President Joe Biden tried to turn a disappointing debate performance into a rallying cry for his supporters at an event Friday, playing low, but not as some in his party whispered about replacing him at the top of the ticket.
“I know I’m not young. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t argue as well as I used to, but I know. What I know—I know how to tell the truth!” An energetic Biden nodded to the criticism he received after Thursday night’s debate, saying several of former President Donald Trump’s statements contradicted assessments of their accuracy.
“When you fall, you get back up,” Biden shouted to the cheering crowd.
“I’m going to win this state in November,” Biden said of North Carolina. “We are winning here, we are winning the election.”
The campaign event, held in a state that hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Barack Obama in 2008, comes after many political observers and some Democrats said Poor debate performance by Biden Thursday night against former President Donald Trump.
During Thursday’s debate, the president’s lackluster energy level and hoarse, raspy voice left some Democrats worried that a week of preparation at Camp David was a poor performance.
The 81-year-old Biden froze during the debate, appearing to lose his train of thought and slurring his words even though he has struggled with a lifelong stutter.
About last night, Biden said Friday, “I spent 90 minutes on stage arguing with a guy who has the morals of an alley cat.”
Although he coughed at times during his speech on Friday, Biden’s demeanor was more animated, delivering punch lines and entertaining the crowd.
Biden said that when he reflected on Trump’s 34 felony convictions, sexual assault charges against E. Jean Carroll and millions of dollars in fines for business fraud, “I thought to myself, Donald Trump is not just a convicted felon — Donald Trump a one-man crime spree.”
First lady Jill Biden, wearing a black dress with “vote” written on it in white letters, spoke in front of her husband, emphasizing the president’s strength and leadership.
“Although he has faced unimaginable tragedies, his optimism is unshakable, his strength is unshakable, his hope is unshakable. “And over the last few years. Joe helped heal our country, helped us all recover from the chaos of the last administration.”
“We don’t choose our chapter in history, but we can choose who leads us,” he said. “What you saw on the debate stage last night was Joe Biden – a president of integrity and character, telling the truth and telling Donald Trump lie after lie.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said on stage that “the biggest election of our lifetime” is 130 days away.
“I know the tension is high right now, but this election is not just about what kind of president we want to be. This election is about what kind of country we want to be,” Cooper said, asking the crowd if they wanted it. Being in “Donald Trump’s America”. Finally, the audience chanted “shut it up!”
Even as Biden embarks on a post-debate campaign trip, his supporters in Washington are quietly worried.
Some Democrats who spoke anonymously to NBC Newsafter the debate, began demanding that Biden withdraw from the 2024 presidential race so that the Democratic Party could nominate a new candidate.
Other outspoken Democrats reiterated their support for Biden. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential future presidential candidate, told MSNBC immediately after the debate that Democrats should not panic.
“I think it’s useless and I think it’s unnecessary. We have to go in, keep our heads up, and like I said, have this president’s back,” he said. “You don’t turn your back because of one performance. Which party does this?”
He added: “Democrats have given up. This president delivered. At this moment, we have to deliver for him.”
In an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Friday morning, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, another potential Democratic presidential candidate, acknowledged that Biden did not do well last night, but stressed that Democrats “need to stop worrying.”
“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 for the job.”