“Forty-eight hours to catch up on a 90-minute debate.” This is how the New York Times sums up the challenge facing Joe Biden, after a disastrous televised debate against his presidential rival, Donald Trump, which led to calls for him to give way to a stronger Democratic candidate. Refusing to accept this possibility, the American president and his entourage have increased the number of meetings and appointments with key supporters and donors in recent days.
“The 48 hours following the debate were a campaign within a campaign, aimed at saving Joe Biden’s suddenly faltering candidacy. A multi-day effort to limit damage and put pressure on anxious Democratic elected officials, activists and supporters. donors so that they support the president”, analyzes the New York daily. As if to prove that he still has all his vitality, the 81-year-old candidate and the oldest president in the history of the United States, held seven events in four different states in a few days.
Starting the day after his defeat with a rally in North Carolina, where he sought to project the image of a re-engaged candidate. “Joe Biden spoke with a stronger, steadier voice than the weak, raspy tone that had troubled even his allies during the debate,” reports Tyler Pagerpolitical journalist at Washington Post. The president also presented his mea-culpa regarding his failed performance: “I no longer walk as easily as before. I no longer speak as easily as before. I do not debate as well as before. But I know how to tell the truth. I know how to distinguish right from wrong. I know how to do this job,” he defended.
Mobilization of democratic leaders
To relay the message, several party leaders came out in defense of Joe Biden, such as former presidents Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, a highly respected figure among Democrats. “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong, and someone who lies through their teeth for their own benefit. Last night didn’t change that,” the latter said on X (formerly Twitter).
“Prominent spokespeople, including potential successors, have advocated for Joe Biden on 24-hour news. Some of the most intense advocacy has taken place behind closed doors, at private fundraisers, and in a flurry of late-night and early-morning conversations,” the report also reported. New York Times. The daily recounts, for example, how Joe Biden’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, allegedly made a series of calls to key supporters “urging them not to overreact”, the day after the duel. “The efforts deployed at all levels showed the extent of the damage caused by Joe Biden to his campaign in barely 90 minutes,” the newspaper further analyzes.
Donor meetings
Behind the scenes, another battle is being played out, this time of a financial nature. Joe Biden has been holding numerous meetings with his donors to convince them not to let up in their efforts: on Saturday, June 29, he went to the Hamptons (New York), to an event by billionaire Barry Rosenstein, with more than 200 participants, before going on to a private dinner at the home of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, where he raised $3.7 million, this time from around fifty participants, according to the New Jersey Globe.
“I understand the concern after the debate,” Joe Biden said on the occasion. “I didn’t have a good night, but I’m going to fight harder,” he assured, also stressing that, in his opinion, Donald Trump’s performance had not been convincing to voters either. “Certainly, according to hot polls, Trump had won the debate by a wide margin. But Biden’s close associates said that the conclusion of qualitative surveys on narrow groups of voters was more nuanced. Participants did indeed find Biden very bad at times, but Trump’s performance also upset viewers,” said the Washington Post.
In addition to the biggest financial backers, Biden’s advisers announced that the campaign had raised $14 million online, on the day of the debate and the morning after. It’s hard to know how these volatile financial backers will react: “In group discussions, some wealthy Democrats talked about interventions, others hoped that Biden would have an epiphany and decide to withdraw on his own, and still others strategized how to direct funds to second-tier candidates,” reveals THE New York Times.
Some have even gone so far as to wonder how they might approach Jill Biden, Joe Biden’s wife, who is known to be a highly regarded supporter and advisor to the American president. Their behavior is likely to change depending on how the campaign progresses and the positions of both camps in the polls. According to a survey published by The Economist On Sunday, June 30, Donald Trump is slightly ahead, with 45% of voting intentions, against 44% for Joe Biden.