Delaware Valley Journal readers reacted to Thursday night’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump by responding to a short survey and offering their thoughts on the event.
Most said Biden was too old to be president.
“The Democratic Party should be condemned for lying about Biden’s mental health and putting our country at risk by having Biden as president,” wrote one respondent.
Another said, “Democrats knew this would be bad. And it was far worse than they even imagined. Poor strategy on their part.”
It’s not just DVJournal readers. Elected officials are also speaking out about Biden’s unsteady performance. Most are raising questions about this ability to continue as the party’s nominee, but some — like U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) are rallying around the incumbent.
“I refuse to join the Democratic vultures on Biden’s shoulder after the debate,” he posted on social media. “No one knows more than me that a rough debate is not the sum total of the person and their record.”
Fetterman gave halting, rambling answers during his lone debate with Republican candidate and TV personality, Dr. Mehmet Oz, in 2022.
“Morning-after thermonuclear beat downs from my race from the debate and polling geniuses like 538 predicted [I]’d lose by 2,” he said. “And what happened? The only seat to flip…Chill the f**k out.”
Of course, everyone knew that Fetterman was recovering from a stroke at the time.
Biden turns 82 in November. Democrats and their media allies have brushed off concerns about Biden’s age since he entered the 2020 presidential race. Democrat Coalition Executive Director Scott Dworkin wrote Biden “won the first debate by a landslide.”
Pundits didn’t agree.
“Biden looks like the caricature that conservative media has been painting,” said NBC News’s Chuck Todd. “You saw it before your eyes!”
And CNN’s Chris Wallace added, “This has been, quite frankly, a car accident in slow motion.”
DVJournal readers were also unimpressed by Biden’s performance.
“[He looked] old and feeble,” wrote one reader. “[H]e stumbled and froze when trying to answer a question very early in the debate.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is rumored to be a presidential candidate in the near future, took a more middle of the road view of the debate. He readily admitted to MSNBC that Biden “had a bad debate night” but called Trump a “bad president who ripped away our freedoms.”
Pennsylvania GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick wondered if Biden should be removed from office right now.
While speaking on KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh, McCormick suggested that the cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment. “If the people around the president think he is not capable of fulfilling his responsibilities in a time of war…then they have a responsibility to acknowledge that and possibly replace the president.”
He also criticized incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), his opponent in November, for consistently defending Biden. “What we all saw last night proves Casey is lying.”
DVJournal readers believe Thursday’s performance could doom Biden in November. A large majority said Trump would win Pennsylvania due to the debate. Others thought it was too close to call, despite Biden’s rambling debate performance.
“Still a lot can happen before the election,” wrote one reader.
