Biden faces re‑election doubts after debate debacle with Trump

After the disastrous - according to most commentators – debate with Donald Trump for Joe Biden, speculation has begun about how much this will decrease his chances of re-election. For the first time in this campaign, there are loud discussions about replacing the candidate. However, the signals from Biden's campaign team indicate that such an option is not on the table.

- I didn’t have a great night, but I’m going to be fighting harder - Biden told participants at a Saturday meeting at the New Jersey governor's house, referring to Thursday's televised debate with Donald Trump, in which he performed poorly.

- Donald Trump is a genuine threat to the nation - added Biden.

According to AP, the problems of the 81-year-old candidate during the first presidential debate - which Biden's campaign team actively sought - shook many Democrats. Even more so because, after the riots on 6 January 2021, they view Trump as an existential threat to democracy in the USA.

After the disastrous debate - as indicated by many commentators - Biden's team feared not only for the candidate's support in November but also for the funding of the election campaign.

Many donors still seem to believe in the president, who intends to fight for re-election. His team reported that on Thursday - the day of the debate - and Friday, over £22 million were raised for his election fund. However, some have indicated that they plan to suspend personal donations, as reported by the AP agency.

Trump, on the day of the debate, raised - according to his team's calculations - about £6 million.

An hour after the debate, between 4:00 AM and 5:00 AM GMT on Friday, was the best hour for campaign donations since Biden began his re-election efforts in April 2023 - reported "The Hill" on Friday.

However, Democratic donors in New York, Southern California, and Silicon Valley privately expressed deep concerns about the fate of Biden's election campaign after the debate.

After the debate, there was loud discussion in the media and political circles about a scenario in which Biden withdraws his candidacy and is replaced by another politician supported by the Democratic Party. Who?

Among potential candidates are Michigan Governor - Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor - Gavin Newsom, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. However, many commentators emphasise that "replacing" Biden four months before the elections would be very complicated and extremely risky.