Debate highlights: Dems in full panic mode after Biden’s stumbling performance

President Biden brushed off concerns about his debate performance against former President Trump on Thursday despite widespread panic among Democrats about how the night played out.

The president and first lady Jill Biden stopped at a Waffle House in Atlanta following the debate, and he took a few questions from reporters after placing their order.

“I think we did well,” Biden said.

Read more about comments at Waffle House here.

— Brett Samuels

A CNN poll of those who watched the debate found 67 percent said Trump won the debate, compared to 33 percent who said Biden won.

The poll contained more bad news for Biden: It found 57 percent of debate watchers said they do not have confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country, while 44 percent said they had no confidence in Trump’s ability to lead the country.

The poll had a margin of error of 5.5 percentage points. CNN’s political director David Chalian noted the poll may not be representative of the electorate of registered voters, but has a similar partisan composition.

— Brett Samuels

The Biden campaign set a daily fundraising record on the day of the debate, a source familiar with the campaign told The Hill.

The campaign said earlier on Thursday that it had its best grassroots fundraising hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then that record was surpassed in the 6 p.m.-7 p.m. hour.

The campaign did not provide a dollar amount for full day but the daily haul would have surpassed other major fundraising moments, including the hours after Biden’s State of the Union address and after Trump’s conviction in New York.

— Alex Gangitano

Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged on MSNBC that there is “chatter” among Democratic lawmakers about whether the president should be replaced atop the ticket.

“The chatter is very distracting and it’s going to be very consuming for the campaign,” Psaki said. “Should he be replaced? They’re going to be answering that question instead of breaking through on attacking Trump.”

Psaki said she hadn’t heard such talk from campaign operatives, but had heard it from members of Congress and people working for Democratic interest groups.

“Is that chatter the same chatter… in two weeks when Trump is sentenced and JB goes out and has a strong couple of weeks? It may not be,” she said. “But it is incumbent upon the campaign to now dig out of this hole.”

— Brett Samuels

Vice President Harris defended President Biden’s debate performance during an occasionally tense CNN interview, where even Biden’s running mate had to concede he had a “slow start” during his showdown with former President Trump.

“What we saw tonight is the president making a very clear contrast with Donald Trump on all the issues that matter to the American people,” Harris said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “Yes, there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish. And what became very clear through the course of the night is that Joe Biden is fighting on behalf of the American people. On substance on policy on performance, Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong.”

Read more on the interview here.

— Brett Samuels

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said he is “not concerned” about who former President Trump chooses as his running mate. 

Speaking to NBC after Wednesday’s debate between Trump and President Biden, Scott said, “I’m not concerned about who he chooses, but what we do as a party and as a nation to come together for United America.”

Trump has indicated he is considering Scott, along with Republican Sens. JD Vance, Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, as his vice president.

If Scott were chosen, it would be the first time a Black candidate was on the GOP ticket. 

“Anybody that would be honored to be the vice president of the United States of America, the greatest country on the planet, the only country where my story is even possible,” said Scott, the descendant of enslaved Africans.  

“But more important, it’s not about me. It’s about the president of the United States and what that person wants to accomplish for everyday Americans working paycheck to paycheck.

— Cheyanne M. Daniels

If there was one thing Democrats wanted to see on display from President Biden at Thursday night’s debate, it was strength.

They did not get it from Biden.

“This is an honest to God nightmare,” said one Biden ally. “I can’t believe what I’m watching. I am watching us lose this election in slow motion.”

Read more on Democrats’ panic here.

— Amie Parnes

Amid a wave of criticism for a lack of fact checks moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash offered during the debate, CNN defended its two leading anchors.

“We are very proud of Jake and Dana,” the network said. “Our job was to make sure candidates were heard so voters can make informed decisions and we are pleased we were able to do that.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a top surrogate for the Biden campaign, called hand-wringing among Democrats over the debate “unhelpful” and “unnecessary.”

“I think it’s unhelpful, and I think it’s unnecessary,” Newsom said on MSNBC. “We’ve got to go in, we’ve got to keep our head high, and as I say, we’ve got to have the back of this president. You don’t turn your back because of one performance.”

— Brett Samuels

President Biden attended a campaign watch party after the debate concluded, where he chastised former President Trump for his falsehoods during the debate and maintained optimism about winning in November.

“What’s going to happen over the next couple of days is they’re going to be out there fact checking all the things he said. I can’t think of one thing that he said was true,” Biden told supporters at an Atlanta hotel.

“But look, we’re going to beat this guy, and I need you in order to beat him,” he added. “You’re the people I’m running for… You are the reason why America is as good as we are.”

— Brett Samuels

Political pundits sounded the alarm after the debate about the dire state of Biden’s performance.

CNN’s John King said Democrats he’s heard from are in a “very aggressive panic,” some talking about concerns down ballot and even going to the White House to ask Biden to step aside.

Abby Phillip said “the panic” she’s hearing is “nothing like” she’s heard so far. She and King both said Trump’s answers were far from truthful, but Biden “teed up Trump attacks.”

“There’s a real concern here that there’s been some real damage done that cannot be undone,” Phillip said.

Chris Wallace said Biden “sunk his campaign tonight.”

The debate between Biden and Trump ended with closing remarks, followed by several seconds of silence with the two men standing at their positions.

They didn’t shake hands and Trump eventually walked off the stage. They didn’t shake hands at the start of the debate either.

As Trump walked off, first lady Jill Biden went on stage and approached Biden. They then walked over to the CNN moderates, Tapper and Bash, together.

There has been no signs of former first lady Melania Trump at the debate.

— Alex Gangitano

Trump had to be asked three times if he would accept the results of the election, prompting President Biden to cast his doubts and call Trump a “whiner.”

Trump’s answer to the question wandered off to other topics until moderator Dana Bash asked him for a third time if he would accept the election results.

“If it’s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely,” Trump said, again repeating to commit to accepting the results by questioning the integrity of U.S. elections.

Trump went on to boast about his polling figures.

“We’ll see what your numbers are when this election is over,” Biden retorted.

“You’re a whiner,” he added, noting Trump’s consistent losses in court.

“Not one single court in America said any of your claims had any merit,” he said, noting Trump’s repeated false claims about the election being stolen.

“There’s no evidence of that at all. And I tell you what, I doubt you’re going to accept [the results] because you’re such a whiner.”

Biden closed by saying “something snapped” in Trump after losing the 2020 election.

— Rebecca Beitsch

Biden in his closing statement highlighted various accomplishments from his first term in office, including how he reduced the federal deficit, lowered the cost of prescription drugs and replaced lead pipes in at-risk communities.

“We’re going to continue to fight to bring down inflation and give people a break,” Biden said.

— Brett Samuels

Biden said that his golf handicap was down to a 6 when he was vice president.

Trump, also a golfer, responded, “That’s the biggest lie that has a 6 handicap.”

The president, before mentioning his handicap, said he’d “be happy to have a driving contest” with Trump. He previously has said that he would play golf with Trump if he carried his own bag.

Biden’s campaign also trolled Trump in April for going golfing during his day off from his hush money trial in New York.

— Alex Gangitano

Trump called his highly anticipated debate with Biden a “waste” of time as the two sparred on the CNN stage.

“Joe, our country is being destroyed as you and I sit up here and waste a lot of time on this debate. This shouldn’t be a debate,” Trump said as he skirted around answering a question about childcare affordability.

Trump put heavy pressure on Biden earlier this year to agree to a debate as the pair head toward their November rematch, saying he would meet “any time, any place.” He skipped all the Republican primary debates this cycle, but has said he and Biden had an “obligation” to debate.

— Julia Mueller

Former President Trump claimed he had “the biggest heart on the stage” during a conservation on immigration and health care.

“Everything that he said just now, I’ll give you an example: I heard him say before insulin — I’m the one that got the insulin down for the seniors — I took care of the seniors,” Trump claimed.

“And look, I have the — I have the biggest heart on the stage again,” Trump added later.

“I want to take care of people. But we’re destroying our country. They’re taking over our schools, our hospitals, and they’re going to be taking over Social Security,” he said, in reference to immigrants.

— Caroline Vakil

Trump twice refused to answer a question about how he plans to improve child care access, instead using his time to call Biden “the worst president event.”

“If he wins this election, our country doesn’t have a chance to get out of this rut,” Trump said. “We probably won’t have a country left anymore, that’s how bad it is.”

Biden responded to the question, committing to fund and extend the child care tax credit.

After being asked a second time to address child care by moderator Jack Tapper, Trump again did not bring up the issue. The former president has chosen not to answer moderator’s questions multiple times during the debate.

— Nick Robertson

President Biden sharply criticized former President’s Trump’s record on the deficit, arguing that the blanket extension of the Trump tax cuts would would add around $5 trillion to the $34 trillion U.S. debt stock.

“You want a new tax cut of $5 trillion over the next 10 years, which is going to fundamentally bankrupt the country,” Biden said.

On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund said that while the U.S. deficit needs to be reduced, it is not an urgent matter and should be reduced over the course of the next decade. The risk of a rollover on U.S. debt is minimal, an IMF official said.

Trump praised Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Thursday’s debate stage.

Scott appears to be on Trump’s list for a running mate as the former president looks to make inroads with Black voters. 

“When they see what I did for criminal justice reform, and for the historically Black colleges and universities where I funded them and got them all funded and the Opportunity Zones with Tim as you know. Tim Scott was incredible, did a great job. Great senator from South Carolina. He came to me with the idea, it was a great idea. It’s one of the most successful economic development acts ever in the country, Opportunity Zones,” Trump said. 

Trump added that “the biggest beneficiary are Blacks,” and that Biden has “done a horrible job for Black people.”

“What he has done to the Black population is horrible, including the fact that for 10 years he called them super predators,” said Trump. “We can’t forget that.”

Both Biden and Trump are hoping to win Black voter support in November. Trump appears to be polling better among Black men in particular than recent Republican candidates, but most Black Americans continue to support Biden.

— Cheyanne M. Daniels

Trump and Biden during the contentious debate accused each other of destroying Social Security.

“But the biggest thing I’ll do, if we defeat this man, because he wants to get rid of Social Security. He thinks there’s plenty to cut in Social Security,” Biden said. He said his plan to tackled the issue is to raise taxes on the very wealthy.

But Trump argued Biden is the one “destroying” the entitlement program, “because millions of people are going into our country and they’re putting them onto Social Security.”

The program provides financial benefits to retired and disabled Americans.

— Julia Mueller

Several people attempting to stream the debate on MAX, the streaming service of CNN’s parent company WarnerBros. Discovery reported outages.

The debate was broadcast on cable on CNN, CNN’s YouTube Page and MAX and was expected to net and audience of tens of millions.

President Biden jabbed at former President Trump, saying that Trump hasn’t done a “damn thing” for the environment or climate change.

Trump, meanwhile, largely dodged a question about whether he’d do anything to address the climate crisis, instead speaking about the police.

Pressed by moderator Dana Bash, Trump eventually said that under his presidency, they used “all forms” of energy, and expressed support for “absolutely immaculate clean water, and I want absolutely clean air.”

During his presidency, Trump rolled back a number of climate, air and water regulations.

Biden on Thursday night said his administration has worked to provide opportunities for Black Americans but there is more to be done. 

Biden highlighted that Black unemployment has reached historically low levels under his administration and that he has helped reduce childcare costs for Black families. 

“There’s more to be done – considerably more to be done,” said Biden. 

But moderator Dana Bash pressed Biden on rising disappointment among Black voters. 

“What do you say to black voters who are disappointed with the progress so far,” Bash asked. 

“I don’t blame them for being disappointed,” Biden said. “Inflation is still hurting the pathway.”

He added: “I made sure that we’re in a situation where all those Black families and Black individuals are provided to actually take out student loans and we’re promoting that if they pay their bills for 10 years on their student payments, all the rest is forgiven after 10 years. Millions have benefitted from that, and we’re gonna do a whole lot more black families.”

— Cheyanne M. Daniels

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) weighed-in on the debate just after the one-hour mark, arguing that former President Trump is the sole candidate “qualified and capable” of being president.

“An objective truth that cannot be denied: Only one of the men on the stage tonight is qualified and capable of being elected President in 2024. This is the biggest mismatch in the history of presidential debates,” Johnson wrote on X.

– Mychael Schnell

The White House press pool was not allowed in the debate while Biden and Trump are debating. But during the commercial break, the pooler entered the studio. Here’s his report:

“POTUS and former President Donald Trump were both standing at their lecterns, staring straight ahead as photographers snapped photos. 

“Neither of them said anything or made eye contact with one another. POTUS cracked a smile at the photogs, and as the pool was being ushered out, Trump took a sip of water from a plastic bottle. 

“Your pooler was ushered out at 9:54 p.m. after about 45 seconds and is back in the hold room.” 

Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump, confirmed to NBC News during an interview the former president has started telling people about his pick for vice president.

“He’s told some people, yeah,” Lara Trump said when NBC News’ Tom Llamas asked her if Donald Trump had started telling people about his pick for running mate.

— Caroline Vakil

The National Border Patrol Council pushed back on social media after Biden said the group “endorsed” him in a discussion about border policy.

“To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden,” the union wrote on X.

The president said the Border Patrol union “endorsed me” before quickly correcting himself to say they “endorsed my policy.”

The union did back the Senate bipartisan border deal earlier this year, which Biden pushed for, though it ultimately failed after opposition from Trump and House Republicans.

Biden accused Trump of having “the morals of an alley cat” as he took swipes at controversies and legal cases around the former president.

“How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for, for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things, of having sex with a porn star on the night — while your wife was pregnant? What are you talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said.

The incumbent also hammered some of Trump’s previous comments — including his comments about retribution in a second term.

“Could you ever think you heard any president say that ‘I’m going to seek retribution?’” Biden said. “This guy has no sense of American democracy.”

— Julia Mueller

Trump called Biden a criminal during the debate, after the president called him a “convicted felon,” referencing his conviction in a New York hush money case.

“Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done, he’s done horrible things,” Trump said. “This man is a criminal. This man, you’re lucky, you’re lucky, I did nothing wrong. We have a system that was rigged and disgusting.”

Before that, Trump took a jab at the president’s son, Hunter Biden, saying, “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon, at a very high level.”

He added that he thinks Hunter Biden will be convicted more times and should have been convicted in the past. The younger Biden was convicted on federal gun charges earlier this month.

— Alex Gangitano