Prominent Democrats are circling the wagons to bolster President Biden after his halting debate performance Thursday, arguing the party can’t abandon him even as insiders seemed to be plotting exactly that through text messages and social media missives.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is widely considered a leading alternative if Mr. Biden gives way, scolded his party for piling on criticism after the president, 81, appeared lost at times and had trouble keeping up with former President Donald Trump on the Atlanta stage.
“You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What kind of party does that?” Mr. Newsom told MSNBC soon after the debate.
Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrat, on Friday said pundits and pollsters wrote him off after his shaky performance in 2022 following his stroke, only to watch him win a tough race.
“I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate. No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record,” he wrote on X.
“Chill the f— out,” he added, writing the expletive in full.
Despite the support, Mr. Biden’s performance was viewed as a worst-case scenario for the president at home and abroad. There is chatter about replacing him on the ticket, even at this late stage.
“There’s going to be a discussion of if he should continue,” Obama White House strategist David Axelrod said on a CNN panel discussion in which every pundit agreed the debate was a disaster for Mr. Biden.
Vice President Kamala Harris defended her running mate’s performance.
“Yes, there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish,” she said in a contentious CNN interview with Anderson Cooper. “What became very clear through the course of the night is that Joe Biden is fighting on behalf of the American people on substance, on policy, on performance — Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong.”
Mr. Newsom tried to pivot the discussion back to Mr. Biden’s record, pointing to tens of millions of new jobs and legislative accomplishments.
The governor said infighting is “unhelpful and it’s unnecessary,” adding, “We got to go in, we’ve got to keep our heads high, and as I say, we’ve got to have the back of this president. This president has delivered; we need to deliver for him at this moment.”
SEE ALSO: Biden campaign says he’s not dropping out
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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