Democrats Urge Patience and Support for Biden Despite Poor Debate Performance

President Joe Biden’s performance in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump has drawn significant criticism from Democrats.

Many Democrats expressed concerns about his delivery, verbal stumbles, and incomplete thoughts. Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly conceded, “It wasn’t Biden’s best night,” while Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean described it as a “bad debate.”

Poll Numbers for Debate

According to an Ipsos poll, Trump was the clear winner of the debate.

Sixty percent of the debate watchers polled in the poll said that Trump performed best, while only 21 percent said Biden performed best. Nineteen percent said they didn’t know.

Democrats Urge Patience

Despite the criticisms, key Democrats are rallying behind Biden and urging patience. Longtime ally Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina stressed the importance of staying the course.

“That was strike one. If this were a ball game, he’s got two more swings,” Clyburn said, encouraging Democrats to focus on Biden’s record rather than his debate performance.

Rallying Behind Biden

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama also defended Biden.

Pelosi contrasted Biden’s integrity with Trump’s dishonesty during the debate, stating, “Compared to a person who was lying the whole time, we saw integrity on one side and dishonesty on the other.”

Obama posted on social media, “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” emphasizing that one debate does not change the fundamental choice in the election.

Mixed Reactions from Democrats

Some Democrats expressed reservations about Biden’s future.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire described Biden’s debate performance as a “really bad night” and indicated ongoing discussions about the future.

However, she acknowledged Biden’s accomplishments over the past three and a half years.

Biden Addresses the Performance

Amidst the criticism, President Biden addressed his debate performance at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Acknowledging his age and recent missteps, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to truth and integrity. “I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” he told the crowd. “Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know how to tell the truth.”

The crowd responded with chants of “Four more years.”

Biden spent much of the rally pointing out what he called Trump’s false claims during the debate about the economy, immigration and crime.

“I spent 90 minutes on stage debating a guy with the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said repeating a zinger from the debate. “I think he set a new record for the number of lies told at a debate.”

Biden dug in further bringing up Trump’s conviction in a New York criminal court and pending criminal and civil trials.

He also attacked Trump, saying, “Donald Trump isn’t just a convicted felon. Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave”.

Biden also reiterated that Trump helped to end abortion rights for women across the country and contended that the former president and “MAGA Republicans” would push forward a national abortion ban.

“I made it clear last night you reelect me and Kamala [Harris] we will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land,” he said.

Unity and Support Amidst Concerns

Despite the mixed reactions, many Democrats emphasized unity and continued support for Biden. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan dismissed the idea that a single bad debate would lead to a crisis, saying, “Let’s see what happens. I’m going home and talking to the people in my district.”

Rep. Robert Garcia of California affirmed that Biden would “100%” be the nominee, noting that voters would not be swayed by a single poor performance.

The White House confirmed that Biden was suffering from a cold during the debate, attributing his performance issues to this temporary health setback.

Also Read: Panic in Democratic Party After Biden’s ‘Catastrophic’ Performance in Presidential Debate with Trump