Former President Barack Obama stood behind President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance on Thursday.
"Bad debate nights happen," Obama said. "Trust me, I know."
Obama backed up Biden while many observers want others to take his place as the Democratic nominee.
"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," the former president continued. "Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November."
Obama's support likely proves key to Biden, who admitted Friday that he is not as good at debating as he once was.
Biden was the former president's running mate in 2008 and 2012.
In 2012, the former president had a rough first presidential debate against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney but was able to rebound in the following two debates. Biden, who was Obama's vice president, had a strong 2012 debate against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, just over a week after Obama's poor showing in the first presidential debate.
Unlike in 2012, there are only two presidential debates scheduled between Biden and former President Donald Trump, with the gap between Thursday's debate and the planned Sept. 10 debate being 75 days, rather than the three debates over a 19-day span in 2012. Another factor different from 12 years ago is that Biden, 81, has faced concerns over his mental fitness as he seeks a second term.
Several Obama White House alums sounded the alarm after the debate, even entertaining replacing the president at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod said on CNN on Thursday following the debate that he believes there will be “discussions” on whether to replace Biden.
“There is a feeling — I think there was a sense of shock actually at how he came out at the beginning of this debate, how his voice sounded. He seemed a little disoriented — he did get stronger as the debate went on, but by that time, I think the panic had set in,” Axelrod said.
“And I think you're going to hear discussions that I don't know will lead to anything, but there is going to be discussion about whether he should continue,” he added.
Van Jones, who worked in the Obama White House, also said on CNN following the debate that it was "not just panic" but "pain" with Biden's performance.
“I think there‘s a lot of people who are going to want to see [Biden] consider taking a different course now. We‘re still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward if he will allow us to do that,” Jones said. “That was not what we needed from Joe Biden, and it’s personally painful for a lot of people. It‘s not just panic. It’s pain of what we saw tonight.”
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau called the debate a "f***ing disaster" and said he thought "it was the worst debate I’ve ever seen in my entire life" on his podcast Pod Save America on Friday. He also added that "Biden, in every single way, failed in that debate"
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Another former Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, reaffirmed her support for Biden on Friday.
"The choice in this election remains very simple. It's a choice between someone who cares about you — your rights, your prospects, your future — versus someone who's only in it for himself. I'll be voting Biden," Clinton wrote in a post on X.
Most Popular
Comments / 0