After Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced each other again on Thursday night local time, the Democratic Party went into panic, and Biden’s credibility began to waver.
Most mainstream media outlets in the US are Democratic strongholds, but they are all lamenting the president’s performance. CNN’s headline reads “Biden’s disastrous debate pitches his reelection bid into crisis,” predicting the possibility of Biden taking just 10 minutes to destroy a presidency. “It was clear a political disaster was about to unfold as soon as the 81-year-old commander in chief stiffly shuffled on stage in Atlanta to stand eight feet from ex-President Donald Trump at what may turn into the most fateful presidential debate in history,” CNN noted. It also said that Biden produced the weakest performance since John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon started the tradition of televised debates in 1960.
Like most mainstream media outlets, CNN devoted a large amount of space to attacking Trump for lying and being rude during the debate. However, CNN admitted that Biden “missed openings to jab Trump” and “Biden’s voice was weak, at times reduced to a whisper. Early on, the president’s answers drifted into incoherence.” CNN stressed that “Biden has rooted his reelection in the idea that he is the last thing standing between America and a second Trump presidency that would destroy democracy and usher in an unprecedented era of American autocracy.”
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman not only supports the Democratic Party, but is also a staunch establishment political commentator. He wrote after the debate: “I watched the Biden-Trump debate alone in a Lisbon hotel room, and it made me weep. I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime, precisely because of what it revealed: Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for reelection. And Donald Trump, a malicious man and a petty president, has learned nothing and forgotten nothing. He is the same fire hose of lies he always was, obsessed with his grievances — nowhere close to what it will take for America to lead in the 21st century.”
“The Biden family and political team must gather quickly and have the hardest of conversations with the president, a conversation of love and clarity and resolve,” he added.
He stressed that to give America the greatest shot possible of deterring the Trump threat in November, the president has to come forward and declare that he will not be running for reelection and is releasing all of his delegates for the Democratic National Convention.
After the debate, a CNN flash poll revealed that debate watchers say, 67 percent to 33 percent, that Trump turned in a better performance Thursday. However, CNN added that an 81 percent majority of registered voters who watched the debate say it had no effect on their choice for president. Of the 13 “undecideds” who spoke to Reuters, 10 described the 81-year-old Democratic president’s performance against Republican candidate Trump collectively as feeble, befuddled, embarrassing and difficult to watch.
David Axelrod, former senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, told CNN after the debate there will be discussions about whether President Joe Biden should continue running in the 2024 election. Some Democrats began calling for Biden to step aside so the party can nominate another candidate.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden stopped at an Atlanta Waffle House after the debate to pick up an order they placed for their staff. “I think we did well,” Biden told reporters who asked about his performance against Trump. In response to discussions among some Democrats about replacing their candidate, a Biden campaign spokesperson texted multiple media outlets, saying “Of course he’s not dropping out.”
However, Biden is clearly under immense pressure, a situation that has never been seen before in the US when a sitting president is seeking reelection. The situation will continue to develop, and it cannot be ruled out that it may change quickly. Can Biden control the situation? Can he get through the Democratic National Convention in August after this disastrous debate, and then through the election? The future is full of uncertainties.
Finally, I want to say that no matter what drama the US election presents and who wins in the end, it will not have much impact on China, because the current US policy toward China is supported by both parties. So let’s just enjoy the US election as entertainment. Just as famous American host Jon Stewart commented, what the public saw on Thursday night was “Trump’s Blatant Lies and Biden’s Senior Moments.”
The author is a Chinese media professional. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
