By Sofia Ferreira Santos, BBC Information
ReutersUS President Joe Biden has assured Democrat donors that he can nonetheless win November’s presidential election in opposition to Donald Trump, after a poor debate efficiency fuelled concern about his candidacy.
The president, 81, attended a sequence of fundraising occasions in New York and New Jersey on Saturday, and defended his efficiency in CNN’s Presidential Debate.
Talking at one occasion, Mr Biden admitted, “I didn’t have an ideal night time, however neither did Trump” on Thursday.
“I promise you we’ll win this election,” he mentioned.
Mr Biden’s debate efficiency was marked by hard-to-follow and shaky solutions – elevating recent fears amongst some Democrats over whether or not he’s the suitable candidate to contest this high-stakes election.
Chatting with the BBC’s Katty Kay, former Democratic Home speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned Mr Biden’s debate efficiency “wasn’t nice” – whereas his former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, known as it “actually disappointing”.
The president mentioned he understood the priority, however pledged to combat tougher.
New Jersey’s Democratic governor Phil Murphy attended the fundraiser alongside Mr Biden and the First Woman – and informed Mr Biden that “we’re all with you 1,000%”.
The Biden marketing campaign accepted that the controversy had not gone as they’d hoped, however mentioned he wouldn’t step apart for one more nominee.
Marketing campaign chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon mentioned on Saturday that inside post-debate polling confirmed “voters’ opinions weren’t modified”.
“It is not going to be the primary time that overblown media narratives have pushed momentary dips within the polls,” she mentioned.
Former President Barack Obama, a detailed good friend of Mr Biden, mentioned on social media that “dangerous debate nights occur”.
“This election remains to be a alternative between somebody who fought for abnormal of us his complete life and somebody who solely cares about himself,” Mr Obama wrote.
Hours after the controversy, Mr Trump informed his supporters that he thought-about the controversy a “large victory” for his marketing campaign.
“Joe Biden’s drawback just isn’t his age,” the 78-year-old Trump mentioned. “It is his competence. He is grossly incompetent.”
Mr Biden’s efficiency was not solely criticised by these in politics.
A outstanding editorial within the New York Instances described his dedication to run once more as a “reckless gamble”, and urged him to do some soul-searching this weekend.
It mentioned Democrats ought to “acknowledge that Mr Biden can’t proceed his race, and create a course of to pick somebody extra succesful to face in his place”.
Voters throughout the USA have additionally expressed concerns over voting for either candidate following Thursday’s debate.
Lengthy-time Democrat Lori Gregory informed the BBC that she “couldn’t deal with” watching the controversy, and requested, “is that this the perfect our nation can do?”
Republican Crystal Myers-Barber mentioned it was “painful to observe”, however added that she thought “Trump got here throughout very level-headed and presidential and Biden got here throughout very weak.”
Democrat Shana Ziolko mentioned she was “annoyed” watching the controversy, and thought there was no clear winner.
A post-debate ballot by liberal pollster Information for Progress discovered that 62% of doubtless voters who watched or learn in regards to the debate discovered Trump received. Solely 30% of these polled mentioned Mr Biden received the controversy.
Till additional polling is performed, fundraising could possibly be one other indication of continued enthusiasm for Mr Biden’s candidacy.
In a memo, chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon mentioned the marketing campaign had raised greater than $27m (£21.3m) from the Thursday debate to Friday night.
“Following Thursday night time’s debate, the beltway class is counting Joe Biden out. The information within the battleground states, although, tells a distinct story,” she mentioned.
“This election was extremely shut earlier than Thursday, and by each metric we’ve seen since, it stays simply as shut”, she added.
