US presidential poll: Joe Biden assures donors he can still win election
US President Joe Biden has reassured Democrat donors that he remains capable of winning November’s presidential election against Donald Trump, despite concerns raised by a poor debate performance.
The 81-year-old president attended several fundraising events in New York and New Jersey on Saturday, defending his performance in CNN’s Presidential Debate.
Speaking at one event, Mr Biden admitted, “I didn’t have a great night, but neither did Trump” on Thursday.
“I promise you we’re going to win this election,” he said.
Mr Biden’s debate performance was marked by hard-to-follow and shaky answers – raising fresh fears among some Democrats over whether he is the right candidate to contest this high-stakes election.
Speaking to the BBC’s Katty Kay, former Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr Biden’s debate performance “wasn’t great” – while his former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, called it “really disappointing”.
The president said he understood the concern, but pledged to fight harder.
New Jersey’s Democratic governor Phil Murphy attended the fundraiser alongside Mr Biden and the First Lady – and told Mr Biden that “we are all with you 1,000%”.
The Biden campaign accepted that the debate had not gone as they had hoped, but said he would not step aside for another nominee.
Campaign chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said on Saturday that internal post-debate polling showed “voters’ opinions were not changed”.
“It will not be the first time that overblown media narratives have driven temporary dips in the polls,” she said.
Former President Barack Obama, a close friend of Mr Biden, said on social media that “bad debate nights happen”.
“This election is still a choice between someone who fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Mr Obama wrote.
Hours after the debate, Mr Trump told his supporters that he considered the debate a “big victory” for his campaign.
“Joe Biden’s problem is not his age,” the 78-year-old Trump said. “It’s his competence. He’s grossly incompetent.”
Mr. Biden’s performance faced criticism from various quarters, not just within political circles.
A significant editorial in the New York Times described his determination to run for re-election as a “reckless gamble” and encouraged him to engage in some soul-searching over the weekend.
The editorial suggested that Democrats should “acknowledge that Mr. Biden can’t continue his race and establish a process to select a more capable candidate to replace him.”
Concerns about both candidates were also expressed by voters across the United States following Thursday’s debate.
Long-time Democrat Lori Gregory told the BBC that she “could not handle” watching the debate and questioned, “is this the best our country can do?”
Republican Crystal Myers-Barber described the debate as “painful to watch,” but added that she thought “Trump came across very level-headed and presidential, while Biden appeared very weak.”
Democrat Shana Ziolko said she was “frustrated” by the debate and felt there was no clear winner.
A post-debate poll by liberal pollster Data for Progress indicated that 62% of likely voters who watched or read about the debate believed Trump won, whereas only 30% thought Mr. Biden won.
Until further polling is conducted, fundraising efforts might be another indicator of continued enthusiasm for Mr. Biden’s candidacy.
In a memo, chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon stated that the campaign had raised over $27 million (£21.3 million) from Thursday’s debate to Friday evening.
“Following Thursday night’s debate, the beltway class is counting Joe Biden out. The data in the battleground states, though, tells a different story,” she said.
“This election was incredibly close before Thursday, and by every metric we’ve seen since, it remains just as close,” she added.