The wailing and gnashing of teeth by Democrats is reaching a fever pitch less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden’s stumbling first debate performance, turning “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough And Mika Brzezinski against one another as they blustered about what the president could do to turn his fortunes around.

After a guest had finished making his point about Democrats’ growing calls to replace the president on the ticket, Brzezinski hopped in, urging her colleagues to “calm down” and avoid falling into the trap of bailing on Biden and giving former President Donald Trump a golden opportunity to pull ahead in the race.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

“Okay, hold on a second. I — I agree with everything you said, except for the last part of it. Everybody calm down, and I’ll tell you why. It’s fine to not spin what happened last night and we’re not going to,” the co-host started. Scarborough butted in to refute the charge. “By the way Mika, everybody’s calm here. You’re the only one raising your voice. Everybody is calm here.”

Continuing on, Brzezinski said the knee-jerk tendency of “let’s just pull this, let’s end this, let’s find someone else” is tantamount to admitting defeat. “That’s not what Mike said,” Scarborough interjected.

“That, uh, attitude toward this is what I am saying slow down on because, again, there’s no spinning it, but let’s be balanced. Let’s for once show some balance in a media world that is so shrill with imbalance that we’ve become inured to these two candidates,” she finished before turning to another panelist.

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“Wait, wait, I just have to stop you,” Scarborough said. “First of all, we always show balance. Second, nobody’s panicking. I said these are questions that Democrats and Joe Biden needed to ask themselves, and Mike said he missed one pitch down the middle after another, wasn’t up to it last night… so I will say it’s not panic. It’s not being panicked to understand what’s at stake and the window is closing very quickly. And if last night did not reveal that to you and other Democrats, then it needs to be revealed pretty soon.”

Weeks before the first debate, Democrats reportedly settled on a desperate last-minute strategy to replace President Biden if his first debate performance went worse than expected, which by all accounts it did. In this scenario, some of the party’s top leaders — including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as congressional leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — would need to form a unified front in proposing to Biden that he step aside for the good of defeating Trump. “It would have to be the four of them collectively,” one source told the Daily Mail.

A wall of negative media coverage overwhelmed post-debate coverage as nearly all opinion columnists at the New York Times, Washington Post, and other staples of mainstream media declared President Biden’s performance an unmitigated disaster. If he remains in the race, the 81-year-old will face off against President Trump one final time on September 10th in a debate that will be televised by ABC.

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Less than 12 hours after delivering a stilted and faltering debate performance, President Joe Biden is being defended by his campaign amid an avalanche of pleas by liberal politicians and pundits for the Democratic Party to find a new nominee.

In a statement to CNN White House correspondent Kayla Tausche, the Biden camp shrugged off accusations that the 81-year-old leader should step down ahead of the party’s national convention in August, which would provide Democrats a critical but narrow window to find an alternative. Plans haven’t changed, according to the reporter who wrote on X that a presidential advisor told her, “Not only does @POTUS not plan to drop out, Biden remains committed to a second debate in September.”

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

NEW, as just reported on @CNN: Not only does @POTUS not plan to drop out, Biden remains committed to a second debate in September, an adviser tells me

— Kayla Tausche (@kaylatausche) June 28, 2024

Thursday night’s encounter between Biden and former President Donald Trump was the first of just two debates set this year and was deliberately proposed early by the Biden team on the presumption that a shaky performance would be forgotten by Election Day. The event was notable for the number of easy layups missed by Biden as Trump offered openings on a number of vulnerable fronts, including abortion, tariffs, and his economic record. Instead, Biden delivered a meandering series of responses, often mumbled or delivered in a hoarse voice; conservatives jeered when the Democrat badly botched a response to Trump on social safety programs, claiming he “beat Medicare” after struggling for what seemed like an eternity to find right words.

The second debate will be hosted by ABC on September 10th, and similar qualifications to make the stage mean it’s unlikely that Trump and Biden will be joined by independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

By then, it would be far too late for Democrats to find an alternative to Biden, and not even the entreaties from major party leaders would be enough to dissuade him from soldiering on. The Daily Mail previously reported that Democrats have prepared a strategy to force Biden from the race if his first debate performance went as badly as it did.

If negative feedback from the debate reaches a fever pitch within their party, it would be up to some of the Democrats’ top leaders to collectively force the president out of the race. “The only people who could force him out would be Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,” one Democratic strategist told DailyMail.com. “It would have to be the four of them collectively.”

Other Democratic consultants, including Mark Penn and former Obama advisor David Axelrod, said it’s up to Biden’s team to follow through on their commitment to an early debate with a standout performance by their man. “They have deliberately thrown down the gauntlet for an early debate,” Penn said, “and I think that’s gonna be the point at which Americans judge: is he ready for another term or not.” Axelrod, who earlier this year publicly urged Biden to consider not seeking reelection for the good of the country, was sharply rebuked by the president in private.

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper pressed Vice President Harris over President Biden’s horrific debate performance on Thursday night. Cooper pointed to a report from CNN’s John King, who revealed that Democrat lawmakers and strategists are mulling whether to pressure Biden to step down, and asked the vice president if she would support such a move.

“Some within your own party are wondering if President Biden should even step aside. What do you say to that?” Cooper asked. Harris did not answer the question and instead attempted to hype up President Biden’s performance.

“Listen, first of all, what we saw tonight is the president making a very clear contrast with Donald Trump on all of the issues that matter to the American people. 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,” she said. “Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong. And that cannot be debated.”

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

A seemingly frustrated Cooper pushed back by pointing out that a number of Democrats have publicly and privately expressed concern over President Biden’s abilities after the debate. “On substance and policy and performance tonight, I mean, the president’s performance tonight clearly was disappointing for his supporters. CNN is reporting Democratic lawmakers watching the debate were worried about the president’s performance. One said it was a ‘disaster,’ another called it a ‘train wreck,’ Cooper shot back.

“Listen, people can debate on style points, but ultimately, this election and who is the President of the United States has to be about substance. And the contrast is clear,” Harris replied, again throwing cold water on the notion of President Biden stepping down. The vice president went on to once again talk up her running mate’s performance and falsely accused Trump of supporting a nationwide abortion ban,

Unsatisfied, Cooper once again reiterated that Democrats have expressed concern. The two then became embroiled in a verbal spat in which Harris continued to praise Biden’s performance while Cooper probed for answers on Biden’s ability to lead.

“This was a debate that your campaign wanted,” the CNN host said after Harris rattled off a number of what she deemed to be Biden’s accomplishments. You pushed for this debate at this moment. Obviously, I mean, you can’t honestly say, I mean, can you say that you are not concerned at all having watched the President’s performance tonight?” Cooper probed.

“It was a slow start. That’s obvious to everyone. That’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point,” Harris replied.

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Cenk Uygur, the longtime host of the far-left program “The Young Turks,” declared that President Biden was finished after a disastrous debate performance on Thursday night.

“Guys, this thing’s over. Joe Biden is a disaster. And nobody’s even listening to anything he’s saying,” Uygur began. So if you care a lot about politics, you’re trying to focus on what he’s saying as we are, obviously. And Trump keeps saying one crazy lunatic thing after another, right? But Biden has no ability to counter here.”

The progressive host went on to point to Biden’s numerous freeze-ups throughout the debate, stating that the split-screen of Biden and Trump was “killing” the president. “And the whole time the split screen is killing Biden. Because he’s got his mouth open, he looks confused, doesn’t know where he is. He’s lost his train of thought at least twice in disastrous shape. Those are going to be played a billion times in viral video after viral video. This is an epic disaster,” Uygur continued.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

“I see people online saying, ‘well, okay, that answer wasn’t so bad.’ No, it doesn’t. Any particular answer doesn’t matter at all. This thing is over. He looks like he’s barely surviving. I don’t mean the debate, I mean life,” he said.

“And so there’s no person that has a single brain cell left in their head who thinks that Joe Biden is the best candidate to take on Donald Trump. You would have to be even crazier than Donald Trump to think that. This thing is over, over. I’ll guarantee you this. I would bet any, show me a Democratic politician and I will bet them any amount of money that Joe Biden’s going to lose this election if he’s the candidate. It’s a guaranteed loss.”

The “Young Turks” host was far from the only far-left media figure to sound the alarm over Biden’s performance.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid told her fellow panelists that her phone was blowing up from Democrats expressing “panic” over the debate. “I too was on the phone throughout much of the debate with Obama world people with Democrats, with people who are political operatives, with campaign operatives, my phone really never stopped buzzing throughout. And the universal reaction was somewhere approaching panic,” she said.

“The people who were texting with me were very concerned about President Biden seeming extremely feeble, seeming extremely weak.”

Reid stressed that the panic was not coming from everyday Democrat voters, but from veteran campaign strategists and “Obama world” White House officials.

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A shocking video of the aftermath of Thursday night’s presidential debate shows First Lady Jill Biden assisting her husband off the stage after a historically poor performance.

After both Trump and Biden had delivered their closing statements, the broadcast devolved into an awkward 10-20 seconds where the two candidates could be seen standing at their respective podiums without direction. The feed then cut away without showing either man exit the stage.

Moments later, video emerged of First Lady Biden physically guiding the president off his podium. Trump walked off the stage without issue, but the commander-in-chief appeared to be struggling to move as his wife attempted to direct him.

(VOTE NOW: Did TRUMP or BIDEN Win The First Debate?)

The most high-profile stage mishap of President Biden’s tenure comes just under two weeks after former President Barack Obama was forced to lead him off stage at an LA fundraiser. Biden appeared lost as he stared into and waved at members of the crowd before his former boss could be seen placing his hand on the president’s shoulder and escorting him towards the exit.

Just days before, Biden once again wandered off stared into space following a parachuting exhibit at the G7 summit in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Meloni was forced — like Dr. Jill and President Obama — to grab the president’s hand and escort him back to the group of assembled world leaders.

The brutal exit capped off a disastrous night for Democrats that has sent the party into a full-blown panic. Former White House advisor Van Jones stated that Biden’s performance was “terrible” and called on the president to step aside.

Jones’ co-panelist, Peter King, reported that a number of high-profile Democrat strategists, political officeholders and fundraisers are seriously considering the possibility of replacing Biden ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this August.

It remains unclear how such an action would proceed, as leading candidates for such a maneuver such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris have thrown cold water on the idea.

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President Biden’s incoherency and fatigue at last night’s CNN Presidential Debate has left Democratic insiders questioning whether President Biden should seek a second term in office. But a more urgent issue is the president’s ability to continue his first term in office. This guide explains the constitutional mechanism for Biden to be replaced as the sitting president.

What does the Constitution say about presidential succession?

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution spells out the presidential order of succession.

The first three scenarios deal with the possibility of death, resignation, or illness. It is through these sections that Vice Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford each became President of the United States. The fourth and most talked about section in the 25th Amendment provides a mechanism to remove a president without their consent. 

It last became part of the national conversation in the aftermath of the January 6 riots, when some cabinet members reportedly discussed removing former President Trump from office.

TRUMP SAYS ‘BIGGEST PROBLEM’ NOT BIDEN’S AGE, ‘DECLINE,’ BUT HIS POLICIES IN FIRST APPEARANCE SINCE DEBATE

How would replacing the president work?

According to the relevant section, these steps would take place: 

TRUMP SAYS ‘BIGGEST PROBLEM’ NOT BIDEN’S AGE, ‘DECLINE,’ BUT HIS POLICIES IN FIRST APPEARANCE SINCE DEBATE

Are there any signs that it will be invoked?

No. There is no reporting that anyone in Biden’s inner circle or the White House is considering such a move. 

Elsewhere, voices across the political spectrum have raised the possibility that Biden is not capable of remaining in office.

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That includes figures ranging from Johnson to comedian Jon Stewart.

What if President Biden dies or resigns?

As above, the 25th amendment also deals with succession in the event of death or resignation. In both cases, Vice President Harris would become President of the United States.

Presidential debates changed television.

“You want to put a lot of new Supreme Court justices – radical left!” hollered former President Trump at President Biden during the 2020 debate.

“Will you shut up man?” implored Mr. Biden.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: WHO NEEDS WHO?

And television changed politics.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, you’ve got to look good on television. Therefore, if you don’t, you’re doomed.’ It’s not quite that easy,” said Walter Podrazik, television curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. “You have to learn how to speak directly through the medium that most people understand. They know television as well as any politician does because they watch it all the time.”

That was the problem facing President Biden in Thursday night’s debate with former President Trump.

Mr. Trump fared better because he appeared engaged. Vigorous. President Biden looked pasty and out of it.

It doesn’t matter what Mr. Biden represents or what his policies are.

When it comes to the debate, you must excel at television.

Debates imprinted the importance of live performance onto the debate genre.

That mixed reality TV with politics – long before reality TV was a thing.

“I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” quipped a 73-year-old President Ronald Reagan during a 1984 debate with former Vice President Walter Mondale, then a youthful 56.

“They brought us whole binders full of women,” said 2012 Republican nominee and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) at one of that year’s debates with former President Obama.

2016 Democratic nominee and former Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was in the middle of saying something about the Social Security Trust Fund in a debate with Mr. Trump when he fired off this volley.

“Such a nasty woman,” sneered the former President.

Debates also amplify on-screen gaffes.

“There is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe,” said President Gerald Ford in a debate with future President Jimmy Carter in 1976.

The remark shocked the press corps.

And Cold War Eastern Europe.

However, debates sometimes deliver unexpected humor.

“I’m all ears!” bragged 1992 independent Presidential candidate Ross Perot at a debate with future President Bill Clinton and former President George H.W. Bush.

Perot drew attention to his own features – which stuck out like two taxicab doors, attached to a crew cut.

UNDER THE DOME AND ON THE DIAMOND

Sometimes what’s said isn’t even what most people remember. People easily recall the visual of former President Trump, lurking and then creeping onto the screen behind Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Sometimes viewers recall what a candidate does during the debate.

Former Vice President and 2000 Democratic Presidential nominee Al Gore is remembered for his theatrical sighs of exasperation at various orations from future President George W. Bush.

And then there was Bush 41 in 1992 with Bill Clinton and Perot. All three candidates briefly rested against stools as ABC News Anchor and debate moderator Carole Simpson addressed the audience.

The elder Bush slipped a glance at his wristwatch.

Viewers interpreted that presidential peek as a subliminal cue that Mr. Bush’s time in office was up after one term.

The debate between President Biden and former President Trump marked a sea change in the way American voters experience the forum. Both campaigns worked directly with CNN to develop the debate. It’s the first major alteration to debates since 1988. The campaigns cut the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) out of the action this time.

Otherwise, each of the 33 Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates since 1988 has been under the aegis of the Commission. The CPD created the town hall format where average citizens could pose questions directly to the candidates.

That’s how Illinois power plant worker Ken Bone and his red sweater rose to prominence for a hot second after the 2016 town hall debate.

The CPD also hosted the debates at universities. Such was the case with the first debate on September 25, 1988, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., between then Vice President Bush and then Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis (D).

How they conduct the debates is almost as important as the debates themselves.

“We want free and fair debates. This commission has shown bias,” argued former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Fox Business in early 2022.

The RNC urged GOP Presidential candidates to refuse to participate in any debate not sanctioned by the GOP.

But the Biden campaign also rejected the Commission on Presidential Debates. It pushed for a June debate and another one in September. The Biden camp also demanded certain rules – including an option for moderators to mute the microphone of a candidate.

In short, both President Biden and former President Trump took their feud outside.

As in outside the Commission on Presidential debates.

Mr. Trump offered a dare to the President.

“I’m calling on crooked Joe to debate any time, any place,” said former President Trump.

President Biden called the bluff of his rival. Even chiding Mr. Trump about what day court was out of session in the defamation trial in New York.

“Make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice,” said President Biden in a message posted to X. “I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.”

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And so the gamesmanship squeezed out the Commission on Presidential Debates.

“What they wanted to do was what they thought was in the best interests of their candidate,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, who led the CPD since its inception in 1987. “You’ve got two candidates who are unique.”

Fahrenkopf is upset the debates aren’t staged at universities.

“You’ve lost that being on campus. Kids being involved. A Focus on civics,” said Fahrenkopf.

Fahrenkopf also lamented the loss of the town hall meeting.

“The most popular format,” observed Fahrenkopf. “That’s gone.”

What would Ken Bone say?

The first modern Presidential debate unfolded in 1960. The first debate between future President John F. Kennedy and future President Richard Nixon forever fused the presidency and television. It established a paradigm for American politics – and television.

“This is one of the few times in which neither party, neither candidate, controls the environment. And so, if you’re (a voter) trying to decide or if you’re looking for confirmation, then this is when you’ll see it,” said Podrazik of the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

There were no more debates until 1976. The League of Women Voters ran the debates until the Commission on Presidential Debates stepped in for the 1988 cycle.

“What politics did is provided a baseline reality that television can and could embrace,” said Podrazik.

The debate between President Biden and former President Trump was the first without a studio audience since the initial forum in 1960. It was unclear whether future President John F. Kennedy or future President Richard Nixon won that contest.

Nixon sweated. He sported a five-o-clock shadow. Nixon’s knee smarted after he banged it getting out of the limousine arriving at the debate.

Meantime, Kennedy appeared cool and confident.

It’s said that those listening to the radio believed Nixon won. But people watching TV thought Kennedy prevailed.

But that’s debate folklore – even though publishers have printed that chestnut in every American political science textbook for decades.

I challenge you to locate the study or survey which proves the alleged Nixon/Radio versus Kennedy/TV thesis.

But, that old saw goes to show the importance of grasping the complexities of television – compared to raw debate, say on the radio.

And that’s something else the merging of television and politics provides.

“It’s all in pursuit of the audience,” said Podrazik.

And that’s a universal interest between media and politicians.

A Cornell University law professor has called on President Biden’s Cabinet to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment to have him removed from office after his weak debate performance Thursday night, claiming his “cognitive decline” is a “national security threat.” 

“This debate displayed Biden’s severely declined cognitive ability for all the world to see for an hour and a half,” Professor William Jacobson wrote Friday for Legalinsurrection.com. 

“The media cannot claim the live video feed from CNN was a manipulated ‘cheap fake’ — the smear campaign used against those of us who have been pointing out the obvious for over a year, but particularly recently with Biden visibly freezing and zoning out in public appearances.”

He said while Democrats are focused on whether a “mentally diminished Biden” can beat former President Trump in the election, “no honest person who watched last night’s debate can think that Biden mentally is up to the job of being President.” 

CAN BIDEN BE REPLACED AS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE?

He called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to have Biden removed from office.

“If I’m China, I’m taking off the shelf the war plans to invade Taiwan,”Jacobson said. “If I’m Iran, I’m breaking out towards a nuclear weapon. If I’m Putin, I’m doubling down on Ukraine and possibly other former Soviet satellites. Can you imagine an emergency situation where immediate military decisions that only a president can make need to be made in seconds or minutes, and the military having to go to diminished Joe for a decision?”

He added Biden’s “cognitive decline is a national security threat of the highest order.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said something similar Friday. 

“There’s a lot of people asking about the 25th Amendment, invoking the 25th Amendment right now, because this is an alarming situation,” Johnson said. “Our adversaries see the weakness in this White House as we all do. I take no pleasure in saying that. I think this is a very dangerous situation.”

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Under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, the vice president could assume the presidency if the president is declared unfit for office by the vice president and a majority of the president’s Cabinet or Congress. 

The 25th Amendment was briefly floated near the end of Trump’s presidency following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, which Jacobson called “in bad faith.”

“Only Democrats can act, and they should before it’s too late,” he added. 

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Biden’s debate performance Thursday evening has worried Democrats, and some have even called for him to drop out of the race. 

FIRST ON FOX: Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur was captured on video Friday losing her patience with a man who asked her whether President Biden should step down following his widely panned CNN debate performance. 

“Excuse me congresswoman, should Joe Biden step down?” A man in the Detroit airport asks Kaptur in video obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The 78-year-old congresswoman ignores the question as she is going up the escalator through the airport, which prompts the man to repeat the question.

After Kaptur doesn’t respond for a second time, she is asked, “Why has the White House been lying about Joe Bidens’ cognitive abilities?”

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Kaptur, who appears to be adjusting her luggage, then stares into the camera before grabbing the phone in the man’s hands as the video cuts out.

“Congresswoman why did you take my phone like that?” Kaptur is asked in a follow-up video as she walks through the airport.

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“What is your name? Kaptur responds looking directly into the camera. “Where do you live?”

“Why are you asking me all these personal questions, congresswoman?” The man responds.

“Because you’re asking me questions,” Kaptur says.

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As the two slowly spin in a circle, Kaptur asks, “Where do you live? Where do you live? What town?”

“I don’t have to tell you that information,” the man says, which causes Kaptur to say, “Then I’m not answering you.”

As Kaptur again starts walking away, the man again asks, “I just want to know, congresswoman, should Joe Biden step down?”

“No,” Kaptur responds before continuing to walk away.

The two continued to go back and forth with Kaptur asking the man why he is “reading questions off that sheet” and “who owns you?”

“Nobody owns me,” the man responds. “I’m just curious on some questions.”

“They own you,” she says as she walks out of the airport doors.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kaptur campaign spokesperson Alexandra Wilcox said, “It’s one thing to ask a question but an unknown man refusing to identify himself, forcing a camera in the Congresswoman’s personal space is another thing entirely.”

“The man has still not identified himself or the organization for which he works.”

Wilcox continued, “All these politics aside, Congresswoman Kaptur remains fully focused on delivering further transformational federal investment to Northwest Ohio.”

Democrats, particularly those in competitive elections this November, have been facing questions about Biden’s debate performance and specifically where he should step aside in the 2024 race.

Many Democrats have acknowledged that Biden did not have a good night, including former President Barack Obama who said on Friday, “bad debate nights happen.”

Kaptur, who has served in Congress for 21 terms, is facing a tough re-election race in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District that Cook Political Report ranks as a “Democrat Toss Up.”

President Biden’s inner circle is nowhere to be found following what has been described as an “embarrassing” and “disastrous” performance by the incumbent Democrat during Thursday’s presidential debate.

Biden was widely panned by media figures and politicians immediately after the debate for his “weak” sounding voice and “old” appearance, as well as for “failing” to convince Americans he has the stamina and ability to serve another four years in the White House.

Fox News Digital reached out to some of Biden’s closest confidants for their response to calls for him to be replaced as the party’s presidential candidate, but none stepped up to defend the president or offer any reaction to the debate. 

BATTLEGROUND DEMOCRATS LEAVE BIDEN HIGH AND DRY AFTER ‘DISASTROUS’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

The list of Biden’s inner circle that has so far also not made any public comment following the debate includes, former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, who led debate preparations, his successor, Jeff Zients, senior campaign advisor Anita Dunn, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Counselor to the President Steven Richetti, and a number of others.

Each were part of the group of at least 16 current and former aides assisting with Biden’s debate preparations, which took place over a period of a week at Camp David in Maryland.

Vulnerable Democrats running in tight Senate and House races across the country also stayed silent concerning the debate, and largely didn’t respond to Fox News Digital’s questions surrounding calls for Biden to step aside.

REPUBLICANS DECLARE BIDEN ‘UNFIT FOR OFFICE’ FOLLOWING ‘DISASTROUS’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE

Biden did, however, get some support from former President Obama, who still admitted he had a “bad” debate.

In a message on X, Obama conceded that his former vice president failed to deliver a strong showing for the Democratic Party and the American people.

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama wrote.

He continued to deride former President Trump and prop up Biden, writing, “Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”

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