Bad Preparation And Exhaustion Are The Reason For Joe Biden's Poor Performance During Presidential Debate?
US President Joe Biden’s performance during the first round of debate ahead of the Presidential election has drawn widespread criticism, including the Democratic supporters. Biden started on a weak foot. Though he had strong counter points, it was not enough. He failed to effectively counter his rival, Donald Trump’s blatant falsehood including claims of winning the 2020 election.
After the debate, even his ‘friends’ asked him to reconsider his reelection, and for changes among his top advisers. Individuals close to Biden believe that the 81-year-old President was over-prepared and exhausted himself. John Morgan, a major fundraiser, called for the dismissal of senior aide Anita Dunn, and her husband Bob Bauer, who played Trump is pre-debate rehearsals.
The debate strategy, which was approved by the campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, and was backed by Dunn, involved a rigorous preparation scheduled at Camp David.
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Before the debate, Biden’s poll number were increasing after, Trump, the former US President was convicted falsifying documents. Biden’s successful visit to Europe were also considered a key point in Biden’s increasing poll number.
Critics argue that the preparation should have focused more on the broader vision that the President needs to convey to the nation, and that he lacked sufficient rest before the event. Biden’s decision to participate in the the debate came as a surprise to some advisers, with Biden’s team opting to reject the traditional debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates in favor of a more controlled setting on CNN. However, despite the arrangements, Biden’s performance was widely criticized, with his appearance and demeanor described as incoherent.
Biden appeared more coherent when he addressed a rally in North Carolina. He said “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t talk as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. Well, I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. I know, like millions of Americans, when you get knocked down, you get back up”.
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New York Times’ editorial page wrote an article titled as, “To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race”. Time magazine also called out Biden for his fumbles. In its new cover photo, the magazine featured Biden walking away and disappearing off the edge of the Time Magazine cover. The magazine captioned it with the word “panic”. The meaning behind the usage of the world ‘panic’ was reportedly attributed to what the US political commentators had described the mood inside the Democratic Party after Biden’s debate.
