I Interviewed Biden Last Year. His Debate Performance Shocked Me
But for Democrats, there is no clear path as to what they do next.
When I sat down in Iowa with candidate Joe Biden for an interview in December 2019, I expected his campaign for the White House to go nowhere.
Having covered his failed runs in 1988 and 2008, I had asked his advisers if they feared a 2020 race might end his political career in embarrassment. After rivals routed him in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, I envisioned precisely that result.
So, I approach questions about President Biden and the 2024 campaign with plenty of humility.
When I sat down with Biden again in the White House last September, he enjoyed my acknowledgment of massive cracks in my crystal ball. Over the next 20 minutes, he went on to competently, if not especially smoothly, field my questions about the threat to democracy that he considers paramount in his rematch with former President Donald Trump.
Yet Biden’s debate performance last week, just a few months later, shocked me.
His weak voice, faltering answers, and open-mouthed gaze represented the worst presidential debate showing of my lifetime. At times, he appeared sufficiently lost in his train of thought, as to vindicate those who call him cognitively unfit to serve.