The Campaign Moment: Dems in panic mode after the debate
Jun 28, 2024
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Martine Powers and Aaron Blake discuss the aftermath of the debate, highlighting Biden's struggles and Trump's reliance on falsehoods. They explore the tough questions facing Democrats and the implications for Trump's campaign.
Democrats concerned about Biden's leadership due to his debate stumbling.
Trump used misleading narratives to position Democrats as 'extremists' and evade fact-checking.
Deep dives
President Biden's Struggles in the Debate
President Biden faced challenges in the debate, with concerns about his age and mental sharpness coming to the forefront. Despite a successful State of the Union address earlier, the debate highlighted his difficulty expressing thoughts clearly. Democrats' fears regarding Biden's ability to lead effectively due to his age were emphasized through his speech stumbling and inability to finish points.
Trump's Misleading Claims and Political Strategy
Trump focused on creating misleading narratives, particularly on issues like abortion and inflation, to undermine Biden. He fact-checked Biden on inflation claims, highlighting Biden's inaccurate statements. Trump's strategy involved presenting extreme viewpoints to position Democrats as the 'extremists,' while failing to fact-check Trump during the debate played to his advantage.
Impacts of Format Changes on Candidates' Performance
The debate format, including muted mics and absence of an audience, impacted candidate interactions. While intended to prevent interruptions and grandstanding, it limited direct engagement and meaningful debate. Trump seized on moments like a golf argument to deflect from substantive discussions, showing the challenges of holding a substantial debate in the altered setting.
It’s a special early Friday edition of The Campaign Moment. We’re in your feed first thing today after Post Reports co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake went into the studio shortly after the debate ended. Aaron says it’s one of the most significant moments of the campaign so far. He and Martine talk through Biden and Trump’s performances, which had Biden noticeably stumbling at times and Trump basing many answers around falsehoods that were left unchallenged by the CNN moderators. Aaron explains the tough questions in front of Democrats now and what this could mean for a buoyed Trump campaign.
Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski.
Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here.