Biden tells donors after the debate that he will be fighting harder
Biden tells donors: ‘I’m going to be fighting harder,’’ he told reporters after his first debate against former President Donald Trump
President Biden had planned to spend the days after his first 2024 debate against former President Donald Trump taking a victory lap with Democratic supporters and donors.
He spent the weekend trying to assure his party that he is still doing what he was paid to do, after his performance in the debate left them all jittery. His weak performance led to a chorus of calls for him to end his reelection campaign.
I am aware of the concern after the debate. Biden told his supporters gathered at the home of the governor of New Jersey that he understands. I had a bad night. I will need you with me in order to get it done.
Less than a day after the debate, Biden was back on stage for a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a stronger voice and a more energetic presence.
I know how to do this job. I can get things done. And I know like millions of Americans know — when you get knocked down, you get back up,” he said to a cheering crowd.
Biden debuted new talking points addressing his weak performance — something he would go on to repeat at several different campaign receptions on Friday and Saturday in New York and New Jersey.
“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,” he said. “But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong.”
Source: ‘I’m going to be fighting harder,’ Biden tells donors after disastrous debate
Biden is not the first person to lose. He’s the next president, not the next guy: The last two years of the Biden debate
Since the debate, Biden and his allies have been trying to convince people who watched or have seen clips online that it was just one bad night and not representative of who he is as a candidate and president.
That started in earnest immediately after the debate, when the president and first lady stopped by an Atlanta watch party. The first lady praised her husband for answering all the questions, and saying that Trump lied about it.
The couple highlighted the false statements that Trump made during the debate at a political fund raiser on Friday. On Saturday, they visited the East Hampton home of hedge fund manager Barry Rosenstein and his wife Lizanne Rosenstein.
Greeting the motorcade along the path into the residential neighborhood was a small group holding up signs: “We love you, but it’s time,” “Step down for democracy,” “Please drop out for U.S.,” and “Thank you, next.”
The crowd on her lawn included Anthony Scaramucci and Lizanne spoke of the fact that we can waste time comparing debate nights. Comparison of presidencies is more meaningful.
Asked how Biden will prepare differently for the second debate, Tyler said: “Listen, we’ll talk more about the second debate as we get closer to the second debate. Getting back out on the stump, communicating directly with the voters that are going to decide the election in the states battleground, is what we are focused on right now.
The Biden campaign maintains the debate hasn’t dramatically changed the race — and is touting $33 million raised between debate day through Sunday morning.
“In modern campaigns, singular moments do not spell the outcome of any race,” Molly Murphy, a pollster with the Biden campaign, told MSNBC on Sunday. She said that focus groups showed voters didn’t like the substance of Trump’s answers during the debate.
Top Congressional Democrats took to the Sunday political talk shows to push back on suggestions that Biden should be replaced as the Democratic nominee.
“Absolutely not,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., onNBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said Democrats wouldn’t be Democrats if they weren’t involved in a lot of hand-wringing.
The national co-chair of Biden’s campaign, Sen. Chris Coons, said that Biden is the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the MSNBC performance on Thursday was a “setback,” but that Biden could come back from.
Source: ‘I’m going to be fighting harder,’ Biden tells donors after disastrous debate
The Last Stand Against A Trump-Like Candidate: The Story of Biden’s Comeback at a Capitol Hill Intensive
“Whether he’s the candidate or someone else is the candidate, he’s going to be the keynote speaker at our convention. He said that he would be the figure that they rally around to move forward.
Democratic strategists have pointed out that Democratic incumbents in key Senate contests have been outperforming the president in polls for weeks. House Democrats in many swing districts at least for now appear to be seeing the same dynamic, but more calls could come from lawmakers if dramatic changes in internal and public polls emerge in the next few days.
“Americans remember House Democrats were complicit in covering up and gaslighting the public about the president’s condition, and voters are primed to punish them in November,” Pandol said.
“The cowards in the Democratic caucus have spent every day after the debate in witness protection, too afraid to say what they’re all thinking,” said Jack Pandol, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The House GOP’s campaign arm was quick to criticize most Democrats for keeping their opinions about Biden mostly to themselves, or in background quotes to journalists.
Golden wrote, “Democrats have latched onto the idea that a Trump win is a unique threat to our democracy.” I don’t agree with the premise. I don’t want to scare voters with the notion that Trump will end our democratic system.
It will have implications for decades to come if he chooses not to serve in the Senate, and if he chooses to serve in the House.
Doggett, who represents a safe Democratic district, said that Biden was trailing Trump in most polls. “I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not,” he said in a statement.
Biden, 81, badly stumbled in the debate, seeming at times to lose his train of thought, and struggled to defend his record. He and his campaign have insisted that he would stay in the race and make a comeback — despite calls from some Democrats and donors to step back and let another party leader run instead.
The White House press secretary said he was entitled to his opinion. “It is a big-tent party,” she said. The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Biden would speak with Hill leaders and Democratic governors, according to Jean-Pierre. The governors were told they could attend the Wednesday meeting in person or by Zoom, a source familiar with the details told NPR, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the private invitation.
Source: Rep. Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw. He’s the first Democrat in Congress to do so
The Four Years After Biden: When Do We Live in a Senate Environment? A Nancy Pelosi Addresss the President’s Plightly Neglecting Moments of Reconciliation
Immediately following the debate, most House Democrats struggled with how to respond, with many acknowledging the president’s poor performance, but none publicly saying he needed to step aside. But five days later, a new CNN poll showedmost voters think Democrats have a better chance with another nominee, and there are signs some Democrats are more willing to break with the White House.
Top congressional Democrats like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, who helped Biden get the 2020 nomination, took to the airwaves over the weekend to defend Biden and pledge support.
But on Tuesday, Pelosi’s tone appeared to shift, and she opened the door to other Democrats to raise concerns about the president’s ability to continue.
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode – or is this a condition?” Pelosi said in an interview on MSNBC. “When people ask that, it’s completely legit of both candidates.”
The press secretary for the White House said it was a legitimate question but also said, “He had a cold and a bad night.”
“I think his four years are, you know, one of the great presidencies of our lifetime. I believe he has to be honest with himself. He is going to have to make a decision.
