Joe Biden’s aides had hoped that the debate would help steady their campaign. But it may have undermined it completely

“One major advantage is that the debate happened in June, when four more months are left for the elections. In terms of the US presidential election cycle, it is early, and it offers an opportunity for Biden to turn things around. Other events can and will take place in the US and around the world until November, dulling the impact of Biden’s debate performance last week. Large numbers of Americans simply do not focus on elections until a week or two before polling. You can be sure, though, that Republicans will use videos of Biden’s performance to keep memories of the debate alive through attack ads.”

Biden versus Trump is all about the election. And despite poor polling numbers, Biden still has a fighting chance to beat Trump. But the debate performance has thrown a bright light on the issue of Biden’s age and raised doubts about whether he is capable of managing the presidency till 2029, when he will be 86.

There are wars raging in Gaza and Ukraine, and tensions are running high around Taiwan and the Philippines. You may not believe it, but perhaps the gravest crisis that the world may face could be in the US, which is looking like it could elect a narcissist, liar and convicted felon as its President this November.

Millions of Americans saw President Joe Biden on debate night on Thursday, delivering his answers in a hoarse, faltering voice, slack-jawed and struggling to string his thoughts together. The performance has set off alarm bells ringing across the world. Instead of focusing on his substantial achievements as the President, we have been forced to look at the issue of his age.

Biden’s aides had hoped that the debate would help steady their somewhat slow-moving campaign. Instead, it may have undermined it completely. Since then, there have been calls by prominent voices for Biden to step aside to enable a younger candidate to take his place.

Debate disasters are not new. But what makes this a first-class crisis is the fact that it could propel Donald Trump back into the White House. Almost all the commentary noted that Trump’s attacks on Biden were often false and mostly misleading. But all he had to do was be Donald Trump. The damage was done to Biden by himself.

Given his felony convictions, other looming cases and his history, Trump is unfit to be the President of the US. But he is what we will get, given the current circumstances. Biden supporters believe that the President has the opportunity to make up for the fiasco by improving his performance in the next debate in September. But given that things are going his way, why would Trump want any further debates?

Just 14 hours after the debate, Biden addressed a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was forceful, confident and landing hard political punches on Trump and the Republicans. Unlike in the debate, he gave categorical and clear outlines of his positions on abortion, immigration, taxes and race. But does this suggest that Biden could still turn things around? It’s too early to say.

Over the years, the Biden team has carefully managed his sleeping hours, his walk to the Marine One helicopter and his climb aboard aircraft to mute concerns over his age. But the debate performance last week has shattered the efforts to show Biden at his best. Insiders say that Biden performs best between 10 am and 4 pm. But the debate began at 9 pm and went on till 10.30 pm.

Biden accepted at the Raleigh rally that his debate performance was poor. “I know I am not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to,” he told the crowd. But that is precisely the point: age is a factor.

As of now, his allies are publicly supporting him. This includes his former boss, ex-President Barack Obama, and a clutch of potential candidates who could replace Biden were he to step aside —Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Governors JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gavin Newsom of California, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.

One major advantage is that the debate happened in June, when four more months are left for the elections. In terms of the US presidential election cycle, it is early, and it offers an opportunity for Biden to turn things around. Other events can and will take place in the US and around the world until November, dulling the impact of Biden’s debate performance last week. Large numbers of Americans simply do not focus on elections until a week or two before polling. You can be sure, though, that Republicans will use videos of Biden’s performance to keep memories of the debate alive through attack ads.

Biden versus Trump is all about the election. And despite poor polling numbers, Biden still has a fighting chance to beat Trump. But the debate performance has thrown a bright light on the issue of Biden’s age and raised doubts about whether he is capable of managing the presidency till 2029, when he will be 86.

This central question, which is linked to the important decision on whether he should step aside for another candidate, demands answers, and soon. The Democratic National Convention will be held in August, and Biden could well show the electorate in the coming month that he is indeed fit to continue. But if he is unable to do so, the delay would make it difficult for the party to find another candidate to take over the campaign and win.

The Democratic Party rules make it almost impossible to replace Biden at the top of the ticket unless he voluntarily steps aside since most of the 4,000 estimated delegates are pledged to him already.

Biden could step aside, even while endorsing an alternative. But the issue would inevitably divide the Democrats at a crucial time when they need to be united not just for the presidential campaign but for the elections to the entire House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, several governorships and state legislatures.

The Democrats are hoping they can retain their Senate majority and win the House of Representatives as well. Both Houses have slim majorities, and the races there are almost as important as winning the presidential poll. The problem they now face is that the presidential worries could also adversely affect these other important elections.

(The author is a Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi)