Biden sought to turn his disappointing debate performance into a rallying cry for his supporters at a campaign event in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday, painting himself as down, but not out, as some in his party whisper about replacing him atop the ticket.
"I know I'm not a young man. 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 what I do know — I know how to tell the truth!" an energetic Biden said, nodding at the criticism he received following the debate while contrasting it with assessments about the accuracy of several of Trump’s statements.
"When you get knocked down, you get back up," Biden yelled, to a cheering crowd.
How Democrats are reacting: Privately, many Democrats — including some lawmakers — said that they are worried about Biden’s election chances. But publicly, they're putting on a brave face and downplaying the impact of a single debate.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats acknowledged Biden performed poorly Thursday night, but didn't agree with those who called on him to drop out of the presidential race.
“I thought he had a poor performance,” said Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the former House majority whip and an influential figure within the party who is credited with being a crucial part of Biden's victory in the 2020 Democratic primary.
But, he said it’s a long road to the November election and “one debate does not a campaign make.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said: “He got off to a bad start. I thought he came through OK on the issues later.”
Democrats running key Senate and House races this fall largely stayed quiet or dodged questions about Biden’s debate performance.
But perhaps most critically, Biden received backup from his former boss. “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” former President Barack Obama posted on X. “But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.”
How Trump is reacting: Trump mocked Biden during a rally in Virginia on Friday, saying the president "didn't know what the hell he was doing."
"It's not his age, it's his competence," Trump said. "He's not respected anywhere in the world."
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