On Politics

Fri Jun 28 2024

Caren Bohan | Executive Editor, Politics

@carenbohan

Hello, OnPolitics readers! Caren Bohan here, Executive Editor for Politics at USA TODAY. My team had an eventful night covering the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump that was marked by what many Democrats saw as an epic fail for Biden.

"That was painful. I love Joe Biden. I worked for Joe Biden. He did not do well at all," Democratic political analyst Van Jones said on CNN. "Disaster" was a frequently used word from Democrats who spoke privately, although some incumbent officeholders closed ranks.

David Axelrod, a former top aide to former President Barack Obama, said on the same CNN panel there was a "sense of shock " with Biden's halting performance that included a moment when he froze while answering a question about healthcare and the economy.

Axelrod and many other commentators said his stumbles were sure to fuel calls for 81-year-old Biden to step aside to allow Democrats to choose another nominee. For Democrats, who fear the country's democracy is at risk if Trump is elected, Biden's weak poll numbers were already setting off alarm bells.

Although former first lady Michelle Obama has long made clear she has zero interest in running for president, some Democrats harbor a fantasy that she or another popular figure could swoop in to replace Biden on the ticket.

As USA TODAY's Susan Page wrote, "Sometimes it's hard to call a winner and loser in a debate. Not this time."

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