Biden officials are pointing fingers at one another after the president suffered a series of malfunctions Thursday night during his first debate against former President Donald Trump.
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According to Axios, Biden’s debate was a “DEFCON 1” moment for Democrats— and now his aides are trying to point fingers at one another to blame someone for his train wreck performance.
A person in Biden’s inner circle argued that the 81-year-old president was “over prepared” and should have rested the week leading up to the debate.
Another said Biden relied too much on the details and instead should have focused on having vigor and energy.
“They prepared him for the wrong debate,” a Biden official claimed, while another said, “It’s sad but it also makes me so mad to think of all the smart people lying and trying to make this work.”
A former White House official called for people in the Biden Administration to be fired after the president blew the election for the Democratic Party.However, they said it won’t happen because Biden rarely lets people go.
The Axios report blamed Biden for the “really disappointing debate performance,” saying that he was the one who proposed the debate in the first place.
The president “At times doesn’t realize how old he can come across — wanted to face-off against Trump,” the report noted.
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After Biden’s debate performance, the reality of the president being replaced in the race is now a reality.
The feeling was that there was just one person who could end Biden’s campaign — Joe Biden. But even if he decided to do so — and there’s no sign of that — the process to pick a replacement would be messy and divisive. The alternative also is terrifying for many Democrats. For more than 90 minutes, they watched former President Trump deflect and dissemble — and suggest that if he wins in November, he’d prosecute Biden.Via Axios.
On the contrary, cabinet members stood by Biden’s side after defending his mental and physical fitness last week.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said “yes” when asked if he still rejects concerns regarding whether Biden is “slipping.”
“The president always draws on our prior conversations and past events in analyzing the issues and reaching his conclusion,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson also said the 25th Amendment “should not” be invoked to try and force Biden out of office.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also defended Biden’s concerning debate performance, claiming that Biden’s “Depth of knowledge, fluency with policy and politics and ability to cut to the chase and argue his case are exceptional. He’s invariably one step ahead of us.”
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In addition, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Fox News Digital that “Both in Washington and in meetings with world leaders around the globe — including during strenuous negotiations with [Chinese] President Xi — I’ve always seen President Biden to be extremely well-informed, in command of the facts, and very effective in advancing American interests.”
A CNN poll found that the majority of voters believe Trump outperformed Biden, 67 to 33 percent. Most respondents said they have little to no confidence in Biden’s ability to serve another four years in office.
Before the debate, 55 percent of respondents showed confidence in Biden, while 45 percent said Trump would win the night.