Replies

Axios.com
Jun 29, 2024 -
By Alex Thompson

Two Joe Bidens: The night America saw the other one

pic-—President Biden in a dark suit standing behind a white debate podium.
Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

The past 36 hours showcased two Joe Bidens: the veteran president rallying voters in a swing state, and an 81-year-old man struggling to string thoughts together in a debate. The public split screen isn’t new to many inside the White House, where top aides have meticulously stage-managed minutiae such as Biden’s sleep schedule, his orthopedic shoes, his walks to Marine One and his climb aboard Air Force One to try to blunt concerns about his age.

Internally, many aides have seen flashes of an absent-minded Biden, but typically brush them off as ordinary brain farts because they usually see him engaged, eight current and former Biden officials told Axios. But Thursday’s debate has shattered the White House’s efforts to show Biden at his best: a president capable of serving until 2029, when he’d be 86.

Driving the news: In his debate against Donald Trump, Biden often looked lost or slack-jawed, and delivered meandering answers in a hoarse voice. Some campaign aides projected calm Friday and framed the debate as just a bad night that they’d recover from. Other Biden aides, donors and senior Democrats were deeply shaken, as Trump and other crowing Republicans questioned his fitness for office. Beyond the politics of whether Biden can beat Trump again, the aides expressed new worries about whether the president can carry out his duties through another four-year term.

Friday, Biden eased some of those concerns with a full-throated campaign rally, where he found a more comfortable setting with a cheering crowd and a Teleprompter. He also acknowledged he’d done poorly the night before, and cast himself as a survivor who bounces back. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to,” he said to roars from the crowd in Raleigh, N.C.”...But I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job, I know how to get things done.”

Between the lines: Biden’s miscues and limitations are more familiar inside the White House. The time of day is important as to which of the two Bidens will appear. From 10am to 4pm, Biden is dependably engaged — and many of his public events in front of cameras are held within those hours. Outside of that time range or while traveling abroad, Biden is more likely to have verbal miscues and become fatigued, aides told Axios. Thursday’s 90-minute debate began at 9pm ET.

Afterward, CNN’s cameras captured First Lady Jill Biden gingerly helping her husband descend the few stairs by the podium. What they’re saying: White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Axios that there “is one Joe Biden, who works his heart out fighting for families like the one he grew up in in Scranton, and who, because of his determination, experience and decency, keeps achieving unprecedented results for them.”

Zoom in: Some of the close-knit Biden aides who prepped him for the debate told confidantes they were optimistic beforehand, and that he’d done well in their practice sessions. The vast majority of Biden aides agreed the debate was damaging, but disagree on the extent. Having an early debate was meant to make up a polling deficit to Trump rather than fall further behind. But by having it in June, Biden’s team has several months to recover.