What to know after Biden and Trump's first debate
- President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are back on the trail today after facing off in their first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle.
- Biden delivered an energetic speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, defending himself after his poor performance in last night's debate. He also gave brief remarks in New York commemorating the Stonewall Inn.
- Some Democrats expressed concern about his ability to remain on the ticket following several major stumbles. The New York Times editorial board published an opinion piece tonight calling on Biden to drop out.
- Trump, whose debate performance was littered with falsehoods and misleading claims, spoke at a campaign rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he didn't waste any time mocking Biden's debate performance.
- The Supreme Court released three major decisions this morning, including a Jan. 6 case that Trump praised.
DNC spokesperson calls NYT editorial 'laughable'
A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee hit back at the New York Times editorial board tonight over its op-ed saying Biden should end his re-election bid.
"It's laughable," said spokesperson Abhi Rahman.
The Biden campaign dismissed the op-ed earlier tonight.
Biden speaks at last campaign event of busy post-debate day
Biden delivered remarks tonight at a New York fundraiser, capping a day of campaigning as he attempts to rebound from last night’s debate performance.
"When you get knocked down, you get back up," Biden said, repeating a phrase he used at a campaign rally earlier in the day.
Biden also poked fun at his age, but said that it gave him the ability to get things done and tell the truth. "This is a nation that believes in honesty,” he said.
Before the fundraiser, Biden held a rally in North Carolina and delivered remarks at the opening ceremony for the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in New York.
The Biden and Trump campaigns were hoping to appeal to Black voters in the first debate, but some expressed disappointment in both candidates after the faceoff. NBC News’ Shaquille Brewster reports.
First lady recounts conversation with Biden about the debate
In front of a New York fundraising audience this evening, first lady Jill Biden recounted a conversation she had with her husband after last night's debate.
"As Joe said earlier today, he’s not a young man," she said. "And you know, after last night’s debate, he said, ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel that great.’"
The first lady said that she responded by saying, ‘Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you’ve been president.’”
The Supreme Court’s Jan. 6 ruling is expected to ripple through rioters’ cases but not necessarily Trump’s
The Supreme Court’s ruling Friday in favor of a Jan. 6 defendant charged with obstruction of an official proceeding quickly triggered activity in other Capitol rioter cases to revisit that charge, but it’s unlikely to derail former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case.
Justice Department officials and attorneys for Jan. 6 defendants said that the court’s 6-3 ruling in the case involving former Pennsylvania police officer Joseph Fischer would not have an immediate effect on most of the 1,000-plus convictions secured by prosecutors.
Despite Biden’s dismal debate performance, abortion care providers remain resolute
Proponents of abortion rights were dumbfounded by Biden’s vague and sometimes incoherent messages on abortion access during last night’s debate, especially when he declined to rebuke Trump’s false claims that Democrats are in favor of killing babies.
“The debate was a disaster,” said Dr. Warren Hern, director of the Boulder Abortion Clinic in Colorado. “It’s going to be hard to recover from this.”
The debate should have been a layup for people in favor of abortion rights. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, touted the fact that he nominated three anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court while in office from 2017 to 2021. As a result, the constitutional right to an abortion was overturned in 2022, leaving states in charge of whether to allow women to terminate a pregnancy and at what stage.
Joh Fetterman responds to The New York Times' op-ed: 'f--- that'
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., slammed The New York Times' editorial board's opinion piece urging the president to drop out of the 2024 race.
His message on X was just two words: "f--- that."
Fetterman has been a stalwart supporter of Biden.
Democratic National Committee touts grassroots organizing around debate
Biden's allies are touting grassroots organizing and fundraising figures from debate night in a memo first shared with NBC News.
The memo, co-written by Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler and Democratic National Committee communications director Rosemary Boeglin, highlighted the days ahead of the debate as "mobilizing hundreds of thousands of grassroots supports online and off."
They said that the Biden campaign and its allies organized 436 watch parties across the country, leading to more than 12,000 in-person attendees in battleground states.
Tyler and Boeglin also pointed to supporters signing up for "more than 1,500 volunteer shifts for our weekend of action in the battleground states." The campaign and allies also made nearly 1 million texts and calls to voters in battlegrounds, the memo said.
"While Republicans are in disarray and the Trump campaign continues to neglect crucial constituencies on the ground, the Biden-Harris campaign and Democrats across the country are not taking a single opportunity to engage voters for granted," the memo said. "That’s how we’ll win in November."
Georgia Democrats worry for Biden but still plan to vote for him
Anne Fayssoux, 71, couldn't believe the Biden at the podium was the same one she saw deliver a rousing State of the Union address mere months earlier. At the debate's conclusion, she said she felt "sad, anxious and upset."
"I think he’s deteriorated since his State of the Union speech that went so well. They did say that he had a cold. But he seemed a little more disabled than just someone with a cold," Fayssoux told NBC News.
Even after noting Biden's numerous slip-ups she doubled down that Biden would receive her vote: "No, there’s no way in heaven and earth that would vote for someone who tried to overthrow our government on January 6th," she said. "I’d vote for Biden 100%."
Another traditionally Democratic voter, Andrew Rose, 50, was more critical of Biden and the debate as a whole.
"Oh, I was so disappointed in Biden. He was hoarse. He was pale. He looked really frail," Rose said. "And, I mean, Trump just lied through his teeth the entire time. It was a disaster, start to finish, both sides."
Rose said that calls to have Biden step aside for another Democrat were uncalled for and continues to have "confidence" in the president to continue his campaign.
"I think he’ll be okay," Rose said. "Just last night was just not a good look for him, but I think he’ll be okay."
Rose added that in the second face-off between Biden and Trump, he hopes the president will "play up" Trump's convicted felon status.
Democrats in swing-state Michigan divided over Biden's fitness
Democratic voters in Dearborn, Michigan, are split on whether Biden should step aside in order for the Democratic Party to nominate another candidate after a stumbling debate night.
Rashad Asoufy said it was “surprising to see the decline in Biden’s health due to his age.”
“Ideally, I would like him to step down and have someone else be the Democratic ticket,” Asoufy told NBC News. “But if he’s all we have, I would still stick with Biden because the alternative is not really good for this country because it kind of threatens our democracy.”
Jennifer Ganem, 59, thinks it is too late for Biden to step aside.
“I think that we need to stay the course at this point of the process,” she said.
While Ganem described Biden’s performance as “sad,” she said, “We are voting for that leader, but we also need to remember we’re voting for all the people around our president, somebody who can bring together a good team, and former President Trump did not prove that he could do that.”
On the other hand, Marsha Brazil, a 71-year-old from Dearborn, is adamant that Biden should not step aside.
“Biden has the experience. Why would you want to — did they want to replace Trump? Look at all the things — he’s a convicted felon,” she said.
Brazil added that “the Democrats need to get together and stick with what they got and try to improve them with what they have instead of trying to replace it. You don’t replace nothing like that.”
Brazil described the debate as “horrible” because “Trump lied when he first opened up his mouth.”
“Biden was trying to tell the truth, but by him being a stutterer and having problem speaking properly, and having a cold, he had a problem delivering his points because he was trying to fact-check Trump on everything,” she added.
Biden addresses NYC’s LGBTQ community a day after poor debate performance
Under the dark cloud of a lackluster debate performance and panic among some Democrats, Biden spoke today at the opening of a visitor center for LGBTQ history in New York City.
Biden addressed several hundred LGBTQ attendees and allies, including singer Elton John, actor Neil Patrick Harris, fashion designer Michael Kors and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Courtney Act, at the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center to commemorate Pride Month.
“Today, I’m proud to unveil a new visitor center for Stonewall National Monument, the first ever LGBTQ+ visitor center in the national parks of America,” Biden said. “It matters. We remain in a battle for the soul of America. But I look around at the pride, hope and light that all of you bring, and I know it’s a battle we are going to win and continue to make progress.”
'Lock him up' chants erupt after reference to Trump at Biden-Harris rally
Reporting from Las Vegas
Stumping for the president at a Biden-Harris campaign rally in Las Vegas, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly made a comment that prompted “lock him up” chants from the crowd.
“We have a choice between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who will continue to fight for you, or a convicted criminal who is only looking out for himself,” said the senator, who's a Navy veteran and former astronaut.
On came a series of “lock him up,” chants, a variation of the “lock her up” chants originated by Trump’s own supporters in reference to Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Kelly responded to the chants, saying, “Folks, all you have to do is vote.”
The neighboring senator was part of a high-profile lineup of Biden-Harris surrogates to speak at the rally, including New Mexico Gov. Michelle Grisham and Nevada Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. The keynote speaker was Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden’s facing pressure to drop out. Trump isn’t joining in.
Former President Donald Trump is not known for restrained commentary about his political opponents’ weaknesses.
But after a debate in which a number of Democrats felt President Joe Biden’s performance was so uneven and concerning that he should consider getting out of the presidential contest just weeks before the Democratic National Convention, Trump is holding back from the full pile-on.
Former HUD secretary says Biden 'less likely' to win now
Julián Castro, a former HUD Secretary in the Obama administration who then ran for president in 2020, said today that Biden had failed to clear a low bar in the first presidential debate last night.
"Biden had probably the lowest bar to clear of any presidential nominee coming into a — this time summer, usually it’s a fall debate — and he failed to clear that bar. That was obvious," Castro told host Ryan Nobles on NBC News' "Meet the Press NOW." "After last night, it became less likely that he will win. Now it’s up to him to rebuild that competence to make it more likely."
Castro said he was "never convinced" that Biden was the strongest candidate for the 2024 nomination, but he said that at each juncture over the past two years, the chance to consider an alternative to Biden was "shut down."
Castro added that the optics are also a concern, saying, "We’ve come to a point where this is a political liability that is is so difficult to overcome."
Supreme Court set to rule Monday on Trump presidential immunity claims in federal election interference case
The Supreme Court is set to rule Monday on whether former President Donald Trump has sweeping presidential immunity that would shield him from prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The justices have left the high-profile case for their final decision day before summer break. It was the last one argued this term.
There are three other cases set to come up on Monday, two dealing with Republican-backed state laws seeking to regulate social media platforms and the other on when companies can challenge federal agency rule-making.
Bidenworld brushes off The New York Times' editorial board snub
There is no love lost between The New York Times and some staffers in Bidenworld after the newspaper's editorial board called on the president to drop out.
Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond responded tonight to the New York Times editorial board's op-ed urging Biden to step aside after last night's poor debate performance.
“The last time Joe Biden lost the New York Times editorial board’s endorsement it turned out pretty well for him," he said.
One Biden aide indicated to NBC News that the rebuke was actually energizing for some in Bidenworld.
“That s*** is like jet fuel in my veins,” the Biden aide said. “I love it.”
The paper's editorial board ultimately backed Biden in the general election in 2020 but had selected Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., during the Democratic primaries earlier that year.
Pennsylvania Republican suggests the 25th Amendment is 'worth consideration'
Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate nominee Dave McCormick thinks there is a “possibility our Commander-in-Chief is not up to the job” — and suggested the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and Cabinet members to write a letter to Congress declaring the president is not fit to serve, is “worth consideration.”
McCormick, sitting next to former Attorney General Bill Barr at his "America’s Future Tour: Safer Communities for Pennsylvania" event just north of Pittsburgh, described this as a “sad and scary thing to say.”
The McCormick campaign later released a video titled “Bob Casey Said Over And Over That Biden Was Fit To Be President. He Was Lying.” The video shows McCormick’s opponent, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, defending Biden and his record, as well as Biden complimenting Casey and calling him a “close friend.”
When asked for a response, the Casey campaign referred NBC News to a comment given to PoliticsPA.com that reads, “I’m fighting for Pennsylvania against an opponent who sells out working people to enrich himself, invested in Chinese military companies, and cheered when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Pennsylvanians deserve someone fighting for working families, not for billionaires.”
Nevada Democrat: I wish Kamala Harris was running for president
Julius Tolbert, an 84-year-old Democrat, wishes that Vice President Kamala Harris was running for president instead of Biden in light of his lackluster debate performance, he told NBC News in a Las Vegas supermarket parking lot.
“I wish the vice president, I wish she was running for president. I think she’d be a good president,” said Tolbert.
“I think she — the people can understand her better because she can get up there and talk,” Tolbert added.
Tolbert, an African American originally from Alabama born to sharecroppers, said he worries what Republicans retaking the White House will mean for Black people and people of color.
“If we get a Republican in ... it’s going to be bad for people of color,” Tolbert said.
Tolbert was also troubled by Trump.
“The lies that he was telling, what he had done when he was president of the United States, none of that was true. Everything he said,” Tolbert said.
Despite acknowledging Biden wasn’t an effective communicator last night, Tolbert was not panicking, even as he noted he was "worried" about Biden's health and his ability to make it through another four-year term.
“He knows what he is doing. He’s very quiet about what he does,” said Tolbert. “He was not trying to be a superstar."
New York Times editorial board calls on Biden to drop out
The New York Times editorial board published a bombshell op-ed today calling on Biden to leave the race, joining the rising chorus of concerned politicians and pundits.
"The clearest path for Democrats to defeat a candidate defined by his lies is to deal truthfully with the American public: acknowledge that Mr. Biden can’t continue his race, and create a process to select someone more capable to stand in his place to defeat Mr. Trump in November," the editorial board wrote.
The op-ed acknowledged that ending his campaign would "be against all of Mr. Biden’s personal and political instincts."
The piece highlighted that it was Biden himself who challenged Trump to the debate.
"The truth Mr. Biden needs to confront now is that he failed his own test," the board wrote.
During a conversation with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival, venture capitalist Peter Thiel said he would vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. A former backer of Trump, Thiel said he would do so begrudgingly. NBCUniversal News Group is the media partner of Aspen Ideas Festival.
Presidential debate drew 51.3M viewers, down from recent events
The first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign cycle drew about 51.3 million people, according to the media analytics company Nielsen, a sharp drop from previous debates and the smallest audience since a 2004 debate between then Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush.
Nielsen’s audience estimate came in slightly above host CNN’s figure. The cable news company said Friday that 47.9 million people watched the debate between Biden and Trump across broadcast and cable TV as well as streaming.
While still a sizable TV audience, Nielsen’s estimate represents an approximately 30% drop in viewership from the first Biden-Trump debate in 2020, which drew 73 million viewers. At 51.3 million people, the estimate puts the most recent debate just ahead of the third Bush-Kerry debate but behind all debates from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 campaigns, according to data from Nielsen's election hub.
Vulnerable down-ballot Democrats stay quiet after Biden’s debate
Democrats running in competitive down-ballot races this year largely kept quiet or dodged questions today about the first presidential debate as the party grapples with the fallout from Biden’s shaky performance.
Several Senate Democratic candidates in key states took to social media not to comment on the debate, but to share footage from recent campaign events or highlight other policies. Staffers working with several of those campaigns did not return requests for comment on the debate. And a few candidates did not directly answer questions about whether Biden should continue as the party’s presidential nominee.
“I focus on my race. I’m not a pundit,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, told News5 Cleveland when asked if party leaders, including himself, should ask Biden to step aside. “I’ve never given my colleagues about what they should do with their free time and what they should do with other politicians.”
Trump praises today's Supreme Court ruling on Jan. 6 defendant
Trump this afternoon praised the Supreme Court's ruling today in favor of Jan. 6 defendant seeking to toss out an obstruction charge for taking part in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"The great Supreme Court ... they did the right thing," Trump said at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, referring to the court's 6-3 ruling in favor of Jan. 6 defendant Joseph Fischer.
Trump also said those involved in the riot were facing persecution because of his campaign for president, although many of their charges predated his presidential bid.
"All of their persecution is only happening, and all of it has happened to me, because I’m running for president," Trump said.
Bill Clinton highlights Biden's record in post-debate post
Former President Bill Clinton commented on Biden's debate performance today, pointing to his "solid leadership."
"Joe Biden has given us 3 years of solid leadership, steadying us after the pandemic, creating a record number of new jobs, making real progress solving the climate crisis, and launching a successful effort in reducing inflation, all while pulling us out of the quagmire Donald Trump left us in," Clinton said. "That’s what’s really at stake in November."
Clinton's tweet comes shortly after Obama also lent his support to Biden on X.
Biden celebrates Pride Month at Stonewall visitor center event
"Happy Pride!" Biden said at the start of his remarks in New York at a visitor center opening event commemorating the Stonewall Inn.
The Stonewall Inn was the site of a police raid in 1969 that helped propel the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
"LGBTQ+ people are some of the most inspiring people I know," Biden said in remarks with a level of energy similar to a North Carolina rally earlier today, a stark contrast from last night's debate performance.
He also recounted a childhood story about the first time he saw two men kiss. Biden said that his dad told him, "It's simple, Joey. They love each other."
At the end of his remarks, Biden introduced Elton John.
Debate performance threatens to overshadow Biden's NYC event with LGBTQ voters
Biden is attending the opening ceremony for the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in New York City, but several LGBTQ attendees suggested that last night's debate performance could overshadow the festivities.
Scott Dewey, an account executive at software company SAP — one of the center’s sponsors — called last night’s debate “humiliating.”
“I felt so bad for Biden, but then at the same time, I was thinking, ‘Are they doing this so early, are the Democrats trying to sabotage him?’” Dewey, a gay man, told NBC News.
“I mean, what the hell? It was a disgrace,” Dewey added. “He’s too old and he absolutely confirmed that last night."
Biden campaign launches digital ad saying Trump 'only cares about himself'
The Biden campaign is putting out a paid digital campaign following last night's debate, that uses clips from Trump's debate remarks to paint the former president as a self-serving candidate.
The 29-second ad includes snippets of Trump's comments at the debate lectern last night while discussing topics like abortion, the job market and the Capitol riot, alongside short captions from the Biden campaign that describe the former president as a candidate who doesn’t care about veterans, democracy, Black families or reproductive rights.
“Donald Trump only cares about himself," the ad says. "And if he wins, he’ll only help himself. Because he doesn’t care about you."
Trump kicks off first post-debate rally by mocking Biden
Kicking off his first-post debate remarks at a rally in Virginia, Trump mocked Biden's performance and said the president "didn't know what the hell he was doing."
"As you saw on televison last night we had a big victory against a man who is trying to destroy our country," Trump said. "Despite the fact that crooked Joe Biden spent the entire week at Camp David resting, working, studying — he studied so hard he didn't know what the hell he was doing."
"It's not his age, it's his competence," the former president added. "He's not respected anywhere in the world."
'He’s still on message': Georgia Democrat looks to Biden's positives
Reporting from Marietta, Ga.
Paula Billups, a registered Democrat from Marietta, said that while she is disappointed in Biden’s performance last night overall, she is “still very hopeful” that he can be re-elected this November.
“He’s still on message,” Billups, 60, said of Biden, adding that she didn’t think the president “communicated the message as well as he could have last night.”
Her lackluster review of his Thursday night performance, however, will not dissuade her from casting her ballot for Biden again in November.
“I know a lot of people are discussing whether he should step down. No, he should not step down. He has a great team to support him,” she said, noting that Trump is only a few years younger.
Billups, a professor of business administration at a local university, was also confused by Trump’s onstage comment about migrants taking “Black jobs.”
“He made it seem to imply that maybe it was lower-level jobs, which that’s just not the case. You know, we hold jobs at all levels, but I’m not sure what he meant by that,” she explained.
Biden supporter impressed with North Carolina rally: 'I would have loved to have seen that person at a debate last night'
As Democrats continue to voice concerns about Biden's performance following the Thursday night debate, Biden's energized speech on Friday provided a stark contrast for Dannie Montgomery, a Biden supporter who attended his North Carolina rally.
“I would have loved to have seen that person at a debate last night,” Montgomery said. "I would have liked to seen a little bit more fire last night."
Throughout the rally Biden made the case as to why he should remain in office and insisted that he could do the job while acknowledging his lackluster performance.
“I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to," Biden told the crowd. "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!"
Biden communications director won't say whether the campaign is changing strategy ahead of Sept. debate
Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler told reporters on Air Force One there have been no high-level discussions "whatsoever" about the president stepping aside.
"The president said it himself today: You know, I think he didn’t have the best night on the debate stage," Tyler said. He roundly rejected any calls for Biden to step aside and said they are still definitely planning for the September debate.
Tyler wouldn’t say though if the campaign would change its overall strategy on how Biden will prepare for that one versus last night’s performance.
'What defines a Black job? A job's a job,' Black voters in Georgia react to Trump debate comments
Two Black voters in Georgia said Trump's Thursday night answer referencing "Black jobs" in a response about the role immigrants play in the U.S. economy, said it reveals the "type of person Trump is."
“They’re taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people,” Trump said. “They’re taking Black jobs, and they’re taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re going to see something that’s going to be the worst in our history.”
"What defines a Black job? A job's a job," Ryan Beasley, a 45-year-old undecided voter from Atlanta, told NBC News.
Beasley, a Black resident from Decatur, had always voted for the Democratic Party prior to this election. Asked what he would do if the election was tomorrow, he responded, "Stay in bed."
He added, "I think it's time for new leadership; I think it's time for younger leadership."
Red Girma, a 24-year-old from Georgia, expressed similar concerns.
"It just felt like they were referencing, like I don’t want to say it, but like bottom-barrel jobs that are like supposed to be like Black jobs or like Hispanic jobs like," Girma said. "I don’t know what he was trying to get at that. I don’t know if that that was supposed to like win us over."
'We’re doomed': NV independent voter expresses concern over Biden's age and ability to beat Trump
Reporting from Las Vegas
John Luch, a 45-year-old carpenter and independent voter from Nevada, expressed concern over Biden’s age and performance following the Thursday night debate.
“It was just a bunch of stammering, a bunch of like, grasping for an answer,” Luch said of Biden’s performance onstage with Trump.
Luch said that he typically votes for third-party candidates in presidential elections and that his current plan is to vote for “none of the above” come November. He added that he’d be open to supporting the Democratic Party if they remove Biden from the ticket in favor of a younger candidate.
As for Biden’s chances of beating Trump in the general election, Luch remained skeptical because of the president’s age.
“I think you should be alive long enough to see the ramifications of your actions,” Luch said. “We’re doomed. This the best we got.”
Congressional Democrats admit Biden stumbled in the debate but stand by him for 2024
A debate performance by President Joe Biden that set off a five-alarm fire within his party Thursday gave way to a more measured public reaction the next morning from congressional Democrats, who acknowledged he did poorly but didn’t agree with those who called on him to drop out of the presidential race.
“It was a terrible debate. Joe Biden couldn’t communicate and Donald Trump lied every time he opened his mouth,” said Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., who represents a competitive district.
But when asked if Biden should step aside from the 2024 race, Craig said she’s focused on her district.
Privately, many Democrats — including some lawmakers — said that they are worried. But publicly, they’re putting on a brave face and downplaying the impact of a single debate.
Obama says Biden's performance last night doesn't change the clear choice in the 2024 election
Former President Barack Obama doubled down on his support for Biden for president in a post on X this afternoon after Democrats expressed concern over his former running mate's debate night performance against Trump.
Steve Bannon must report to prison by Monday after Supreme Court rejects last-minute appeal
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon must report to prison by Monday after the Supreme Court rejected his last-minute bid to stave off his four-month sentence for defying subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee.
Bannon was convicted in Washington on two counts of contempt of Congress nearly two full years ago, in July 2022, and sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols had put his sentence on hold as he pursued an appeal of his conviction, which was rejected in May. Nichols then ordered Bannon to report to prison by July 1, saying there was no basis to continue to delay the sentence. An appeals court then rejected Bannon’s appeal of the decision, leaving only the Supreme Court to help him avoid incarceration.
PA Democratic Party chair: 'I'm with him'
Asked by NBC News whether Biden should still be the nominee, the head of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party said yes.
"Joe Biden will beat Donald Trump and the people of Pennsylvania will support him," state Sen. Sharif Street said. "It's President Biden's decision what he wants to do in his life and so far he's decided he's our nominee and I'm with him."
Biden won the battleground state in 2020, but polls have shown a close race going into November.
'Disgusting and dangerous': Activists decry Trump's 'bad Palestinian' comment
Activists and community leaders criticized Trump's comment last night that Biden is seen as a “very bad Palestinian,” in relation to the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
"Using 'Palestinian' as a slur is disgusting and dangerous," said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Trump said during the debate that the president had “become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one."
Imam Omar Suleiman, president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, criticized both Biden and Trump in response to that exchange: "Truly, you’re both just bad human beings," he said in an Instagram post.
“The fact that he called President Biden a Palestinian, a bad Palestinian, was an insult to me,” Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha wrote on Instagram.
Biden backers in N.C. disappointed in debate but sticking with him
Biden supporters at his rally in North Carolina told NBC News they were disappointed with his performance in yesterday's debate but are still standing behind him.
"I thought there was a debate between a good man and a bad man. So you know, the good man may have had an off night, but he’s still a better man, and I’m going to vote for him. Not a problem," said one attendee, John Burns.
Another, David Tillem, said Biden's performance in the debate was "a disappointment," but he thinks he's still fit for the job. Asked if he was the best person to lead the Democratic Party right now, Tillem said, "Who else is there? That’s the question. He’s the one who’s been out front. Can he do it? Yeah."
A third, Tara Waters, said Biden has been "counted out before, and he’s shown how resilient he is, and so we’ll just have to wait and see. But I am rooting for President Biden, and I’m thankful for what he’s done for our country."
Biden leaves the stage to 'I Won't Back Down'
Biden left the podium to the tune of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" — an interesting song choice amid growing calls for the president to drop out of the race following his debate performance.
Biden's remarks are finished
The president spoke more clearly and forcefully than he did last night, but it remains to be seen whether the rally in North Carolina will change the post-debate narrative.
Buttigieg tells Biden to 'get down to work, get back to work'
During an interview with MSNBC, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that Biden is "the best person to lead the country forward," despite his performance in the debate last night.
Asked about how Biden will fix the chaos in response to last night's debate, Buttigieg said Biden must "get down to work, and get back to work."
He added, "Just because you are on the right side of the American people with all the policy arguments doesn't mean you automatically get to win an election."
Biden insists he can do the job of president
"Folks, I give you my word as a Biden: I would not be running again if I didn't believe, with all my heart and soul, I could do this job — because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high."
The crowd replied with chants of "Yes, you can!"
Biden addresses age, debate performance: 'I don't debate as well as I used to'
Biden, defending himself against criticism of his debate performance and questions about his age, told the crowd: "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!
Biden blasts Trump for not explicitly pledging to accept election results
Biden excoriated Trump for not flatly promising to accept the results of the November election.
CNN debate moderator Dana Bash asked Trump three times whether he would accept the 2024 election results. He did not directly answer the question the first two times, but on her third attempt, Trump said in part: “If it’s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely.”
Trump then proceeded to repeat a discredited allegation of voter fraud when he lost four years ago.
Biden has not alluded to criticism of his debate performance
In his remarks so far, Biden has not commented on the chorus of criticism that followed his debate performance last night. He is proceeding with fiery criticisms of Trump and describing his second-term agenda in broad strokes.
Biden is coughing occasionally but sounds less hoarse
Biden has coughed a few times in the early section of his prepared remarks, but he sounds less hoarse than he did during last night's debate.
During the Thursday night debate, a Biden aide and others familiar with his situation told reporters he had a cold.
Crowd chants 'Lock him up' after Biden calls Trump a 'one-man crime wave'
Biden, ripping into Trump's legal troubles, referred to his 34 felony convictions in the New York hush money case and derided the former president as a "one-man crime wave."
The crowd started chanting "Lock him up," as Biden continued his remarks.
Biden repeats 'alley cat' attack on Trump
Biden, recalling last night's debate, told the North Carolina crowd that he "spent 90 minutes on a stage debating a guy who has the morals of an alley cat" — repeating an attack line he used during the face-to-face confrontation with Trump.
Biden lays out second term agenda in clearer terms
Biden, who has faced criticism from Democrats for failing to lay out a clear and forceful second term agenda at last night's debate, rattled off some of his domestic priorities at the top of his remarks in North Carolina.
"We're going to stand up for the women of America," the president said. "We're going to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land." He also pledged to defend entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security.
Biden also interrupted by chants of 'Four more years'
Biden was beginning to explain why he is speaking in North Carolina when some of his supporters in the crowd started chanting "Four more years" to drown out a protester.
'Our options are horrible': Suburban Atlanta voters unimpressed by both debate performances
Reporting from Marietta, Ga.
Two suburban Georgia voters were left disappointed by both candidates' performance in last night’s debate, both expressing concern for Biden’s fitness to serve and Trump’s perceived lack of substance.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. I think it was sad and we didn’t really learn about what they would do about the issues in this country,” said Rebecca Tucker, 70, of suburban Marietta. Tucker felt “terrible for Biden” and questioned his ability to serve after watching him onstage.
“I don’t think that he’s mentally capable of leading our country,” she said, adding that “Trump seemed more clear headed and alert.”
Daniel Savage, 54, explained that the substance of the debate was far overshadowed by the style.
“Honestly, I just couldn’t get past the embarrassment. The first five minutes, it just was horrifying,” he said, adding that while Biden was “not cognizant,” Trump’s display was merely “average.”
“We have two candidates that I’m embarrassed to say are running for president of the United States,” he continued.
Both Tucker and Savage voted for Trump in 2020, but were open to hearing from both candidates last night to help inform how they will cast their ballot this fall. They both are still undecided.
Biden begins remarks at North Carolina rally
The president has started giving his first public comments since last night's debate.
Jill Biden interrupted by 'four more years' chants
First lady Jill Biden, who is introducing Biden in North Carolina, was interrupted by supporters in the crowd chanting "Four more years."
Biden arrives for campaign rally in North Carolina
Biden has arrived for a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he is expected to deliver remarks amid calls for him to drop out of the presidential race following his performance at the debate.
Pence calls Biden's debate performance 'a sad spectacle'
Former Vice President Mike Pence derided Biden's debate performance as "a sad spectacle" in a post on X, then went on to tout the resilience of the American people.
Pence — who failed in his effort to secure the GOP presidential nomination last year — has said he will not back Trump, his former running mate.
Biden campaign discussed whether it was a good idea for Harris to do post-debate interviews, source says
Biden campaign advisers deliberated over whether Vice President Kamala Harris should still do media interviews after the debate, given Biden’s performance, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
During the conversations, some Biden advisers suggested that it could be a “bad look” for Harris to go on the airwaves, this source said, but ultimately she decided that she wanted to do them for several reasons.
First, Harris felt that she had a duty to speak out because her name is on the ticket with Biden and second, she wanted to “prosecute the case against Trump” while making the case that she and Biden have “delivered together” over the last three and a half years.
“She was very clear that when he succeeds, they succeed. When she succeeds, they succeed,” this source said. “Same team.”
Dean Phillips quotes Gandhi: 'Speak only if it improves upon the silence'
In his first public post since the debate, Rep. Dean Phillips, Biden's most prominent primary challenger, shared a quote from Mahatma Gandhi on X, "Speak only if it improves upon the silence."
Phillips dropped out of the primary race in March and endorsed Biden.
Biden 'absolutely not' dropping out of the race, campaign says
Asked if Biden would drop out of the race, a Biden campaign spokesperson said, "Absolutely not."
“President Biden is the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump. He will do it again. Donald Trump did not give voters any reason to vote for him tonight. On the issues, the American people are with Joe Biden,” a Biden campaign adviser said.
Pelosi says Biden had a 'bad start' to debate, still supports him
Asked if Biden is the best messenger for the top of the Democratic ticket, Rep. Nancy Pelosi said she is a “very big supporter of President Biden."
“He got off to a bad start," she told reporters. "I thought he came through OK on the issues later.”
Major Biden fundraiser says Democrats should 'take a deep breath'
Alan Kessler, a Philadelphia-based Biden fundraiser, said today that Democrats should "take a deep breath and see how things develop in a week or 10 days."
"In the meantime, if people want to have discussions about everything from potentially having somebody else [on the ticket] to how to handle last night, maybe that should happen," Kessler said. "But before people jump off bridges or start a draft movement, let’s take a deep breath and see how things unfold."
Longtime Biden ally Rep. James Clyburn says the president had a 'poor performance' during the debate
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a longtime Biden ally, told reporters on Capitol Hill today that he thought the president's performance during last night's debate was "poor."
Clyburn said that Biden doesn't need to change anything on "substance," but on style, he argued that Biden is "not a show horse."
"The debate last night had some shortcomings," he said, noting that infrastructure was not brought up once even though Biden signed a major bill to rebuild the nation's roads and bridges.
"We have a workhorse on behalf of the American people. We got a show horse just trying to get him out of office," he said.
Clyburn was credited with helping propel Biden's 2020 presidential campaign forward after endorsing him before the South Carolina primary.
Biden campaign rakes in $14 million around the first presidential debate
The Biden-Harris campaign raised $14 million on debate day and the morning after, a campaign official told NBC News.
The official said the hour after the debate — between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. — was the single best hour of fundraising since the campaign’s launch in April 2023.
Senior Biden adviser says Jan. 6 defendants must be held accountable after Supreme Court decision.
A senior Biden adviser said today that "violent insurrectionists and those who encourage them must be held accountable, but Donald Trump thinks otherwise."
The adviser's comment comes in response to the Supreme Court's decision that sided with a Jan. 6 rioter challenging an obstruction charge.
"Just last night, Trump again defended January 6 and the insurrectionists who violently assaulted law enforcement officers and tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power," the adviser said about the debate. "Today’s ruling does not change the fundamental truth that Donald Trump will always put himself over our democracy.”
The June presidential debate, by the numbers
Biden and Trump touched on many topics during last night’s presidential debate, from the economy and inflation to the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, health care and immigration.
NBC News kept track of how the candidates used their time during the debate. The graphics below show the time dedicated to each topic, along how long the candidate spent on each.
Good inflation news for the Biden admin lost in debate fallout
There's good news about inflation this morning. The wonky-sounding personal consumption expenditures index (PCE) for May came in at its slowest growth rate in more than three years. It comes after other recent encouraging inflation data, including from the closely watched consumer price index (CPI).
PCE is also a preferred inflation gauge for the Federal Reserve, which could end up cutting its benchmark interest once or twice this year as price growth slows down. That would be good news for Americans paying credit card bills and those who are priced out of the housing market because of high mortgage rates.
But what could be seen as a boost for Biden is likely to get lost amid the fallout from his shaky debate performance last night. When pressed on inflation yesterday, Biden incorrectly said he inherited 9% inflation from Trump. CPI hit that level in the middle of 2022, Biden's second year in office. The president also stumbled in demonstrating how the annual rate of CPI growth is now down to 3.3% and is expected to keep cooling.
Biden campaign co-chair says he 'lost on style, but won on substance'
Mitch Landrieu, Biden's campaign co-chair, defended Biden's debate performance during an interview with CNN this morning.
Asked about voters' response to the debate, Landrieu said Biden had a "rough time" last night. He added, "The president might have lost a debate on style, but he won it on facts. He won it on decency."
Monday will be the final day of Supreme Court rulings
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its final rulings of the session Monday. The decision on Trump's immunity argument in one of his criminal cases remains undecided, meaning it's likely to come Monday.
Supreme Court rules for Jan. 6 rioter challenging obstruction charge
Reporting from the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court today ruled in favor of a former police officer who is seeking to throw out an obstruction charge for joining the Capitol riot Jan. 6, 2021, in a ruling that could benefit Trump.
The justices on a 6-3 vote handed a win to defendant Joseph Fischer, who is among hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants — including Trump — who have been charged with obstructing an official proceeding over the effort to prevent Congress’ certification of Biden’s election victory.
The court concluded that the law, enacted in 2002 as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after the Enron accounting scandal, was only intended to apply in limited circumstances involving tampering with physical evidence.
Pelosi, asked for reaction to Biden's performance, says 'not right now'
Asked to react to Biden's performance at last night's debate, former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she "will have it, but not right now."
Pelosi, one of the most powerful Democratic elected officials in the nation, made the comments as she stepped into an elevator at the Capitol. She did not specify when she planned to make public comments about the debate.
NBC News' Chuck Todd wrote last night that he was most intrigued to hear from Pelosi and former President Barack Obama. "They are, arguably, the two most influential Democrats not named Joe Biden right now," he wrote, "and if they went public saying, 'Thank you for your service but it’s time for new blood,' I'm not sure Biden could survive as the nominee."
Supreme Court delivers blow to power of federal agencies, overturning 40-year-old precedent
Reporting from the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court today overturned a 40-year-old precedent that has been a target of the right because it is seen as bolstering the power of "deep state" bureaucrats.
In a ruling involving a challenge to a fisheries regulation, the court consigned to history a 1984 ruling called Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council.
It is the latest in a series of rulings in which the conservative justices have taken aim at the power of federal agencies. The ruling was 6-3 with the conservative justices in the majority and the liberal justices dissenting.
Biden campaign commits to participating in September presidential debate
The Biden campaign said that the president still plans to participate in the second scheduled presidential debate against Trump.
A Biden aide said all systems are go for the debate and they're committed to it. ABC News is set to host that debate on Sept. 10, less than two months before Election Day.
Hillary Clinton reiterates support for Biden post-debate
In her first public reaction following the debate last night, Hillary Clinton wrote in a post on X that she'll be voting for Biden this November.
Top Democratic fundraisers sound the alarm after Biden’s debate performance
Many of the Democratic Party’s top fundraisers are privately sounding the alarm after Biden’s disappointing debate performance against Trump last night.
“Disaster,” said a Biden donor who plans to attend a fundraiser with him tomorrow in the Hamptons.
“This is terrible. Worse than I thought was possible. Everyone I’m speaking with thinks Biden should drop out,” said the person, who was granted anonymity to recount private conversations.
CNBC began hearing from worried Democratic campaign donors and fundraisers less than 20 minutes into the 90-minute debate hosted by CNN.
“Game over,” said a longtime Democratic campaign adviser, who has been raising money for congressional leaders for over a decade and helped raise money for Biden’s 2020 White House bid.
Supreme Court allows Oregon city policy targeting homeless people
Reporting from the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court today rejected a constitutional challenge to ordinances enacted by a small city in Oregon that punish homeless people for sleeping on public property when they have nowhere else to go.
The justices ruled in favor of the city of Grants Pass, saying the measures do not run afoul of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment.
Hakeem Jeffries says Biden shouldn't step down
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded "no" when asked by reporters if he thinks Biden should step down following his debate performance last night.
Supreme Court to begin announcing decisions momentarily
Reporting from the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is about to begin announcing decisions. They've brought two boxes into the press room — traditionally meaning we could get more than two cases.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Biden is 'not up to the job'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressing reporters on Capitol Hill this morning, said he believes the presidential debate showed that Biden is not fit for the presidency.
"Everyone can see the objective fact that we have been discussing here for a long, long time, that President Biden is not up to the job," Johnson said.
Trump has also drawn criticism for a series of falsehoods and exaggerations during the CNN presidential debate. Johnson praised Trump's performance, saying the presumptive GOP nominee "won on every metric of measurement, I think, on the issues, on his stamina, on his temperament."
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer defends Biden while avoiding mention of his debate performance
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, issued a post-debate statement through her political organization this morning that praised Biden without remarking at all on his performance in last night's debate.
"For hardworking people in Michigan and across the country, this election is about which candidate can do the most to make life easier for them and their families, stand up for our rights and freedoms, and leave a better country for our kids and grandkids," Whitmer said in the statement. "On these questions, the difference between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as people, and as presidents, could not be clearer. "
Whitmer is among the Democrats whose names routinely surface as a potential replacement for Biden on the ballot — and her name was ringing out among panicked party insiders last night after Biden stumbled through a shaky debate with Trump.
"Joe Biden is running to serve the American people," Whitmer said in her statement. "Donald Trump is running to serve Donald Trump. The difference between Joe Biden's vision for making sure everyone in America has a fair shot and Donald Trump’s dangerous, self-serving plans will only get sharper as we head toward November."
Another Democrat, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, raised eyebrows on X after last night's debate by sharing a photo of her and other statewide officeholders with Whitmer under the message "Mood. #TeamMichigan."
"I'm proud of our team here in Michigan. And wanted to remind people that the Democratic Party is a whole lot bigger than one moment or one person," Benson wrote in a text to NBC News, adding that she was not suggesting that Whitmer enter the presidential race. "Our team in Michigan is an example of that."
Some Democrats start calling for Biden to ‘throw in the towel’ on 2024
Some Democrats began calling for Biden to step aside so the party can nominate another candidate after he stumbled badly in last night’s debate.
“This was like a champion boxer who gets in the ring past his prime and needs his corner to throw in the towel,” said a Democratic lawmaker, adding that he meant Biden should exit the race.
The options for a switch are limited: If the president doesn’t choose to leave of his own volition, there would have to be a revolt among Democratic National Convention delegates, the vast majority of whom were elected on their pledges to nominate Biden. But that’s what some Democrats were thinking about last night.
It’s “time to talk about an open convention and a new Democratic nominee,” said a second Democratic lawmaker who has been a solid Biden supporter.
Biden campaign defiant against calls for him to drop out of race
Biden's campaign is defiantly pushing back against calls for the president to drop out of the race.
A source familiar with the campaign’s thinking argued that Biden has been counted out by all the same pundits and reporters before, and the anonymous Democrats doubting him are anonymous because the party is behind him 100% (When pressed about why some of the doubters were going on the record, the source countered that they were TV pundits).
“It’s a long, long campaign, and one debate, as we saw in 2012 with Obama, will not decide the results,” the source said.
Another source familiar with the campaign’s thinking flatly denied Biden would leave the race, saying, “Of course not.”
That source argued that a fair number of polls show the debate “as a wash” and that people hated Trump’s Jan. 6 lines and refusal to accept election results.
Still, one former administration official acknowledged that attention may shift to someone else.
“One thing I think this does is underscore the importance of Vice President Harris and her role in carrying her weight, and then some, on this ticket,” the source said. “It’s all eyes on Harris — and the next big media moment: Trump’s VP selection.”
Biden stopped by a campaign-sponsored viewing party in Atlanta following his debate with Trump. He later went to collect an order from a Waffle House. At both stops, he accused Trump of lying during the debate.
Sen. John Fetterman says he refuses to join 'Democratic vultures on Biden's shoulder'
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., suggested in a post on X this morning that he doesn't agree with calls by some Democrats to find an alternative to Biden after his debate performance.
"I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate," Fetterman said. "No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record."
Fetterman had a similarly poor debate performance in October 2022 against Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, in part because Fetterman was still recovering from his stroke. Ultimately, Fetterman won the race in the midterm election.
Gov. Josh Shapiro admits Biden 'had a bad debate night,' but stresses the president is 'up to the job'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a possible future Democratic presidential candidate, admitted in an interview this morning that Biden didn't do well last night, but stressed that Democrats should "stop worrying."
"Look, I think Joe Biden had a bad debate night, but it doesn’t change the fact that Donald Trump was a bad president — a bad president who ripped away our freedoms, a bad president who drove our economy into the ditch, a bad president who exacerbated the problems of climate change, and a guy who stood on the stage last night and not only lied about his past, but lied about the kinds of things he’s proposing for the future," Shapiro said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
"That is what I took away from this debate," he continued. "That’s what I saw, and I think we still have a clear contrast in this race. Nothing about the debate changed that last night."
Shapiro, a top surrogate for Biden as a member of the campaign's national advisory board, said that Democrats should stop worrying about Biden's candidacy and focus on defeating Trump.
"I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with both the former president and President Biden, and you know what I can tell you, Joe Biden is up to the job," he said.
Pressed multiple times to address Democrats' alarm over Biden's performance, Shapiro said he had acknowledged several times that Biden had a bad debate night.
"He’s got a burden on him to show people that he is still able to move forward in these debates and in prosecuting the case against Donald Trump," Shapiro said. "I believe he can do that."
What are the candidates doing today?
Biden and Trump are back on the trail today after the first debate of the 2024 cycle. Trump will deliver remarks at an event in Chesapeake, Virginia, at around 3 p.m., while Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, at noon.
After the rally, Biden and the first lady will head to New York for two other events. In the afternoon, the Bidens are scheduled to deliver remarks at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center grand opening ceremony in Manhattan.
Later in the evening, they’re both expected to participate in a campaign reception in New York City.
DNC billboard to highlight Trump's reported 'losers' and 'suckers' remarks about service members ahead of his Virginia rally
The Democratic National Committee is reminding Virginia voters of Trump’s past comments about U.S. service members, as the presumptive Republican nominee holds a campaign rally in Chesapeake, an area home to one of the largest U.S. military populations.
A montage of news reports from Trump’s presidency on the topic will be played on a mobile billboard driving around the Hampton Roads area today ahead of the rally, NBC News has learned.
Many of the news reports featured on the mobile billboard center on the September 2020 Atlantic article written by Jeffrey Goldberg, titled, “Trump: Americans who died in the war are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’” — a topic that came up in last night’s debate.
“As Donald Trump heads to Virginia today, voters will remember the disrespect and pain he inflicted on service members and their families as he callously mocked them while serving as commander in chief,” DNC spokesperson Tracy King told NBC News. “President Biden is the only candidate in this election who fights for our service members and honors their sacrifice. Virginians will head to the polls this November remembering how Donald Trump disrespected our heroes, while President Biden fights for them.”
After Biden brought up the reported comments during the debate, Trump responded, "The losers and suckers story that he made up is a total lie on the military, it’s a disgrace. They made it up. It was in a third-rate magazine that’s failing, like many of these magazines. He made that up.”
Trump will be joined by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin at today’s rally — the first time the two will share a stage.
In response to the candidate’s performance last night, Youngkin posted on X, “Could it be any clearer? Strength versus weakness. That’s why Virginia is in play. See you in Chesapeake tomorrow, Mr. President!”
‘Babbling’ and ‘hoarse’: Biden’s debate performance sends Democrats into a panic
Biden, 81, was supposed to put the nation’s mind at ease over his physical and mental capacity with his debate showing last night.
But from the onset of the debate, he seemingly struggled even to talk, mostly summoning a weak, raspy voice. In the opening minutes, the president repeatedly tripped over his words, misspoke and lost his train of thought.
Democrats are talking about replacing Biden. That wouldn’t be so easy.
Party rules make it almost impossible to replace nominees without their consent, let alone smoothly replace them with someone else. And doing so would amount to party insiders overturning the results of primaries when Democratic voters overwhelmingly to nominate Biden. He won almost 99% of all delegates.
And at the moment, there is no known, serious effort to push Biden off the top of the ticket.
Still, the Democratic National Committee’s charter does make some provisions in case the party’s nominee is incapacitated or opts to step aside, and an anti-Biden coup at the convention is theoretically possible, if highly unlikely. So how would it work?
Debate takeaways: Biden confirms some voter fears as Trump leans into grievances
Biden failed to mitigate his biggest liability in his re-election bid at the CNN debate last night, while Trump doubled down on his grievances and skipped past opportunities to cover his own vulnerabilities.
Biden’s biggest weakness — voter concerns about his age and sharpness, according to polls — was on display throughout the more than 90-minute debate as he struggled through answers and failed to deliver the energetic performance allies believe he needed. And Trump had no new answers for voters about the issues on which he’s weakest, including his felony conviction, his role in overturning Roe v. Wade and his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
The first showdown between Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, in 2024 comes early in the election year, giving voters an opportunity to see the president and his challenger side by side. Here’s what they saw — and what it means for the campaign.