Biden's Mid-Answer Freeze During Presidential Debate Sparks Backlash: "Way Off His Game"

Joe Biden's performance in the first 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump has thrown off many, including his supporters. Netizens flocked to X, formerly Twitter to blast the incumbent for freezing mid-answer. The gaffe occurred as Biden sought to criticize Trump. With broken sentences and thoughts trailing off, he asserted, "We finally beat Medicare."

Social media was unhappy, with many slamming Biden for what they thought was a good opportunity for him. Mike Murphy, a political commentator, posted with a disheartened tone, "Sorry, I’m voting for President Biden but a disaster so far." Another user echoed, "Maddening. We are an inch away from re-electing a lying felon who wants to suspend our Constitution, deny our elections, disband NATO, and let Putin take Ukraine—and this is how we debate the guy? If Biden is not up to this country-defining task, he should graciously step aside."

A former Democratic consultant also slammed Biden on X. "I handled almost 100 candidates and many debates, this is the worst performance I have witnessed." In a similar vein, a staff writer at The Atlantic chimed, "Biden is way off his game here. Way too much stuff in his head, overprepared, and he sounds like he has a cold. 20 minutes in and Trump is keeping it together so far - lying and weird stuff, but not the point in a #debate."

The View co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, also expressed her worries. "The optics and Biden’s performance are so bad and concerning that, I fear all substantive policy discussion will be forgotten." Meanwhile, others pointed out that Biden performed well in the viewing party speech after the debate. Journalist Mehdi Hassan slammed, "It’s still so weird to me that Biden was more cogent, energetic, and aggressive after the debate was over, and later into the night than he was during the damn debate when Trump was right next to him."

Many asked Biden to step down in light of his performance. Journalist Nicholas Kristof, opined, "Biden would reflect on this debate performance and then announce his decision to withdraw from the race, throwing the choice of Democratic nominee to the convention. Someone like @gretchenwhitmer or @SherrodBrown or@SecRaimondo could still jump in and beat Trump."

This debate, the earliest in modern US history, was strategically timed by the Biden team to shift the campaign focus to Trump early on, aiming to remind voters of the tumultuous nature of his presidency. However, Biden’s performance ended up overshadowing discussions about the former president, as per BBC. The Democrats' upcoming party convention in August offers a chance to present a more polished vision of a second Biden term. Another debate is slated for September, which will be fresh in voters' minds as they approach the November polls. 

However, many Democrats are now questioning whether a second face-off with Trump will yield better results for Biden. Some are even contemplating the possibility of a different presidential nominee. With nearly two months to steady the campaign, Biden’s team faces the challenge of calming the waters. An open revolt would be necessary for Democrats to abandon their candidate, who has already secured enough primary delegates to claim the party's nomination.