Posted on 06/28/2024 2:39:56 AM PDT by Libloather
resident Biden repeatedly froze and misspoke during his first — and possibly only — debate against former President Donald Trump Thursday night, prompting anguish and alarm in the Democratic Party fewer than four months before the general election.
In what will be the most-replayed political moment of the night, the week, the month, and maybe the year, the 81-year-old incumbent lost his train of thought for about nine seconds, looking down at his lectern before popping up again to say that he “finally beat Medicare.”
Biden, who would be 86 if he finishes a second term in January 2029, did not help his cause by speaking in a soft, scratchy voice that anonymous aides attributed to a cold he apparently picked up during his seven days out of the public eye prepping for the Atlanta forum.
The president began to lose his grip as he said he was committed to “making sure we make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with, umm dealing with everything we had to do with” — before sputtering to a halt.
“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” concluded Biden as he looked up again after an agonizing wait.
Not for the last time, the 78-year-old Trump seized upon the gaffe immediately, saying of his rival: “Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death and he’s destroying Medicare because all of these people who are coming in, they’re putting them on Medicare.”
The debate was widely seen as a make-or-break moment for Biden amid voter concern about his mental fitness — concerns that grew more acute Thursday night.
“Abysmal,” one Democratic source told The Post. “If I knew nothing about Donald Trump before that debate and judged him solely on that performance...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Can’t argue with that. But SHE is playing Mrs. Wilson in the background - running government.
The first 2024 presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump was held on Thursday night. It marked the first time a sitting president debated a former one.
The 90-minute discussion hosted by CNN was more of an incoherent debacle than any substantive debate. Biden was halting and disjointed. He was hard to hear, muffled his lines and often appeared to lose his train of thought. Meanwhile, Trump... “Joe Biden really failed to rise to this moment,” says Chris Lehmann, D.C. bureau chief for The Nation. “I expected nothing great, but it was so much worse.”
We also speak with Norman Solomon, executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and the co-founder of RootsAction.org, which sponsors the “Step Aside Joe!” campaign. He says Biden’s performance in the debate showed “he is clearly impaired” and unable to defeat Trump, which is “a gift to the extreme right wing.”
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sntfVEYXQjo
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