But his raspy, soft voice, awkward movements and seeming old and lacking in energy make it hard to imagine this press conference convincing anyone that he has the drive to mount an aggressive campaign to win — or that he hasn’t taken a few steps back, and won’t take even more in the next few years.
The problem for Biden here is twofold: He wants to portray his disastrous debate performance as a temporary political setback that he can put behind him with better public performances in the future. But for anyone who has watched elderly family members decline, it can be very hard to separate that night from the intellectual and physical decline that comes with age.
Biden’s second big problem is that his campaign wanted this election to be about Donald Trump and the threat to democracy that his return to the White House poses. That’s no longer possible. The question of the president’s gerontologic fitness will get at least as much attention as the question of Trump’s personality incompetence.
That’s why, two weeks after the debate, Democrats are still in a state of polite political panic.
Biden supporters point to his extraordinary record and, following the usual electoral logic, argue that a good term should be followed by a good term. Biden skeptics make two basic counterarguments: the campaign is about the future, and the confused, fumbling, word-searching Biden we saw in the debates didn’t look like the kind of man who, even in his mid-80s, would be able to lead the country well.
Moreover, Biden’s disappointing debate performance created a sense, reinforced by the polls, that his path to victory was now steeply uphill. Even before the spat with Trump began, Biden faced a difficult Electoral College map. A path to 270 was certainly possible, but he needed a tailwind to get there. A sharp, energetic onstage performance might have done that. But the shaky presentation we saw further intensified the headwinds he faces.
As the Republican Party prepares to nominate as its presidential candidate a deeply flawed criminal who no rational, non-cult party would want to nominate as its leader, they are understandably pleased that the focus has shifted from Trump’s problems to Biden’s struggles.
The hope now among the most influential Democrats is clearly that Biden will see how the November election turns out and then decide to bow out gracefully. If he doesn’t, he runs a real risk of going from hero to pariah, remembered not as the indispensable septuagenarian who drove Trump from the White House in 2020, but as the stubborn octogenarian who didn’t have the wisdom to realize his political viability was in jeopardy and allowed his nemesis back to power in 2024.
Today I would like to hear the opinions of our readers. First, if you could speak to the President in one short sentence, what message would you give?
Naturally, I’m primarily interested in hearing from Democrats, independents, and Republicans who reject Trump and who were likely to vote for Biden before the debate, or at least open to that possibility.
I have other questions:
Did you watch the debate? If so, has your view of Biden changed? Has anything happened since then, including Thursday’s press conference, that has reassured you?
Do you think he should step down or continue running?
Do you think he still has a good chance of being re-elected?
If he is re-elected, do you think he will be able to successfully handle one of the most difficult jobs in the world for the next four years?
Even if you disagree, would you still vote for him instead of Trump? Or would you choose Trump and vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or one of the other minor candidates, or not vote at all in the presidential election?
We’ll be publishing some of the responses next week. (We’d like to know your full name, approximate age, area of ​​residence, current or former occupation, and political affiliation — but not necessarily your last name.)
Now that we’ve heard the commentators’ opinions, let’s hear yours too.
Scott Lehigh is a columnist for the Globe. Contact him at scot.lehigh@globe.com. Follow him: translation:.
