The Growing List of Desperately Comical Biden Debate Performance Excuses

It has been fascinating to watch the fallout from the first (and what might be the only) presidential debate. We have watched the Democratic Party cast into disarray, the media complex becoming completely exposed as the operations wing of one party, and Donald Trump playing firmly against type by stepping back and turning mostly quiet to allow the carnage to play out.

And it has not even been a full week since the debacle!

It is clear that the Biden camp is in Defcon-2 mode, with an elevation set to take place, but it's still possible to find a bit of amusement in the desperation. Almost daily, we are given a new explanation for the performance meltdown from President Silver Alert last week, as it appears that trial balloons are being sent aloft to see which, if any, gain purchase. Each one is met with growing levels of mockery, so we wonder when the attempt shall cease.

Joe Biden Did Not Just Sink His Reelection Bid at the Debate; He Took the Press Down With Him

Kamala Harris Delegate Says They Will Blow Up the Democrat Party If a White Man Is Chosen Over Her

Here are some of the deflections attempted thus far:

He Had a Cold

This attempt was made during the debate when it became clear to so many that the weeks of denials of video evidence showing Biden’s decline were accurate. This attempt was disregarded rather quickly, as the post-debate shows barely touched on it. Probably, in part, the claim was he had been ill “for a few days,” yet no one mentioned this to the press until his condition on stage was so poor.

NEW: Two sources familiar with the situation say “President Biden has a cold.”
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) June 28, 2024

Poor Debate Preparation

The news that Biden was going to spend a week at Camp David cramming for his debate final was always a point of amusement. This is a man with a five-decade tenure in D.C. and has spent a dozen years in the White House. He has been involved in numerous debates during this time, yet the Biden inner circle wanted to say the team that prepped him was the cause of the foul-up. That is, the people they selected were to blame.

Too Much Debate Preparation

This was one of the better howlers offered up in the press during the post-debate roundups. Jim Clyburn attempted to explain that a problem was Biden simply owning too much information. We have to guess this led to some sort of brain logjam. Again, a man in politics for over half a century should have an easier time delivering points and opinions.

Media Exaggeration

This is a pure spin attempt, that the press has been overhyping Biden’s optics while on stage -- despite there being sheer panic that the Democrats and the press felt during the debate. This has led to the “just one bad night” narrative, which has not managed to gain any traction. The issue of his decline has been evident for a long time, and the bad night only proved the past judgments on his condition were accurate.

CNN Did Not Control Trump

One of the more prominent excuses was that moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash did not do enough to contain Donald Trump and his lies. This of course ignores a few truths, such as journalists are supposed to be neutral, and it is up to Biden to counter any false charges. It also is an admission that Biden was not up to this task. But those complaining about Trump’s prevarications are also ignoring that Biden delivered his share of falsehoods.

Bad Setting and Camerawork

Another neutered accusation is how the Biden team came out to state that the stage design and camerawork were unfavorable to Biden.

“Biden’s campaign staff only grew angrier at CNN as to how the debate was run. Their complaints were lengthy, including that Biden was not told which camera he’d be on when not speaking.”

This is an entirely lame thing to whine about for two reasons. The candidate teams are to be inspecting and approving details prior to the showdown. But it becomes sheer offensiveness, once you remember all of the pre-debate concessions that CNN first had to agree to for Biden to participate.

Poor Makeup

Seriously, this is another attempt to offset things onto CNN for Joe’s embarrassment. Not only was the staging working against Joe, but his makeup was also what led to his downfall. His…makeup. Were there no Biden assistants at all in the studio that night? They are sounding as if Joe was sent off to summer camp, and all of these things happened absent parental supervision.

Jet Lag

This is the newest reason being trotted out, and one the president himself offered. The claim is that he had suffered from being extremely tired after a taxing, multi-national tour. Except, he had returned from said trip nearly two weeks before the debate. Not only did he spend an extended amount of time at Camp David to prepare, we have come to learn that the work done for that duration was not exactly grueling in nature.

This is complete spin, and complete garbage.
He was sequestered at Camp David for a week before the debate, and his schedule was not exactly what anyone can call rigorous. https://t.co/ZmFHLvSvfR pic.twitter.com/iLjsJBj5xP
— Brad Slager - Scrubbing Down In a Bloodbath (@MartiniShark) July 3, 2024

It's not unexpected that none of these accusatory deflections have managed to be effective. After all, even if any had a foundation in truth regarding last Thursday, they would do nothing to dispel the very same issues people have witnessed about Biden over the past few months (and years).

What is most telling of all is the abject lack of introspection from these handlers, including Jill Biden. They have drawn up a list of influences to point to, yet not a single finger has been directed at the primary cause of these problems – the mirror.