(DCWatchdog.com) – Prompting anguish and alarm in the Democratic Party less than four months before the general election, Joe Biden repeatedly froze and misspoke during his first—and possibly only—debate against former President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Watch the video further down this post.
In what will be the most replayed political moment of the night, the week, the month and maybe the year, the 81-year-old incumbent lost his train of thought for about nine seconds, looking down at his lectern before popping up again to say that he “finally beat Medicare.”
Biden, who would be 86 if he finishes a second term in January 2029, did not help his cause by speaking in a soft, scratchy voice that anonymous aides attributed to a cold he apparently picked up during his seven days out of the public eye prepping for the Atlanta forum.
The senile Democrat began to lose his grip as he said he was committed to “making sure we make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with, umm dealing with everything we had to do with” — before sputtering to a halt.
Not for the last time, the 78-year-old GOP current nominee seized upon the gaffe immediately, saying of his rival: “Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death and he’s destroying Medicare because all of these people who are coming in, they’re putting them on Medicare.”
The debate was widely seen as a make-or-break moment for Biden amid voter concern about his mental fitness—concerns that grew more acute Thursday night.
“Abysmal,” one Democratic source said. “If I knew nothing about Donald Trump before that debate and judged him solely on that performance, I’d vote for him.”
In another instance of Biden seeming to lose himself, he appeared to suggest he would impose a “total ban” on illegal immigration along the US-Mexico border, despite three years of record annual unlawful crossings since he terminated Trump’s hardline policies.
“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Trump responded, “and I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”
Moreover, Biden compounded his unsteady performance by making an apparent sexual joke to a post-debate gathering of supporters. “Thank you, thank you, thank you—I want to go home with you,” he said.
Furthermore, Representative Jen Kiggans (R-VA) tweeted, “As a geriatric nurse practitioner who cared for so many older adults with cognitive impairment, this is heartbreaking to watch.”
JUST IN: Trump seizes the moment after Biden completely froze on stage.
Biden: "What I've been able to do with the, with, with, with the covid, excuse me. With dealing with everything we have to do with, look, if we finally beat Medicare."
Trump: "You beat Medicare to de*th."… pic.twitter.com/Ks8LWw3LJq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 28, 2024
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