NOBODY was prepared for President Joe Biden to be “so incoherent and unpersuasive” in his debate with Donald Trump, an American history expert said.
Biden, 81, has refused to drop out of the election – despite mounting calls from top Democrats for him to halt his re-election bid and step aside.
The 81-year-old’s performance during Thursday’s presidential debate with Trump sent shockwaves of panic through the Democratic Party.
He stumbled through the 90-minute showdown – losing his train of thought and appearing to freeze on stage minutes into the debate.
Some Democrats reportedly described his performance as “a slow- motion car crash”, an “unmitigated disaster”, and “a meltdown”.
And Christopher Phelps, Associate Professor of American History at the University of Nottingham, said “incoherent” Biden couldn’t even string a sentence together.
He told The Sun: “I don’t think very many people – regardless of political alignment – were prepared for him to be so incoherent and unpersuasive.
“I think there’s a serious problem for Biden. The number one thing he had to do was show he simply had command of the ability to form a sentence.
“And [to show] that the concern about his age and mental acuity was overblown – which only required a weak debate performance within the realm of competence.
“He couldn’t even rise to that.
“This debate performance mattered more than most… it reaffirmed the number one worry and the number one concern of voters.”
Questions have long swirled about Biden’s fitness for office following a string of gaffs, blunders, and episodes where critics said he looked frail.
‘Is he okay?’ viewers wonder as President Joe Biden takes the stage with a ‘hoarse’ voice to begin debate with Trump
And voters have repeatedly questioned whether the 81-year-old can manage another four years in office.
As the two oldest presidential candidates in history, Biden and Trump were both under pressure to display their fitness for office.
But it was Biden’s performance that set off alarm bells within his own party – and some commentators and political figures have suggested he should be ousted and replaced.
A party strategist who has worked on presidential campaigns told NBC News “this debate is a nail in the political coffin” and “babbling” Biden “is reaffirming everything voters already perceived”.
Bringing in a new candidate at this stage would be unprecedented – and difficult.
Thursday’s debate took place before Biden is formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
It’s the customary process of rubberstamping his nomination ahead of the November election.
If elected Democrats in the House and the Senate say to Biden ‘you’ve got to withdraw’, this is going to be catastrophic
Christopher Phelps
And forcing Biden out would mean the delegates choosing another candidate – and no serious Democratic challengers have stepped up.
But Democrats would have to overturn the results of the state primaries – the votes that took place to confirm Biden as the pick for November’s election.
Professor Phelps said the situation could take a “catastrophic” turn for the Democrats if Trump surges to an 8 per cent lead in the polls.
He explained: “If elected Democrats in the House and the Senate say to Biden ‘you’ve got to withdraw’, this is going to be catastrophic.
“We’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetimes.
“It would have to be that Biden would release his delegates, because right now they’ve all been elected in primaries committed to Biden.
“It’s really it’s a Biden decision.
“He’d have to withdraw from the race and then release the delegates. The delegates would then be able to pick a new nominee at the Convention.
“Presumably that would be Vice President Kamala Harris, but other candidates could put their hat in the ring.
“It would be very, very tough to not pick Kamala Harris.”
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
David Axelrod
Biden failed to convince American voters that despite his age, he’s still fit for a second White House term, according to a CNN poll.
Despite a disastrous debate, Biden has aggressively brushed off calls for him to drop out of the race, the outlet reported.
Biden remains committed to a second debate on September 10.
During Thursday’s showdown, Biden and Trump clashed over a raft of issues, including immigration, the January 6 Capitol riots, the state of the US economy, and environmental concerns.
The president’s health has been a hot topic – and fears were reignited on Thursday when Biden stumbled through his sentences, spoke hoarsely, and appeared to freeze on stage.
Biden struggled throughout to overcome the early blunders.
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official, called the debate “kind of a Defcon 1 moment”.
Can the Dems oust ‘babbling’ Biden?
DESPITE a barrage of criticism over Biden’s poor performance, top Democrats have not yet called on the commander-in-chief to stand down.
But if it comes to making that decision, what steps can they take to replace him as the Democratic presidential nominee?
A potential “loophole” could allow Biden’s party to replace him.
Thursday’s debate took place before Biden is formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention on August 19.
It’s the customary process of rubberstamping his nomination ahead of the November election.
And forcing Biden out would mean the delegates choosing another candidate – and no serious Democratic challengers have stepped up.
At this point, Biden would have to step aside if another candidate was selected.
A “loophole” does allow the party to act if “in all good conscience” its actions “reflect the sentiments of those who elected them”.
But Democrats would have to overturn the results of the state primaries – the votes that took place to confirm Biden as the pick for November’s election.
This type of U-turn would spark a frenzy among Democrats – and there’s no protocol in place for him or the party to choose a new candidate before August’s convention.
It’s unlikely the Democrats will use the loophole, but it’s an option if concerns about Biden’s health reach boiling point.
If they choose to put themselves forward, two frontunners could be California governor Newsom or Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.
- ‘Ultimatum’ from top Dems
If Biden refuses to step aside, the US president could face a President Richard Nixon-style “ultimatum” from the Democrats.
As the Watergate scandal was closing in on Nixon on August 7, 1974, Senator Barry Goldwater, with Republican leaders of the House and Senate, told him he faced impeachment if he remained in office.
Nixon resigned the next day.
Biden could face a similar “ultimatum” from his party over his string of gaffes and apparent frail health.
But it’s not clear whether the Democrats would have the courage to tell hard truths to the President of the United States.
Another way the Democrats could oust Biden is by invoking the 25th Amendment.
Ratified in 1967, it means Biden’s cabinet could remove him from office if the vice president and a majority determine he is unfit to serve.
It allows the vice president to become acting president of the United States.
Under the amendment, the president can submit a declaration that they are able to continue their duties – and can resume office.
After the debate on Thursday, two sitting US senators said Biden’s administration should consider the move.
Senator Mike Lee said: “We’ve definitely entered 25th Amendment territory.”
And Senator Rick Scott added: “If you think Democrats in Washington and across the country aren’t talking about the 25th Amendment right now, you’re crazy.
“It’s not a question of whether he should be on the ballot. That ship has sailed. It’s a question of whether he can serve as president right now.”
It’s not the first time Republican lawmakers have called for the 25th Amendment to be used.
In February, Representative Mary Miller said if “he won’t resign, the Cabinet must invoke the 25th Amendment”.
There are currently no calls from Democrats for the amendment to be used to force Biden to step aside. But it’s an available option.
Other commentators, who usually refrain from speaking negatively about the president, were also quick to share their concerns.
CNN host Van Jones appeared close to tears while discussing Biden’s performance, asking a post-event panel whether they thought Biden was right for the job given his health.
David Axelrod, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama, said: “I think there was a sense of shock, actually, of 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.”
Biden’s ex-communications director, Kate Bedingfield, also criticized her former boss’s performance.
“It was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden,” she said.
“I don’t think there is any other way to slice it.”
An unnamed Democratic advisor thought to be a big supporter of the president told The New York Times that Biden’s affection has run dry.
“Biden is about to face a crescendo of calls to step aside,” he said.
“The man on the stage with Trump cannot win.”
Leader of the UK’s Reform party Nigel Farage told The Sun Biden’s performance was “worse than anyone can believe.”
He described Biden as “totally unfit for office”.
His comments come as a poll reveals that the majority of independent voters want the president axed from the ticket.
Over 60% of independent voters believe Biden should be dropped, according to a poll conducted by JL Partners for the Daily Mail.
Only 38% believe the president is the correct candidate.
The poll also found that 68% of independents believe Trump came out of the debate on top.
But Professor Phelps said it’s “much more likely” that the Democratic National Committee say that “Biden’s the only choice” and “we can’t really override the decision of the voters”.
“I don’t think he can be replaced without him deciding to withdraw,” he said.
“Joe Biden can have a bad night with a cold in which he doesn’t give a very good debate performance, and I don’t think we can conclude from that that he’s medically unfit.
“There’s a whole elaborate procedure. It would require a majority of his own Cabinet – a majority of his own Cabinet who are loyal to him to say that they believe that he’s not fit to be president.
“People went through this before with with Donald Trump.
“There was some conjecture about that… it’s just not very likely to happen unless he’s in a coma.”