Congress' Democrats in "state of shock" over Biden debate performance
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President Biden at the CNN presidential debate on June 27, 2024. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.
President Biden's shaky debate performance against former President Trump is being met with shock and dismay from his Democratic allies in Congress.
Why it matters: Even as the debate was still ongoing Thursday, some House Democrats expressed fears of a wipeout for their party further down the ballot.
- "We're going to lose 20 seats in the House if this is what goes on," said one House Democrat, who, like others for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts on their party's leader.
Driving the news: The 81-year-old president had a hoarse voice and often spoke quietly, at times flubbing his words and suffering several visible gaffes.
What they're saying: One House Democrat described the president's debate performance as "awful," exclaiming, "What the f**k?"
- "I am in a state of shock," said another.
- A third House Democrat said "Jamaal Bowman is the hero we need now ... we need him to pull the fire alarm."
- One female House Democrat said it is "time for a woman to save both these men from their misery ... President Whitmer has a strong ring to it," referring to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The other side: Biden campaign official Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement that the president presented a "positive and winning vision," while Trump "reminded the American people why they fired him four years ago."
- Biden campaign pollster Geoff Garin said on X that the "freak out over the debate is way overwrought," arguing that Trump was increasingly "incoherent and deranged" as the event progressed.
- A Biden campaign source told Axios that their voter opinion dials "show that the personal insults are some of Trump's worst moments — suckers and losers, firing people, when he talks about Biden being the worst president ever."
- "President Biden is the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump. He will do it again. Donald Trump did not give voters any reason to vote for him tonight. On the issues, the American people are with Joe Biden," said a Biden campaign advisor.
What we're hearing: Early into the debate, one of the Democratic lawmakers said their colleagues were circulating a clip from the 1980 movie "Airplane" titled, "I Picked the Wrong Week to Stop Sniffing Glue."
- The lawmaker laid the blame at Biden's campaign staffers, arguing that the president was over-prepared and should have been given more rest ahead of debate night. "It's a disaster," they said.
Yes, but: A handful of House Democrats, asked about Biden's showing, instead pivoted to Trump's performance.
- "I hope the fact-checkers have a union because they're going to have to work overtime tonight with all of Trump's lies," said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.).
- Said another: "The quote of the night: 'I did not have sex with a porn star.' Donald Trump."
What to watch: "By tomorrow, this is going to explode," one of the House Democrats told Axios.
- "You're not going to find one Democrat who is going to tell you this is going well."
More from Axios:
- Post-debate bumps are real, but no guarantee
- "The Joe Biden I know": Harris delivers fiery defense of Biden
- Democrats may want to replace Biden, but it's his call
- Undecided voter focus group leans toward Trump after debate
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
