But in North Carolina, after rapper Fat Joe pumped up rally-goers with a rendition of “All the Way Up” for Biden, the president trotted to the microphone, smiling and waving as he thanked the audience.Before the president spoke, first lady Jill Biden, wearing a black dress with the word “Vote” in white lettering, tried to reframe Thursday's debate as a confrontation between her husband, who “told the truth,” and former President Donald Trump, who “pile[ed]lie on lie.”
Biden spoke in a stronger, steadier voice than the raspy, raspy one that unsettled even his allies during the debate. With the help of a teleprompter, his rebuttal to Trump was much more succinct than it was Thursday night, when his shaky performance sent ripples through the Democratic Party. And the Raleigh crowd, which seemed to be trying to reassure Trump, erupted in applause. He acknowledged that he was no longer a “young man.”
“I can't walk as easily as I used to, I can't talk as smoothly as I used to, I can't debate as well as I used to,” Biden said, his voice rising, “But … I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job.”
“I know, as millions of Americans know, I know: When you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden continued. “And I pledge to you, as Biden, that I would never run again if I didn't believe in my heart that I could get this job done.”
“Yes you can! Yes you can! Yes you can!” the crowd roared in response.
It was a much-needed shift in energy on a day when the Biden campaign was doing its best to deflect the national debate from the threat that Democrats might start abandoning their own candidate.
But the problem for Biden is that more than 47 million Americans tuned in to Thursday night's debate, and he may need one or more daytime rallies to erase memories of his performance.
Biden campaign officials met with donors in Atlanta on Friday morning to try to ease fears spreading among Democratic officials and the donor community amid growing concerns about whether Biden can beat Trump. As campaign officials and donors discussed options to replace Biden, Democratic officials privately worried about whether Biden could realistically stay in the race.
Biden's aides have been adamant the president will continue to campaign and have downplayed his performance in the debate. They argue that focus groups and internal polling have shown Biden outperformed Trump among primary voters and that he remains the only option to beat Trump, who they see as an existential threat to U.S. democracy.
Biden aides said the campaign raised $14 million the day of the debate and the morning after, calling the amount a “testament to the strength of grassroots support,” and a spokesman noted that the biggest fundraising moments came after the debate. Chris Korge, finance chairman of the Biden Victory Fund, said in a text message that “regardless of how people feel about the President's performance in the debate,” they know “how he performed as president” and that the backlash against Biden “will motivate donors to fight even harder.”
Still, a supercut version of Biden's performance — from his open-mouthed expressions to his garbled words — reverberated across social media, and Democrats publicly and privately wrestled with how he might bounce back.
Many of the opening speakers in Raleigh made no mention of Thursday night's debate, instead focusing the audience on their upcoming fight with Trump in North Carolina, a state the former president won but which Biden's campaign believes is an advantage in this election. And like Jill Biden, they signaled they are moving forward, positioning the debate as a showdown between truth and lies and a demonstration of the election's importance to the American people.
Continuing that theme, Biden told the Raleigh audience that Trump had set “a new record for the most lies told in a single debate.”
She noted that Trump had once again shown pride in the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed abortion rights in the United States, and condemned Trump's 34 felony conviction in New York for falsifying business records. She also continued to portray Trump as a threat to democracy, noting that he has repeatedly refused to state that he will accept the results of November's election.
“We are going to protect, protect and defend our democracy,” he said. “What's at stake for America in this election is your freedom and your democracy. America itself is at stake.”
Biden later spoke at the dedication of the visitors' center at Stonewall National Monument, which commemorates the 1969 riots that sparked the gay rights movement after New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn. Biden called out to politicians in the audience, including New York Governor Kathy Hockle and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and invited them up on stage for hugs before introducing musician Elton John.
Biden noted that the bar became “a cry for freedom, dignity, equality and respect” and that the 1969 riots “marked a turning point in the American civil rights movement and inspired millions around the world.”
Biden linked the moment to his campaign, repeating his claim that the country is engaged in a “battle for the soul of America.”
“But when I look around at the pride, hope and light that all of you bring, I know it's a fight we will win, and we will keep moving forward. LGBTQ+ people are the most inspiring people I know,” Biden said.
Earlier in North Carolina, several rally attendees ignored criticism of their debate performance.
“He was probably tired,” said Cathy Bolger, 74, of Zebulon, North Carolina. “His voice was raspy, which is expected, but I think he held his own.” Bolger said she thought Biden might stumble, as he often tried to answer multiple questions at once. Still, she is a staunch Biden supporter and said she would vote for him again.
Ross Dragon, 50, a Raleigh resident who works in North Carolina, watched only part of the debate but acknowledged Biden could have performed better.
“This is a battle in a war and it shouldn't be decided on just one battle,” he said.
Dragon, who said he supported Biden in 2020, said he plans to vote for Biden and isn't concerned about his age. “If you look at his policies and the things he's passed, you can't argue with that, so you have to make something up,” he said. “If age is an issue, Trump shouldn't be on stage either.”