Biden's shaky Trump debate alarms Democrats, raises questions for his campaign

Ahead of the debate, Biden confined himself to nearly a week of "debate camp" with top advisers at the Camp David presidential retreat in the mountains of western Maryland, an indication of how important his campaign considered Thursday night. It didn't reflect on his performance, critics said.

It seemed over-preparation in that trying to get through his talking points and being exasperated trying to respond to Trump's stream of consciousness alternate reality was too much for Biden.

While Biden struggled, Trump rattled off a series of well-worn falsehoods like migrants carrying out a crime wave and Democrats supporting infanticide.

If sticking with all your obvious lies and doubling down were a virtue, Trump still has that in . His supporters seem to follow this style too.

"Trump is Trump, every word out of his mouth is bs. But Biden sounds old. And lost. And that’s going to matter more than anything. So far, this is an absolute nightmare for Biden," Joe Walsh, a former 2020 Republican presidential candidate who has been critical of Trump, said on X.

It seems Republicans and Democrats have found some consensus about this debate.

All the resources that Biden had to prep for the debate and THAT was the result? What a joke. Trump will be the next president.

Biden should step aside - he is simply too old is not competent (slow thinking and mixes up dates/events) - classic signs of old age and cognitive decline.

Trump is equally incompetent, but it a different way (delusional/dishonest), and is prone to word salad at times (another classic sign of cognitive decline).

What type of incompetence is better? - which is less dangerous?

A poor choice for Americans - how have they let it come to this that these two are the best they can come up with. Quite unbelievable.

Yes, Biden is showing his age, but that's not the real problem.

The real problem is the ideas and attitudes that he is fronting are showing their age, and 21st century Americans see little difference between the loud racism/supremacist attitudes of the RNC that Trump is fronting, and the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

How can Biden step aside? Kamala Harris has zero chance to beat Trump.

How can Biden step aside? Kamala Harris has zero chance to beat Trump.

It does not need to be her, and it should not be her.

A Pete Buttigieg would be interesting - incredibly intelligent, a fantastic communicator, is never flustered and is not prone to saying silly things. He's also the only Dem that regularly appears on Fox news, and each time he appears, he absolutely kills it.

Sooner they make the change the better.

"...we beat Medicare!"

Smh.

The USA is a great country, but really? These two bozos are the best you could find?

For years the media has been running cover for Biden's cognitive decline. Tonight, his supporters came face to face with what was being hidden from them.

I'm sure if they had commercials, they'd mostly be adult diapers and bail bondman ads.

I just want to know who is the real president of America. Who is the one running the show ? This guy clearly has checked out long ago.

Disappointing options but looks like another Trump presidency

how about gavin newsom and some california dreamin'?

The US is scraping the bottom of the barrel if these two geriatrics are the only ones they throw out for election to president.

Limit the running age to seventy years old so you never have a president over seventy four. Begin grooming possible candidates one or two terms before they would run for selection, it would help weed out the unsuitable and the unpopular.

What on earth are the Dems going to do? Only the delusional could possibly imagine that Biden isn’t way, way past his use by date. The poor old guy belongs in a care home.

Even more astounding is they didn’t see this coming. Really??

Biden was even worse than I'd expected -- it was pitifully bad.

No wonder they are hitting the panic button; the charade is up.

Biden also told a lot of lies. He claimed he inherited 9% inflation which is FALSE and Trump tore him apart, correctly pointing out that figure was achieved 14 months after Joe took the steering wheel.

The disastrous sentence on Medicare, quoted in this article, that finished when he mumbled "we finally beat Medicare" was very early in the debate and set the tone.

Trump retorted "*He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death, and he's destroying Medicare*."

The split screen frequently had Joe looking confused. More alarming are the freeze-ups before these verbal blunders. You could almost feel the polls sinking.

Also:

confused thousands with millions.

confused billionaires with 'trillionaires'.

Democrats and President Biden must take ownership of their role in assisting Trump’s candidacy. 

They allowed us to get to this critical point where the nation has realized that Biden is far too frail for the job. 

So, now what? Biden must withdraw.

And then? Convention Democrats would likely rally around California Governor Gavin Newsom, if he wanted the candidacy. However, he rightly seems to favor his current job as governor. Or does he?

Who else? Vice President Kamala Harris. But she doesn’t poll well. In an NBC News poll in February, 42% said they hold a "very negative" view of Harris. Only 28% said they hold a "very positive" or "somewhat positive" view of her.

It’s a giant mess.

So, now what? Biden must withdraw.

That is a given.

Yes, Biden's performance was obviously shaky. The fact they are reporting it as such must mean that they have decided to replace him. If not, all the msm would be saying his performance was solid and showed great leadership.

Having closely lived with those with dementia, it is obvious that Joe Biden has it.

President Biden obviously had a shot of something for the debate but it didn’t stop the freezing, blank stares,rambling or constant mistakes with numbers.

He just doesn’t have the mental acuity needed to stay on as a president.

Biden's shaky Trump debate alarms Democrats, raises questions for his campaign

Biden hurried through some of his talking points on the debate stage, stumbled over some answers and trailed off during others.

You don’t say!

There is only one candidate that Biden could beat, and that's Donald Trump. The latter being the worst possible outcome for the US and the world.

But even so, Biden had better go after that.

Yes, Biden's performance was obviously shaky. The fact they are reporting it as such must mean that they have decided to replace him. If not, all the msm would be saying his performance was solid and showed great leadership.

Yes, it’s clear what is going to happen. Joe is toast.

Trump also got the body language right, pointing and gesturing at Joe, much like a prosecutor to a defendant.

He also didn't attack the moderators; all his gunpowder was kept dry for attacks on Biden.

The key takeaway: Biden is losing it and not up to the challenge. But this is hardly a revelation. WSJ reported it with an article a few weeks ago "Behind closed doors, Biden is slipping". But everyone could see valid evidence of that previously (Normandy episodes, freezing up on stage in Hollywood and having to be escorted off by Obama etc etc etc). Now it is out there front stage center with the main spotlight on it. No hiding it now.

For me I'm not sure which was more cringe worthy, Biden freezing and losing his train of thought are the two of them arguing about golf!!

Joe also implied Putin would invade Belarus.

He was all over the place.

RichardPearce

and the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

There is no racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC

Joe looks great for a man with a 6 golf handicap

I think Biden has been a good president, but that was an unadulterated disaster. It was awful.

Anyone who says otherwise is just not living in this reality.

The better part of a week in solid prep using rules his team negotiated and in a debate he asked for and he does the ONE thing he couldn’t do: appear doddering.

I like Joe and I will always think he did a great job domestically and internationally. But I love democracy more.

He has to step aside because the consequences for America and the world of a sociopath in the Oval Office a second time are just too terrible to contemplate.

JJE

Trump also got the body language right, pointing and gesturing at Joe, much like a prosecutor to a defendant.

He also didn't attack the moderators; all his gunpowder was kept dry for attacks on Biden.

He failed to act like a normal person. He came across as a "mean person", which turns off voters.

The key takeaway: Biden is losing it and not up to the challenge. But this is hardly a revelation. 

Debating on TV isn't a major part of being a president. I think Trump showed that he isn't up to the challenges of being president in this debate, but he already showed that when he was president.

Biden has shown he is capable of being a president from his accomplishments. All Trump accomplished was tax cuts to the rich.

I think Biden has been a good president, but that was an unadulterated disaster. It was awful. 

Good? Well, I will agree with you on the last part.

Anyone who says otherwise is just not living in this reality. 

Looking at all the current headlines it was a plane crash.

The better part of a week in solid prep using rules his team negotiated and in a debate he asked for and he does the ONE thing he couldn’t do: appear doddering. 

Biden was incoherent.

I like Joe and I will always think he did a great job domestically and internationally. But I love democracy more.

There are a few people that actually think that....surprisingly... 

He has to step aside because the consequences for America and the world of a sociopath in the Oval Office a second time are just too terrible to contemplate.

Actually, it's the other way around. Maybe the Dems and I pray that in the future they give up their wicked ways and come back down to earth and put all of the political woke agenda aside, the alarm guy got trounced and the Bush girl looks like she is next, it's over for the Squad and their radical agenda.

I didn't see it like that at all...Biden struggled a bit...sure...but trying to convey stats...he was pretty accurate...Trump...he didn't even try to convey facts...had I been Buden...I'd have interjected a pure lie...and after Trump called him

out on that lie...I'd have said,"sorry...didn't mean to get in your area"

and the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

True that.

bass4funk

and the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

True that.

For example?

More bad news for Biden.

https://x.com/bpunion/status/1806419816099500343?s=46&t=YGWP_lcRZjddiWlx4QxURQ

https://x.com/bpunion/status/1806501048724430943?s=46&t=YGWP_lcRZjddiWlx4QxURQ

To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden

And this is straight from the horse's mouth.

For example?

Their policies especially when it concerns minorities over the years. This is one reason why so many are walking away from Biden and the Democrat party. Finally, they are waking up. Now having said that, not all of them will vote for Trump, we know that, but Trump got 8% of the Black vote last time and by pollster research, it looks like he might get over 20% if that is the case, and close to the same number for Hispanics, Biden is finished.

TokyoOldMan

Seems there are currently 2 Independents running for the 2024 Presidential 

Seems like independents will never win. So not sure why you would bring it up.

View Kamala Harris reaction to Joe Bidens performance, it is frankly a mixture of delusion and denial

Democrats called Biden’s performance ‘disaster,’ ‘trainwreck.’ Hear his VP react

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/28/politics/video/kamala-harris-biden-trump-cnn-debate-digvid

bass4funk

For example?

Their policies especially when it concerns minorities over the years. 

For example?

On the contrary, Trump seemed more restrained. The mic cutoff helped him, so he wasn’t interrupting and seemed quite polite. He definitely dialled it down.

First impressions count and the next debate won't be for over 70 days, so this will linger in people's mind.

The worst part of Biden’s performance was that it took the focus off the felon’s fire hose of lies.

He didn’t answer questions and he lied every time he moved his lips.

But that will be lost in the shuffle because every non-cultist knows that Trump is a liar and because Biden did so poorly.

JJE

On the contrary, Trump seemed more restrained. The mic cutoff helped him, so he wasn’t interrupting and seemed quite polite. He definitely dialled it down.

Oh for sure! But if he is to win independents, he will have to do much better.

For example?

https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-treat-black-americans-like-political-pawns-no-wonder-were-jumping-ship-opinion-1704995

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/exit-left/476190/

Neither of these candidates should be running.

Take the partisanship out of it, and both should’ve been put out to grass years ago.

Ridiculous situation.

I think Democrats need to come clean and acknowledge the reality here. If you vote for Joe Biden, you really are not voting for the man so much as you are voting for a political apparatus that utilizes Biden as a figurehead while making all of the decisions for him. There is no way this man is actually running the country and it is so obvious at this point. He simply repeats what his handlers tell him to say, and without a teleprompter, he totally falls apart.

To even act like he is capable of making executive decisions is to deny basic reality. Democrats should have never allowed this guy to become the face of the party (let alone the country) and should instead have reflected on their 2016 loss and rebuilt their outfit from the ground up. Beyond embarrassing, and that this was just revealed live to a billion people around the world is not only horrifying but also tragic.

Yes Jimizo, I am gobsmacked. It was straight from an epoxide of the twilight zone.

ass4funk

For example?

https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-treat-black-americans-like-political-pawns-no-wonder-were-jumping-ship-opinion-1704995

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/exit-left/476190/

No, I'm asking for you to tell me the policies concerning minorities, not some tired old opinion pieces that don't address that question.

wolfshine

I think Democrats need to come clean and acknowledge the reality here. If you vote for Joe Biden, you really are not voting for the man so much as you are voting for a political apparatus that utilizes Biden as a figurehead while making all of the decisions for him.

I would disagree. Speaking in public is quite a different thing from making decisions. There is no evidence that Biden is lacking in decision making capacity.

Neither of these candidates should be running.

Easy to say, on the Dem, I know Biden was never the first choice, but on the GOP side, no one captivated or grasped their attention the way Trump did. So it makes no sense to vote for someone because the establishment demands it. Trump resonates with people with average everyday Americans and now surprisingly with more and more Black and Latinos as well. If they can find a politician or more preferably NON-politician who puts the country first and is not excited to start wars, they might get excited, but the only other person that people warm up to is Vivek, that's about it.

No, I'm asking for you to tell me the policies concerning minorities, not some tired old opinion pieces that don't address that question.

If you don't want to read then I can't help you, that is why I put the link.

When Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer were trading verbal blows, talking over each other, it was full blooded like there lives depended on it, gloves were off.

I really don't know what I witnessed when Trump and Biden debated. It was surreal.

bass4funk

No, I'm asking for you to tell me the policies concerning minorities, not some tired old opinion pieces that don't address that question.

If you don't want to read then I can't help you, that is why I put the link.

I read them both. One was from 2016 and not relevant and the other didn't address the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

Biden's performance was even more abysmal than even I expected.

The long faces on CNN in the aftermath was quite amusing.

There were times one could not feel anything but heartfelt genuine sorrow for Joe Biden. He was lost dazed confused.

If you hate Trump to the point you would rather vote for a chair, be my guest. But at a certain point you have to acknowledge and accept that a chair cannot make decisions on behalf of the country. What kind of message does that send to the rest of the world?

Democrats still haven't learned from their mistakes eight whole years later. They should have rebuilt their party and philosophy after Obama.

Maybe when Trump legally can no longer constitutionally serve they will be able to move on from this, but to be honest, the damage is already done. They had so many chances.

itsonlyrocknroll

There were times one could not feel anything but heartfelt genuine sorrow for Joe Biden. He was lost dazed confused.

Still better than a lying, cheating felon that wants to destroy democracy. ;-)

I read them both. One was from 2016 and not relevant and the other didn't address the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

Since the Great Society instituted by LBJ particularly those implemented during the War on Poverty in the 1960s, have had intended political negative consequences for Black communities. For instance, welfare programs, while intended to provide a safety net as well as Black dependency on the Federal Government have been criticized for fostering heavy dependency rather than self-sufficiency. Policies such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) are said to have disincentivized marriage and contributed to the breakdown of the Black family structure. Statistics show that since the 1960s, the rate of single-parent households in Black communities has risen dramatically, which some argue correlates with increased poverty and social challenges. These policies have sometimes led to tokenism and resentment, and have not effectively addressed the root causes of educational and economic disparities. Moreover, liberal urban policies and housing projects have been accused of contributing to the creation of high-poverty, high-crime neighborhoods, effectively segregating Black Americans and limiting their economic mobility. These examples highlight the complex and often unintended consequences of policies that, while well-meaning, have not always achieved their intended goals of uplifting Black communities, in a nutshell.

wolfshine

If you hate Trump to the point you would rather vote for a chair, be my guest. But at a certain point you have to acknowledge and accept that a chair cannot make decisions on behalf of the country. What kind of message does that send to the rest of the world?

Speaking in public is quite a different thing from making decisions. There is no evidence that Biden is lacking in decision making capacity. Trump certainly doesn't have that capacity.

bass4funk

I read them both. One was from 2016 and not relevant and the other didn't address the quiet but unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

Since the Great Society instituted by LBJ particularly those implemented during the War on Poverty in the 1960s, have had intended political negative consequences for Black communities. For instance, welfare programs, while intended to provide a safety net as well as Black dependency on the Federal Government have been criticized for fostering heavy dependency rather than self-sufficiency. Policies such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) are said to have disincentivized marriage and contributed to the breakdown of the Black family structure. Statistics show that since the 1960s, the rate of single-parent households in Black communities has risen dramatically, which some argue correlates with increased poverty and social challenges. These policies have sometimes led to tokenism and resentment, and have not effectively addressed the root causes of educational and economic disparities. Moreover, liberal urban policies and housing projects have been accused of contributing to the creation of high-poverty, high-crime neighborhoods, effectively segregating Black Americans and limiting their economic mobility. These examples highlight the complex and often unintended consequences of policies that, while well-meaning, have not always achieved their intended goals of uplifting Black communities, in a nutshell.

Sure. What about the racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

On the issue of migrants, Trump justly brought up the case of the murder and rape of a 12-year-old girl in Texas by two migrants. Perhaps because it was given scant attention by mainstream media.

2020hindsights, this is not about winners or losers, felons or fools.

This was tragic, simple as that.

I do not know what the future holds, I am certainly not going to besmirch Joe Biden.

Both the Democrats and Republicans will need to take a step back.

Sure. What about the racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

That is tied into that, and let's not forget, Biden has a very long history of saying very vile things to Black people, all documented, all on video. This is another reason why you see a massive exodus from the Democrat party.

American voters relationship with the Democratic party parallels one of a parent who's child refuses to grow up and get their life together. Instead of taking ownership and working on themself, they continue blaming others.

Dems could have gone with Jim Webb eight years ago, or Bernie on two separate ocassions, and defined their political philosophy as more center-left Liberal Democracy or farther-Left Socialism respectively. They did neither. Instead they chose Biden. Biden represents nothing. There is nothing there, it's just a hollow shell. And that's come to define our entire society now. Our enemies are overjoyed.

Biden terrifies me. This dementia patient could wipe out the human race if he presses the wrong button when he goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Although off his game, he certainly didn't look like a dementia patient tonight.

Trump has already shown he could wipe out the human race if he presses the wrong button by wanting to nuke North Korea and blame it on another country.

I personally feel a lot safer with Trump in charge -- he's badass. Putin, Kim and Xi respect him.

bass4funk

Sure. What about the racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting.

That is tied into that, and let's not forget, Biden has a very long history of saying very vile things to Black people, all documented, all on video.

And Trump wanted to murder the Central Park five, who were innocent, a fact that he hasn't acknowledged.

This is another reason why you see a massive exodus from the Democrat party.

What reason?

And Trump wanted to murder the Central Park five, who were innocent, a fact that he hasn't acknowledged.

I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with 75 years of failed Democrat policies that systematically decimated the Black community

What reason?

https://www.newsweek.com/bidens-open-border-hurts-black-americans-most-all-we-know-it-opinion-1799670

Is this the same Joe Biden that debated Donald Trump four years ago, it is a fair enough question?

Now, with respect, what does the next four years hold for Joe Biden cognitively?

bass4funk

And Trump wanted to murder the Central Park five, who were innocent, a fact that he hasn't acknowledged.

I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with 75 years of failed Democrat policies that systematically decimated the Black community

It was a reply to a comparison with Biden. Why are you confused?

What reason?

https://www.newsweek.com/bidens-open-border-hurts-black-americans-most-all-we-know-it-opinion-1799670

More opinion fluff. Give me facts. Or your own actual opinion. I don't spam you with other people's opinions, why do you?

It was a reply to a comparison with Biden. Why are you confused?

What reason?

What? I answered already

More opinion fluff.

No, historical facts, my opinions have nothing to do with their defections.

Ramsey's Kitchen

Speaking in public is quite a different thing from making decisions. There is no evidence that Biden is lacking in decision making capacity.

Nonsense. How long will hard core Biden supporters try to deny the obvious?

Decision making capability has never been in question for Biden. It has been for Trump - think abut the covid period.

As for decision making it is obvious that others behind the scenes have been making the decisions Joe signs off on for quite a while. That's the scary bit, who has really been running things in the White House?

What? And all the decisions have been great, so what do you base that on?

The debate has revealed the cruel truth that Biden is the president with no clothes. I want to know who is responsible for perpetrating the lie of this presidency to America and the world. Perhaps CNN can help us with that one.

bass4funk

And Trump wanted to murder the Central Park five, who were innocent, a fact that he hasn't acknowledged.

I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with 75 years of failed Democrat policies that systematically decimated the Black community

It was a reply to a comparison with Biden. Why are you confused?

What? I answered already

No, you didn't.

History shows, that often the weakest is elected or becomes king, so that the lower ranks can do what they want. Nothing else here, with not one but two possibilities so that it doesn't look so much like a monarchy. lol

It was a reply to a comparison with Biden. Why are you confused?

I'm not, I did already.

No, you didn't.

Not sure what to tell you then.

Biden speaks at watch party following debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCgV3YTH8g0

What do you make of this?

Jill Biden seems oblivious.

Lol, you get all this from a bad debate performance? Or you're just regurgitating it in response to any story?

 As for decision making it is obvious that others behind the scenes have been making the decisions Joe signs off on for quite a while. That's the scary bit, who has really been running things in the White House?

bass4funk

It was a reply to a comparison with Biden. Why are you confused?

I'm not, I did already.

No, you didn't.

Not sure what to tell you then.

At last. You can't explain what "unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting" because you are not sure what to tell me.

No, you didn't.

I did.

At last. You can't explain what "unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting" because you are not sure what to tell me.

Just look at his policies, 50 years of history, irrefutable.

To answer who is actually running the country, foreign policy is being co-managed by Anthony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, Janet Yellen handles the finances, and Kamala Harris is the actual Commander in Chief. Joe Biden reads from a teleprompter and writes his name on EOs/bills. That's his job, aside from that, I don't think he is really contemplating or reflecting policy all that much.

Oh, I'm sorry. There is one guy in the administration that does even less than Biden: Mayorkas. He ACTUALLY does nothing.

Just look at his policies, 50 years of history, irrefutable.

Very true sir, trump's policies over 50 years, discriminating against black tenants, calling for execution of Central Park 5, even after they were revealed to be innocent.....

Now that is the sign of a tolerant man!

bass4funk

At last. You can't explain what "unshakable racism/supremacist attitudes of the DNC that Biden is fronting" because you are not sure what to tell me.

Just look at his policies, 50 years of history, irrefutable.

Yup. Irrefutably good for blacks. You can't prove me wrong.

Yup. Irrefutably good for blacks.

Going for Trump, yes indeed.

You can't prove me wrong.

I don't need to and I am not trying to, history will though.

Look at the picture above of the two of them - Trump on one side and Biden on the other. Their faces tell the whole story of the difference between them.