Democratic nominee, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Republican nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, attend a presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, on June 27, 2024.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
Democrats are making the rounds in the media on Sunday, working to reshape perceptions of President Joe Biden after he delivered a stumbling debate performance that spooked his voters and sent his party into a damage control frenzy.
“Yes, it was a poor performance,” Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a close Biden ally, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I notice it when I see what I call preparation overload. And that’s exactly what happened the other night.”
The South Carolina Democrat followed the post-debate spin formula developed by Biden supporters since Thursday’s showdown: Acknowledge the blooper and then turn to criticism of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump , to.
“Joe Biden should continue his track record. “I believe that compared to the track record of the four years under Trump, he is exactly what we need going forward,” Clyburn said.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton followed this structure in similar arguments on Friday.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, also jumped to Biden’s defense during Sunday’s media tour.
Despite the packed court press, Biden’s debate performance on Thursday, in which he repeatedly stumbled over his words or faltered mid-answer, only heightened voters’ concerns about his age and suitability for a second term as president.
A new CBS News/YouGov poll conducted June 28-29 found that 72% of registered voters surveyed believe Biden should not run for president, up from 63% in February . The poll also found that 72% of respondents believe Biden does not have the mental and cognitive abilities to serve as president, an increase of seven percent since June 9.
A poll conducted so soon after a major event like Thursday’s debate is a knee-jerk reaction. A more accurate snapshot of public sentiment could emerge as the initial hype dies down and voters have more time to process. The CBS News poll surveyed 1,130 registered voters and yielded a margin of error of +/- 4.2%.
But these new numbers directly contradict Biden’s argument that voters don’t respond to his debate errors as much as political pundits.
“I understand the concern about the debate. I understand. I didn’t have a great evening. But here’s something.” [is] “The voters reacted differently than the experts did,” the president said at a campaign event Saturday in East Hampton, NY. “Since the debate, the polls have shown a little movement and we have actually moved up.”
A second debate between Biden and Trump is scheduled for September 10th, although it is unclear whether both candidates will go through.
Ultimately, the debate has sparked a Democratic clash over whether Biden should remain the presumptive nominee.
Some Democratic strategists, as well as newspaper editorial boards across the country, have suggested that he should resign and give up his delegates before the Democratic National Convention in August so that someone else can run against Trump in November.
According to NBC News, Biden will be at Camp David with his family on Sunday, where he is expected to discuss his re-election path.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign raised large donations as a result of the debate. As of Sunday morning, the campaign had raised $33 million since Thursday, $26 million of which came from grassroots donors, according to Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz.
Munoz added that nearly half of that base funding came from donors giving money to the campaign for the first time this election season.
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2024-06-30 16:58:10
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