Biden Refuses To Drop Out, Vows To Return For Second Debate Against Trump

President Joe Biden remains committed to a second debate with Donald Trump despite his poor performance on Thursday night.

CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche reported on Friday morning, citing an adviser, that Biden, 81, plans to participate in another debate in September.

Biden is not considering withdrawing from the presidential race, even though there are concerns within his own party.

Throughout the Thursday debate, Biden repeatedly froze and misspoke, raising doubts among viewers about his mental and physical fitness.

Biden also spoke in a low, scratchy voice, which some anonymous aides attributed to a cold.

“This was a disaster for Biden. Many Democrats are looking for a new candidate after this debate,” Doug Muzzio, a retired public affairs professor at Baruch College, told The Post.

“Biden was tentative, rambling and sometimes incoherent,” Muzzio added. “Trump, on the other hand, was clear and relatively coherent. He looked like he knew what he was talking about. Even though he repeatedly lied, he lies in an articulate way.”

At one point early in the debate, Biden seemed to lose his train of thought for an extended nine seconds before finally looking up and stating, “I finally beat Medicare.”

This apparent gaffe provided Trump, 78, with the perfect opportunity to respond.

“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,” Trump retorted.

“If I knew nothing about Donald Trump before that debate and judged him solely on that performance, I’d vote for him,” one Democratic source told The Post.

With less than two months remaining before the Democratic National Convention, another well-placed Democrat indicated to The Post that it was “TBD” whether Biden would still be the party’s nominee.

“Biden misspoke. He saved Medicare. But now someone needs to save Biden,” the source commented.

At the conclusion of the debate, first lady Jill Biden stepped in to assist her husband off the stage, which some viewers saw as a sign of the administration’s struggles.

“If I knew nothing about Donald Trump before that debate and judged him solely on that performance, I’d vote for him,” one Democratic source reiterated.

The couple later attended a watch party in Atlanta, where Jill Biden praised her husband’s performance.

“Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question,” she praised. “You knew all the facts.”

However, more than half of those who watched the debate expressed a lack of confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country compared to his opponent, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Sixty-seven percent of those surveyed felt Trump outperformed Biden, while only 33% believed the incumbent would emerge victorious in November.

{Dov T. Heller – Matzav.com}