WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden forcefully tried on Friday to quell Democratic anxieties over with former President Donald Trump, as elected members of his party closed ranks around him in an effort to shut down talk of replacing him atop the ticket.
Biden's halting delivery and meandering comments, particularly early in the debate, fueled concerns from even members of his own party that at age 81 he's not up for the task of leading the country for another four years. It created a crisis moment for Biden鈥檚 campaign and his presidency, as members of his party flirted with potential replacements and donors and supporters couldn鈥檛 contain their concern about his showing against Trump.
Biden appeared to acknowledge the criticism during a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, saying 鈥滻 don鈥檛 debate as well as I used to.鈥� But he added, 鈥淚 know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.鈥� Speaking for 18 minutes, Biden appeared far more animated than his showing the night before, and he excoriated Trump for his 鈥渓ies鈥� and campaign aimed at 鈥渞evenge and retribution.鈥�
鈥淭he choice in this election is simple,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淒onald Trump will destroy our democracy. I will defend it.鈥�
He added, alluding to his candidacy, 鈥淲hen you get knocked down, you get back up.鈥�
Even before the debate, Biden's age had been a liability with voters, and Thursday night鈥檚 faceoff appeared to reinforce the public鈥檚 deep-seated concerns before perhaps the largest audience he will garner in the four months until Election Day.
Privately, his campaign had spent the previous hours working to tamp down concerns and keep donors and surrogates on board. Democratic lawmakers on Friday acknowledged Biden's poor showing, but tried to stop talk of replacing him as their standard-bearer, and instead tried to shift the focus onto Trump's attacks and falsehoods that they hoped would remind voters of the daily turbulence of his presidency.
鈥淲ell, the president didn鈥檛 have a good night, but neither did Donald Trump with lie after lie and his dark vision for America,鈥� North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told The Associated Press on Friday, hours before he introduced the president in Raleigh. 鈥淲e cannot send Donald Trump back to the White House. He鈥檚 an existential threat to our nation."
Former President Barack Obama backed up his former vice president, posting on X that 鈥淏ad debate nights happen." Alluding to his own poor showing in the first debate of his reelection campaign in 2012, Obama continued, 鈥淭rust me, I know. 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.鈥�
He added: 鈥淟ast night didn鈥檛 change that, and it鈥檚 why so much is at stake in November.鈥�
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries answered with a flat 鈥渘o鈥� when asked Friday if Biden should step aside.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, Democrat of New York, said, 鈥淪ince performance last night, I had to take a few more antidepressants than usual.鈥�
鈥淧eople have asked me, 鈥楧o I feel comfortable with the debate?鈥� You know, a Donald Trump presidency would cause me far greater discomfort than a Joe Biden debate performance.鈥�
Biden's campaign billed the Raleigh event as the largest-yet rally of his reelection bid in the state Trump carried by the narrowest margin in 2020. He'll then travel to New York for a weekend of big-dollar fundraisers that his campaign now needs more than ever, as it looks to stave off Trump.
Biden's campaign announced that it raised $14 million on debate day and the morning after, while Trump's campaign said it raised more than $8 million from the start of the debate through the end of the night.
Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the Biden campaign sent out to defend his performance, was set to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada. She told CNN hours after the debate, 鈥淭here was a slow start, but it was a strong finish."
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said he could hardly sleep because of the number of telephone calls he got after Biden performed 鈥渉orribly鈥� in the debate.
鈥淧eople were just concerned. And I told everybody 小蓝视频 concerned is healthy, overreacting is dangerous,鈥� Cleaver said. 鈥淎nd I think I wouldn鈥檛 advise anybody to make rash decisions right now.鈥�
Rep. James Clyburn, a 小蓝视频 Carolina Democrat who was formerly a longtime fixture in House Democratic leadership, said he would likely speak to Biden later Friday and his message would be simple: 鈥淪tay the course.鈥�
Biden and his allies were looking to brush aside concerns about his delivery to keep the focus on the choice for voters this November. They seized on Trump鈥檚 equivocations on whether he would accept the will of voters this time around, his refusal to condemn the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden, and his embrace of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court鈥檚 overturning of Roe v. Wade that had legalized abortion nationwide.
But Biden fumbled on abortion rights, one of the most important issues for Democrats in this year鈥檚 election. He was unable to explain Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. A conservative Supreme Court with three justices nominated by Trump overturned Roe two years ago.
As elected Democrats united behind Biden publicly, donors and party operatives shared panicked text messages and phone calls Thursday night and into Friday expressing their concern that Biden鈥檚 performance was so bad that he may be unelectable this fall.
But there were no immediate signs of organized efforts among donors, his campaign leadership or the Democratic National Committee to convince the president to step aside, according to interviews with several people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive conversations.
Still, morale was poor among some Biden campaign staffers across the country, who had been encouraged by top campaign officials in Delaware to organize hundreds of debate watch parties to get as many eyes as possible on the Biden-Trump showdown. The morning after, some embarrassed lower-level campaign staffers privately expressed their desire for Biden to quit the race.
It was the same among some top Democratic donors in New York, southern California and Silicon Valley, who talked up the need to embrace a Biden replacement during a series of text chains and private conversations. There were informal conversations between donors and those close to potential Biden alternatives to gauge their willingness to step into the race. But there was no sense that a sitting governor or member of Congress would be willing to risk the political fallout that might come with a public break from the Democratic president.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat frequently mentioned as a 2028 contender and speculated about as a potential replacement for Biden on the ticket should he step aside, released a statement backing him on Friday.
鈥淭he difference between Joe Biden鈥檚 vision for making sure everyone in America has a fair shot and Donald Trump鈥檚 dangerous, self-serving plans will only get sharper as we head toward November,鈥� she said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also dismissed questions on whether he would consider stepping in for Biden, telling reporters after the debate, 鈥淚 will never turn my back on him.鈥�
Under current Democratic Party rules, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace Biden as the party鈥檚 nominee without his cooperation or without party officials 小蓝视频 willing to rewrite the rules at the August national convention.
Trump, meanwhile, flew to his golf club in Virginia, a onetime battleground that has shifted toward Democrats in recent years but that his aides believe can flip toward the Republican in November. He was set to hold at rally in Chesapeake Friday afternoon.
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Superville reported from Raleigh, North Carolina; Price reported from Norfolk, Virginia; Peoples reported from Atlanta; AP reporters Stephen Groves, Brian Slodysko and Farnoush Amiri in Washington, Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed.
Zeke Miller, Steve Peoples, Darlene Superville And Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press
