By Eduard Ribas i Admetlla |
Atlanta (USA) (EFE).- “Will they replace Joe Biden?” was the big question that invaded the atmosphere after a black night for the president of the United States in Atlanta, where he clearly lost the first presidential debate against his rival, former Republican president Donald Trump.
All eyes were on the vigor of Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in history, and the worst omens came true.
Despite having locked himself up for almost a week with his team to prepare for a historic day, he appeared with a hoarse voice, slow, tired and with difficulty finishing some sentences.
Trump counterattacks Biden
Trump, just three years younger, repeated many of the lies that characterize him and avoided answering the moderators’ most uncomfortable questions, but he seemed more restrained than expected and much more energetic than his rival.
In a damning final shot of the debate, First Lady Jill Biden was shown helping her husband, who was having great difficulty getting down the stairs to the stage and saying goodbye to the moderators.
Panic had gripped Biden’s campaign in the middle of the debate and his team was quick to justify that the president had suffered from the flu during the week, but the damage had already been done.
Republicans, exultant
The Republicans did not take long to make firewood from the fallen tree and several Trump allies quickly came out to claim victory in the ‘spin room’, a press room installed in a stadium next to the CNN studios where the face-to-face was broadcast.
“This man cannot continue as president of the United States, I am very worried about this country. I don’t think he can continue even for the six months he has left in office,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, who faced Trump in the Republican primaries and is now one of his biggest acolytes.
Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Scott paced the floor repeating that it was a landslide victory for Trump, who both hope to be his vice president for a second term.
Matt Gaetz, a congressman from the most radical wing of the Republicans, was quick to express to the press what many were thinking. He said that within a few days an internal battle will begin within the Democratic Party to replace the president.
Biden team tries to stem rumors of a replacement
The proof of the disbelief within the Democratic ranks is that it took several minutes for Biden’s allies to appear together before the press in the ‘spin room’, where they tried to convey an optimistic message that contrasted with their long faces.
Among them were Senator Raphael Warnock and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, but all eyes were on California Governor Gavin Newsom, one of the most prominent faces of the Democratic Party.
The press asked him several times if he is ready to replace Biden but he flatly denied that he was going to take the step: “He has my support. We are with him,” he said seriously.
The official Democratic campaign statement said the president presented “a positive and winning vision for the future of the United States” in the face of a Trump who wants to destroy democracy and the right to abortion.
This debate, unusually early given that the campaigns have not yet formally started, was especially decisive given that it came at a time when both candidates were tied in the polls and knew that any mistake could tip the balance.
According to an initial CNN poll published after the meeting, Trump was the clear winner for 67% of those surveyed.
The truth is that the Democratic Party still has to hold its national convention next August in Chicago to formally name its nominee. Technically there would be time for a replacement, but it would be something never before seen.
