Biden campaign tells donors president can recover from subpar debate performance
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign sought to reassure his top fundraisers that his weak debate performance wouldn’t derail his candidacy and he can recover, according to a recording of a conference call made by a participant and obtained by NBC News.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign sought to reassure his top fundraisers on Monday that his weak debate performance on Thursday wouldn’t derail his candidacy and that he can recover, according to a recording of a conference call made by a participant and obtained by NBC News.
On the conference call, senior Biden campaign officials conceded that Biden blew an opportunity to improve his chances, but that voters watching the debate also came away with deep misgivings about former President Donald Trump.
“I will start with what we all know, but we are seeing it in our own polls, as well: The president had a bad performance in Thursday’s debate,” Biden pollster Molly Murphy said on the call. “He has been upfront about that, and that is coming through in our polls. We’re looking at that. We are not ignoring that and we want to understand what that means for voters.”
Joe Biden at the White House on June 18, 2024.Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images fileThe call was aimed at tamping down the anxieties that have gripped Democrats since a raspy-voiced Biden took the debate stage and repeatedly failed to complete or coherently express his thoughts.
The officials read aloud tough questions posed by the donors, who asked about the quality of Biden’s debate preparation and his capacity to serve another term.
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