Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton sought to limit the damage Friday following President Joe Biden's blunder in the talk along with his November election opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“There are bad debate nights too. Trust me, I know that. But this election is still a decision between someone who has fought for the common people his whole life and someone who only cares about himself.” Obama said in a post on X that links to Biden's campaign website. “Last night didn't change that, and that's why there's so much at stake in November.”
Several hours later, Clinton imitated the defensive play.
“I leave the evaluation of the debates to the experts, but I know one thing: facts and history are important.” Clinton he said in his own post on X, then added a brief list of Biden's accomplishments.
During Thursday's 90-minute showdown, Biden often stumbled, pausing mid-sentence to gather his words and stumbling over his sentences. The blunders occurred even on issues like abortion and the economy, on which he typically makes compelling statements at campaign and White House events.
The messages from Obama and Clinton mark a change in strategy by the Democrats, who are attempting to correct their course after Thursday's flop.
Much of the Democrats' arguments immediately after the talk focused on downplaying Biden's glaring mistakes, as an alternative attacking Trump's performance and giving Biden a generous rating.
“As the night progresses, I feel [Biden] “He really rose to the occasion,” Biden's co-campaign manager Mitch Landrieu told NBC News on Thursday night after the talk. “I'm proud that he stood up to Donald Trump.”
Obama and Clinton's comments represent a brand new tactic: acknowledging the talk disaster after which telling the general public to not listen to it.
Biden himself followed up on this statement on Friday at a rally in North Carolina: “Folks, I don't walk as easily as I used to. I don't speak as fluently as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I know: I know how to tell the truth.”
But debates matter to voters. After the September 2020 debate, a series of polls found that voters thought Biden did a greater job, helping him maintain his lead over Trump.
The presidential race has been nearly deadlocked thus far this 12 months, and each candidates are more likely to win by a narrow margin in November, leaving little room for error.
In the times for the reason that debate, Democrats have fearful in regards to the impact it may need on the perceptions of voters who’re already fearful about Biden's age and his ability to guide the country for one more 4 years.
Some Democratic strategists, donors and experts have already suggested that Biden should drop out of the race and reopen the Democratic field to potentially stronger candidates.
The Biden team has thus far rejected this proposal. Biden and Trump are scheduled to face one another in a second and final debate on September 10.
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