The buck stops with Biden
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: President Joe Biden’s debate performance on Thursday night was very bad, especially the first 30 minutes (otherwise known as the part more people likely watched).
He failed to make the case on key issues like abortion rights and the economy. His voice was inaudible at moments (and, yes, he did have a cold); he meandered through lists of numbers, correcting himself at times and then losing his train of thought. And he failed for the most part to push back on Donald Trump’s increasingly lie-filled and incoherent ramblings.
There is precedent for a sitting president bombing their first debate. Just ask anyone who worked on the George W. Bush re-election campaign in 2004, or the Barack Obama re-election campaign in 2012 (I did). Those debates were much closer to the election and both incumbents went on to hold on to the presidency.
There is precedent for a sitting president bombing their first debate. Just ask anyone who worked on the George W. Bush re-election campaign in 2004.
But the Biden team is dealing with a far more challenging reaction than either of those campaigns did, tied to the question of whether he is physically up to a second term.
It is also important to remember that we don’t yet know how the American public will digest the debate. Early focus group interviews (from NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz and the Biden campaign) are not disastrous for Team Biden. The campaign has also raised a significant amount of money since the debate. And the Joe Biden who showed up at a rally in North Carolina on Friday felt much more vigorous and coherent.
But there is no question the next few weeks are going to be rocky for the Biden campaign. There will be ongoing discussions about the possibility of an open convention, and about replacing Biden on the ticket. While that may sound like a good idea on editorial pages, it would be quite challenging to pull off. The public has already chosen Biden, and a brokered convention means party delegates — and not the public — pick the nominee (from a large field of ambitious and talented people) in what would also be a messy and divisive process. This is not a “West Wing” episode.
The next few weeks are critical. The campaign needs to mobilize its surrogates, in particular the vice president and the group of promising Democratic governors like Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Wes Moore, J.B. Pritzker and others. It needs to keep raising money and highlighting that continued support.
And if Chris Christie is waiting in the wings to announce his endorsement, by all means they should roll out something big to change the subject.
But more than anything, the buck stops with the president. As Biden himself said on Friday, he is older, he is slower and he is not as strong of a debater. But he is still a deeply empathetic leader who has spent his adult life fighting for the little guy. And he has a hell of a record to prove it. Trump is still a man convicted of 34 felony counts who believes that women shouldn’t make choices about their own bodies and insurrectionists should be free. So Biden should watch the debate, rip up the notecards with numbers and data, speak from his heart and use this lousy performance as his motivation to once again prove people wrong. It’s far from over. Scranton Joe is far more appealing than creepy convict Don. But after Thursday, at least among the chattering class, Biden is the underdog.
A story you should be following: Rep. Matt Rosendale’s push to defund IVF
One of the most glaring issues in this election is the Republican Party’s ongoing assault on reproductive rights. This week, Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., proposed an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act that would defund IVF treatments, referring to the practice as “morally wrong.”
The posters he decided to hang up outside his House office door add enraging insult to injury. In a statement, Rosendale called on lawmakers to condemn IVF, which he said “destroys twice as much life as Planned Parenthood yearly.”
🚨The facts are clear: Innocent lives are on the line.
— Matt Rosendale (@FmrRepRosendale) June 27, 2024
Taxpayer dollars should not go towards funding IVF.https://t.co/SpVLtbPAnK
The one silver lining here is that Rosendale’s statement is incredibly out of touch with American voters, who mostly support IVF therapies. But that won’t stop Rosendale and Republicans like him from pushing to enact their Project 2025-inspired reproductive policies.
Someone you should know: Angela Alsobrooks
If elected, Angela Alsobrooks would be only the fourth African American woman to serve in the Senate, a historic milestone.
Alsobrooks is running against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has attempted to distance himself from Trump and the MAGA movement. (Though Hogan appears poised to caucus with Republicans all the same.)
A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed Alsobrooks leading Hogan by 11 points. Despite Hogan’s campaign dismissing the poll as partisan, the numbers align with previous findings from Emerson College, which also suggest Alsobrooks has built a lead.
Ramin Setoodeh’s weekend routine
Author Ramin Setoodeh appeared recently on the show to discuss his new book, “Apprentice in Wonderland,” which details Trump’s ascent from reality TV to president of the United States. The book is based on six interviews Ramin had with the former president.
What show are you bingeing right now?
“Hacks” Season 3. I’m rewatching the third season, because I was lucky enough to get the screeners early — and I went through them so quickly the first time. “Hacks” is my favorite show of the year. It’s genius. Both Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder were born for these roles. It’s the “Succession” of comedies, and one of the best TV comedies of the last 20 years. It’s yet to win the Emmy for best comedy, but it’s overdue.
What’s the last book you read?
Truthfully, my own book — “Apprentice in Wonderland.” I’ve read it too many times to count it in draft and galley form, but it takes on a whole new shape when it arrives as a hardcover in the mail. It’s a real book. Before that, I read “The Work of Art” by the brilliant Adam Moss.
What time do you wake up on the weekends?
8 a.m.
How do you take your coffee?
As a cup of tea.
Jen Psaki is the host of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden.