CNN anchor and former presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace gave a dismal review of President Biden's debate performance Thursday, saying the president ”wasn’t capable of doing any better” that he did.
Wallace, speaking on CNN in a clip highlighted by Mediaite, said the president “was incapable tonight, on the biggest of stages, that he sought.”
Biden's team wanted the early debate with Trump and had pushed for the Republican to agree to it.
“And with all of that preparation, he was incapable of doing better than he was, and you can’t come back from that,” Wallace said.
Biden and those around him appeared to be aware of the high stakes of the debate with former President Trump. Biden went to Camp David for the week for strategy sessions and mock debates to get ready for the pivotal moment.
But Biden stumbled in his performance, concerning Democrats and leading to questions about whether he could be replaced on the ticket.
“I think there was a sense of shock, actually, at how he came out at the beginning of this debate. How his voice sounded. He seemed a bit disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on,” Democratic strategist David Axelrod said in the wake of the debate on CNN. “I think you’re going to hear discussions that I don’t know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
Biden had a cold during the debate, according to a White House official, and his camp defended him as questions swirled around his position at the top of the Democratic ticket.
“Of course he’s not dropping out,” Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster said in the wake of the debate.
