ELDERLY US president Joe Biden is a “lame duck” after his disastrous debate performance – with officials scared he might die in office.
The Democrat nominee, 81, turned in a nightmare performance in his first head-to-head showdown with Donald Trump overnight, with the stuttering commander-in-chief now facing calls to step aside.
ReutersPresident Joe Biden spoke in a low voice throughout the first debate[/caption]
Our Political Editor Harry Cole said Biden could be made a ‘lame duck’ as early as August if replaced
More in Common pollster Luke Tryl said the format played into Donald Trump’s hands
The Sun’s Political Editor Harry Cole revealed two weeks ago that Biden’s performances in meetings were the worst he’s been.
This morning, Harry told Never Mind The Ballots: “Hate to say I told you say but I wrote in The Sun a couple of weeks ago, ‘We need to talk about Joe Biden.’
“And frankly, if we’re not doing that now then when will we?
“There are movements already tonight, and overnight in America and this morning as the world wakes up to start scrubbing up on those rules for the Democratic National Convention… can they replace the candidate this late in the game?
“Now even some of Joe Biden’s former defenders this morning are out saying something must be done.”
Top pollster Luke Tryl, boss of More in Common, said the trainwreck debate made it more likely ex-President Trump would storm the White House for a second term in November.
He told the show: “It was about as bad as it could have gone for Joe Biden because it reinforced what voters number one concern about the President is – that he’s too old.
“He’s not as sharp as he was, to be quite frank. Lots of them think he might not last a full term.
“The US Presidential Committee is the biggest spotlight in the world.
“You just can’t hide from it.
“And of course, in any other circumstance, you had former President Trump on stage having to deny he had sex with a porn star and he’s a convicted criminal.
“This should be an open goal for the Democrats. But, if anything, that debate just made it more likely Trump wins the White House.
“And as you say, there are going to be those conversations now about how to get Biden off the ballot.”
The president’s health has been a hot topic throughout his presidency, with voters asking whether he can manage another four years in office.
Those fears were reignited on Thursday, with Biden stumbling through his sentences, speaking hoarsely, and appearing to freeze on stage.
Biden struggled throughout to overcome the early blunders.
David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official, called the debate “kind of a Defcon 1 moment.”
David Axelrod, a former adviser to former President Barack Obama, said, “I think there was a sense of shock, actually, of how he came out at the beginning of this debate, how his voice sounded.
“He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on but by that time, I think the panic had set in,” he added of Biden’s political party.
Biden’s ex-communications director, Kate Bedingfield, also criticized her former boss’s performance.
“It was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden,” she said.
This morning, Harry went on: “The remarkable difference if you look at the clips from the 2020 debates, to where he is now.
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“It’s almost like they’ve sort of run out of road. All he had to do was get through last night without doing that and he might have had a fighting chance.”
Our Political Editor even floated the prospect of the Democrats telling Biden to rule himself out, making him a “lame duck” until January 2025, when his term ends.
Top experts have said he could be replaced at the top of the ticket by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Harry said: “He is still going to be President until January of 2025.
“The earlier that he basically rules himself out, he becomes a lame duck present.
“Do you think perhaps, secretly, there’s been a plan to replace Joe Biden and get someone else in at the convention in August?
“And actually, they’re just gonna wait till then to do it. Do it quickly and do it brutally?”
Pollster Luke replied: “Everything you hear about Joe Biden is he’s quite stubborn… that he wanted to go through with this race.
“I think the challenge for Democrats is going to be deciding who else it might be.”
“(If it is Gavin Newsom) you have to have the difficult conversation with Kamala Harris, to say ‘it’s not going to be you’, which is going to be tricky, but I don’t think it can be her because her ratings are down in the gutter too.”
Our experts also declared microphone muting rules – designed to stop Republican nominee Trump from interrupting his rival – helped expose Biden’s fragility on stage.
Harry said: “This is this was a debate, basically initiated and called for by Joe Biden.
“The earliest debate we’ve had in the electoral cycle in history and the rules were designed to shut Donald Trump up… he was muted.
“But it meant you didn’t get that Donald Trump interruption and it almost played into his hands.”
And Mr Tryl said: “It was the best possible outcome for Donald Trump last night, and the Democrats set that up.”