Democrats scramble after Biden’s wobbly debate with Trump

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s allies scrambled on Friday to contain the damage from his feeble debate performance with Republican rival Donald Trump, as some Democrats considered whether they could replace him as their candidate for the 2024 US election.

Biden’s verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses in the Thursday night debate heightened voter concerns that the 81-year-old incumbent might be not be fit to serve another four-year term.

“I’d be lying to you if I told you I thought it was a great debate,” Democratic Representative Jim McGovern told reporters. Asked if it was time for the party to consider another nominee, he responded, “I haven’t come to any conclusion yet.”

Biden, the oldest US president to ever hold office, faced only token opposition during the party’s months-long nominating contest, and he has secured enough support to guarantee his spot as the Democratic nominee for the Nov. 5 election.

Former President Trump, 78, likewise overcame his intra-party challengers early in the year, setting the stage for a long and bitter general election fight.

One Biden donor, who asked for anonymity, called his performance “disqualifying” and predicted that some Democrats would revisit calls for him to step aside. That would give the party time to pick another nominee at its national convention, which starts on Aug. 19.

Democratic officials played down that possibility.

“It’s not likely to happen,” Biden campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu said on CNN.

California Governor Gavin Newsom – who could be a leading Democratic alternative – dismissed the notion that Biden could be replaced. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another possible replacement, urged Democrats to stop worrying.

“Joe Biden had a bad debate, right, but Donald Trump was a bad president,” Shapiro said.

Interviews with undecided voters confirmed that it was a bad night for Biden. They described his showing as feeble, embarrassing and difficult to watch.

Trump at times during the debate highlighted Biden’s tangled answers, saying during an exchange about the southern US border, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”