go through Sofia Ferreira Santos, bbc news
ReutersUS President Joe Biden has assured Democratic donors that he can still win the presidential election against Donald Trump after a poor debate performance raised concerns about his candidacy.
The 81-year-old president attended a series of fundraisers in New York and New Jersey on Saturday and defended his performance in the CNN presidential debate.
Speaking at one of the events, Biden admitted, ‘I’m not doing well’
evening, but neither did Trump on Thursday.”
“I promise you we will win this election,” he said.
The president later said he understood concerns about his performance in Thursday’s debate but pledged to work harder.
Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, attended the fundraiser with Mr. Biden and the first lady and told Mr. Biden “we support you 1,000 percent.”
Biden’s performance on the debate stage against former President Donald Trump was marked by incomprehensible and erratic answers that raised new questions among some Democrats about whether he was the right candidate for the election. suitable candidates.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with BBC’s Katie Kay that Biden’s debate performance was “not very good,” while his former communications director Kate Bedingfield called it “very disappointing”.
The Biden campaign acknowledged that the debate did not go as they had hoped but said he would not make way for another nominee.
Campaign chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said internal post-debate polling showed “voter opinion has not changed.” “This is not the first time that an overly exaggerated narrative in the media has led to a temporary drop in the polls,” she said.
Biden’s close friend and former President Obama said on social media that “bad debate nights happen.”
“This election remains a choice between a man who has spent his life fighting for ordinary people and a man who only cares about himself,” Obama wrote.
Hours after the debate, Trump told his supporters that he considered the debate a “major victory” for his campaign and said Biden was “terribly incompetent.”
“The problem with Joe Biden is not his age,” the 78-year-old Trump said.
Biden’s performance has been criticized by more than just politicians.
A famous New York Times editorial described his determination to run again as a “reckless gamble.”
It said Democrats should “acknowledge that Mr Biden is unable to continue his campaign and develop a process to select someone more capable to take his place”.
Voters across the United States also Express concerns about voting for any candidate after Thursday’s debate.
Longtime Democrat Lori Gregory told the BBC she “couldn’t stand” watching the debate and asked: “Is this the best thing we can do as a country?”
Republican Crystal Myers-Barber said it was “painful to watch,” but added that she thought “Trump comes across as a very calm president, whereas Biden comes across as very calm.” weak.
Democrat Shana Ziolko said she was “frustrated” by the debate and believed there was no clear winner.
A post-debate poll conducted by the liberal polling organization Data for Progress found that 62% of potential voters who watched or read the debate thought Trump won. Only 30% of respondents said Biden won the debate.
Ahead of further polls, fundraising could be another sign of continued enthusiasm for Biden’s campaign.
The campaign raised more than $27 million (£21.3 million) between Thursday’s debate and Friday night, chairwoman Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said in a memo.
“The Beltway class is ruling out Joe Biden after Thursday night’s debate. However, data from battleground states tells a different story,” she said.
She added: “The election was very close before Thursday, and by every metric we’ve seen since then it’s still just as close.”
