On July 2, Joe Biden had a private conversation with a close ally where he acknowledged that his lackluster debate performance was due to his heavy focus on foreign policy. He attributed his poor performance to back-to-back trips to France and Italy, along with fatigue and jet lag. During a rally in Virginia on the same day, Biden confessed that these foreign trips before the debate were a mistake. He emphasized that the upcoming days were crucial for his re-election campaign and understood that if events did not go well, it would be challenging to recover.
Despite extensive preparation, Biden’s performance in the debate with Donald Trump was considered a disaster, with concerns raised about his ability to run for re-election by Democratic voters and lawmakers. Following the debate, Biden expressed concerns about his campaign’s future if upcoming events did not go well, including an interview with ABC News and rallies in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The New York Times reported that Biden had indicated he might have to suspend his campaign if these events were unsuccessful. However, the White House Press Secretary and a senior adviser to Biden refuted this information, calling it false.
Quentin Fulks, a top aide to the Biden-Harris campaign, highlighted that the President’s vision and accomplishments should not be defined by one poor debate performance. It is important for Biden to focus on what he can control moving forward – delivering strong speeches at rallies and engaging with voters in key swing states – rather than dwelling on past mistakes or predictions of failure.
