opponents started arguing about who was the superior golfer, it became clear why voters have consistently expressed their dissatisfaction with the candidates in this year's election.

However, Biden has based his campaign on the belief that he is the only thing preventing another Trump presidency that would harm democracy and bring about a new period of American dictatorship. Those who trust him may have been worried by his poor performance in the debate.

During the debate, Biden's speaking voice was not strong, sometimes barely audible. He struggled to stay coherent in his answers. He missed opportunities to criticize Trump on abortion, a key topic for Democrats, instead focusing on his own weak point, immigration. At one point, Biden mistakenly claimed victory over Medicare, then fell silent in confusion. These were the kind of mistakes Democrats were hoping Biden would avoid. As Trump spoke, Biden often appeared distracted, with his mouth hanging open, creating the image of a president who seemed diminished. His impressive performance against Trump in a debate four years ago seemed like a distant memory.

It was difficult to watch the president struggle in front of millions of viewers on TV from all over the world. It was a stark reminder of the effects of aging that we all will face. Biden's campaign disclosed that he had a cold during the debate, but the impact had already been made.

In the debate, Biden was put to the test to show that he is still fit and capable of serving for another term, despite concerns about his age. However, his performance only heightened those fears and may have convinced more people that he is not up to the task. The decision to debate Trump has now been questioned, as it seems to have backfired. Any efforts to promote Biden's health behind closed doors have been overshadowed by his stumbling debate performance. Any confidence gained from his strong State of the Union address earlier in the year has now been lost.

Frequently, people remember presidential debates for striking moments that stick in the public's mind after the event. Unfortunately for Biden, someone focusing only on visuals might think Trump appeared more strong-willed. Past elections have shown that the candidate who comes across as strong usually triumphs over the one who appears weak.

Van Jones, a political analyst for CNN, expressed his disappointment in President Joe Biden's recent actions. Jones believes that Biden missed an important opportunity to rebuild trust among the American people and his supporters. Despite his admiration for Biden as a person and leader, Jones thinks that many people will be looking for a change in direction from the President.

Kamala Harris, the Vice President, tried to shift attention from how Biden was perceived to the danger presented by his Republican rival.

Harris told CNN's Anderson Cooper that although things started off slowly, the debate ended on a high note. It became obvious throughout the night that Joe Biden is actively advocating for the American people. When it comes to substance, policy, and overall performance, Biden is incredibly strong.

Some may argue about aesthetics and presentation, but in the end, what truly matters in this election is the content. The difference between the candidates is evident. Just consider the recent debate. Donald Trump continuously lied, as he often does.

Harris is right about Trump telling many lies. During the debate, Trump seemed to gain more energy as time went on, especially when discussing his threat to democracy. Biden criticized Trump for not accepting his defeat in the last election, saying, "You can't handle losing. Something changed in you when you lost last time." In a surprising moment during the debate, Biden brought up Trump's conviction in the hush money trial in New York.

Biden confronted Trump about the hefty sum of money he owes in fines for inappropriate behavior towards a woman in public, among other things. He also brought up the scandal involving Trump having relations with a porn star while his wife was pregnant, implying that Trump's moral compass was severely lacking.

The ex-president was recently convicted of 34 charges of tampering with business documents during his illegal payment trial. He was also held responsible for sexual harassment in a court case last year. Additionally, Trump, along with his adult sons and his company, faced a major legal defeat in a fraud case in New York.

However, Biden's difficulty was that the highlights of his performance didn't come until late in the 90-minute debate, when most viewers had likely already made up their minds.

Sometimes, he seemed to struggle to protect his reputation and call out Trump's lies and distortions of his own accomplishments. The president only smiled briefly, which he had previously used to disprove Trump's ridiculous arguments in their past debate and when he effectively criticized Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan during the 2012 vice presidential debate.

If the multitude of private complaints by Democrats results in more significant concerns about Biden's abilities, the situation surrounding him will become more serious. However, it is difficult to imagine any simple solution other than the president choosing not to run for the party nomination.

Attempting to remove a president who has won all Democratic contests would be unprecedented and could cause division within the party. This division could potentially aid Trump in winning a second term, making him only the second president in history to do so non-consecutively.

The Biden administration has not done much to publicly support Harris as the next potential president, and she faces her own political challenges. Other potential Democratic presidential candidates, like California Governor Gavin Newsom or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, did not try to challenge Biden, who was seen as a unifying figure for the party's future.

Biden isn't the only president to have a rough debate - in fact, his recent performance was even worse than Obama's or Reagan's. Both of those presidents recovered in their next debate and ended up winning re-election. However, with a second debate against Trump coming up in September, it's difficult to see why the former president would want to give his opponent another chance to debate.

A Democratic strategist summarized the president's debate performance to CNN's Kasie Hunt using a word that could define his entire campaign for reelection unless Biden can change the narrative.

"Absolutely terrible," the individual exclaimed.