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Here are five takeaways:
He said he wouldn’t leave
Biden vowed to continue his presidential campaign. “I am determined to run,” the president said. He denied polls showing him losing to Trump and insisted, “I think I’m the best person for the job.” But he also acknowledged that the presidency’s schedule has become challenging. “I just need to slow down a little bit.”
He said his schedule was “packed” before the debate and that he made a “silly mistake” before the debate by traveling too much and staying up too many late nights. Biden also blamed his staff for making the debate schedule so busy. “I love my staff,” Biden said. “But they always add things at the end.”
He had a hard time at the beginning
Biden’s answer to the first question contained a gaffe that made Democrats anxious. When asked if Vice President Kamala Harris could defeat Trump, Biden said, “If I didn’t think Vice President Trump was qualified to be president, I wouldn’t have chosen her as vice president”.
He also gaffe in response to a question about military aid to Ukraine, saying he followed the advice of his “commander in chief” — the president — before correcting himself and referring to his top military commanders.For the most part, though, he avoided the long, painful moments of the debate when he can’t finish a thought, though he sometimes wandered off in his responses.
He demonstrated control over foreign policy
Facing questions about his intellectual acuity, Biden showed he still has a strong grasp on global affairs. He gave lengthy, detailed answers to a variety of foreign policy questions, including his statement that he was prepared to break off relations with China and Russia. “We have to make sure Xi Jinping understands there’s a price to pay,” Biden said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He reiterated his long-standing position that Ukraine should not be allowed to use American weapons deep into Russia, including Moscow and the Kremlin. He also detailed efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, noting that Israel has been less than cooperative “occasionally.” He also stressed the global benefits of the election, saying world leaders told him “you have to win” because Trump would bring disaster to their countries.
He has a hard time articulating why he is the best candidate to defeat Trump
Biden has been incoherent in his defense of his candidacy for the presidency, reeling off his accomplishments as president and insisting he should have a chance to continue in office without ever succinctly articulating why he is the best person to serve.
“I’m determined to run,” he said. “But I think it’s important that I really allay fears. I’ve seen — for them to see me there, for me to see them, you know — for a long time, you know, ‘Biden is not prepared to sit with us unscripted; Biden is not prepared to do this’ — whatever it is.”
He then began to list statistics about the reach of his reelection campaign and suggested that all the efforts would be wasted if he dropped out, saying, “It’s going to be hard to find a replacement in the short term.” He then began to talk about his record in the Senate, adding, “No matter what, I’m going to be around to promote what I think we have to accomplish and what we can’t afford to lose.”
He said polls show he is the strongest candidate to defeat Trump, but he also acknowledged for the first time that other Democrats could beat Trump. “I believe I’m the most qualified to govern, I believe I’m the most qualified to win, but there are other people who can beat Trump,” he said. “But starting from scratch sucks.”
He provided a powerful defense of Kamala Harris
While Biden has vowed to continue his campaign, he has also repeatedly defended the vice president’s qualifications. He praised her work defending abortion rights and “her ability to handle almost every issue on the board.” But he also made clear that any poll showing Harris doing better against Trump would not force him to step down. “Unless they come back and say you can’t win,” Biden said. “No one is saying that.”
This article was originally published on New York Times.
By Zolan Kanno-Youngs
©2024 The New York Times
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