Biden's backfire: Top takeaways from a shocking first debate
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President Biden's debate performance triggered a meltdown of epic proportions Thursday night, uniting Democrats of all stripes — optimists and bedwetters — in a state of unprecedented panic.
Why it matters: On the biggest stage in politics — with a rule set and date specifically requested by the Biden campaign — the 81-year-old president poured gasoline on Democrats' worst fears about his age and capacity to lead.
- It was by no means a strong performance by his opponent, former President Trump, who spewed falsehoods and defended the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
- But the visual frailty, rambling answers and constant gaffes were enough to make Biden — and his fate as the presumptive Democratic nominee — the biggest political story of the year.
4 takeaways
1. Biden's slow start.
- Biden's unusually hoarse voice — which a source close to the president attributed to a cold — established an immediate contrast with Trump, who is three years younger than Biden.
- Panic set in among Democrats when Biden froze during an answer just minutes into the debate. Trump was quick to capitalize on Biden's stumbles: "I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either."
- Biden found his footing later in the debate, landing shots on Trump for bragging about the end of Roe v. Wade and leaving behind a COVID-wrecked economy.
2. The format favors Trump.
- After attacking CNN all week over the debate's rules, Trump appeared unusually measured on stage — perhaps benefitting from the lack of an audience and mic cuts that shut off his ability to interrupt Biden.
- The split-screen broadcast wasn't kind to Biden, who often stared during Trump's answers with his mouth agape. Trump, meanwhile, smirked when his opponent stumbled over his words.
- Moderators did not fact-check either candidate in real-time — allowing Trump to make at least 30 false claims and Biden to make nine, according to a post-debate CNN analysis.
3. Bizarro world takes over.
- In a striking reminder of just how unusual this election is, Biden rattled off a list of Trump's alleged crimes and civil liabilities, including his felony conviction.
- "You have the morals of an alley cat," Biden shot at Trump, to which the former president responded: "I didn't have sex with a porn star."
- Toward the end of the debate, the two men sparred over their golf handicaps — culminating in Trump urging his foe: "Let's not act like children."
4. Dems admit defeat.
- Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe called Biden's performance a "DEFCON One moment" on MSNBC, typically home to some of Biden's biggest boosters on cable news.
- Kate Bedingfield, former communications director in Biden's own White House, acknowledged on CNN that the president failed to allay concerns about his energy and stamina.
- "Telling people they didn't see what they saw is not the way to respond to this," tweeted former Obama aide Ben Rhodes.
The other side: Some top Biden surrogates urged Democrats to keep calm and carry on, acknowledging the president's rocky start while insisting he finished strong.
- "I'm not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I've been watching the last 3.5 years of performance," Vice President Kamala Harris said in a testy interview with CNN.
- "You don't turn your back because of one performance," California Gov. Gavin Newsom told MSNBC. "What kind of party does that?"
The bottom line: A new YouGov poll found that in a blind test, Biden's policy proposals earn far more popular support than Trump's.
- For many Democrats, Biden's debate debacle confirmed that their biggest problem isn't their message — but their messenger.
