It’s been exactly a year since the disastrous debate that plunged former President Joe Biden into a sea of media trouble.
On June 27, 2024, Biden and current President Donald Trump took the stage to hash it out while America watched. Leading up to the debate, Biden hid himself and his team away at Camp David in preparation while questions about his obvious mental decline circulated among the public.
Nevertheless, the former president — or rather, his team — were dead set on upholding his image. The day of the debate, Biden joked on X that “performance enhancers” were making him feel “jacked up.”
I don’t know what they’ve got in these performance enhancers, but I’m feeling pretty jacked up.
Try it yourselves, folks.
See you in a bit: https://t.co/vD3mL9slj1 pic.twitter.com/Li4EM9mzve
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 28, 2024
The debate itself proved otherwise.
While onstage, Biden could barely get his words out, stumbling over himself and letting his sentences trail off all while Trump stood quiet, letting him attempt to speak.
Biden fumbled the topic of illegal immigration, arguing that Border Patrol endorsed him, a claim later refuted by the Border Patrol Union itself.
“To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden,” the Union posted on X.
To be clear, we never have and never will endorse Biden.
— Border Patrol Union – NBPC (@BPUnion) June 28, 2024
“I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the — the total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden rambled, his voice muffled.
When the moderator prompted Trump to respond, he nonchalantly said: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
DJT: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence — I don’t think he knows what he said, either.” pic.twitter.com/YoeyJT4753
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 28, 2024
After gaffing that there are “a thousand trillionaires” in America, Biden attempted to address national debt, arguing that Trump had the “largest national debt of any president in a four year period.”
“We’d be able to make sure that all those things we need to do — child care, elder care — making sure that we continue to suspend — strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person — uh — eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the — uh — w-w-with the COVID — excuse me, with — um — dealing with everything we have to do with — uh — look — when we finally beat medicare —” Biden mumbled before the moderator cut him off.
“Well,” Trump replied, “he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
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After Biden struggled to make it through his closing statement, the debate ended. Later, footage emerged of former first lady Jill Biden helping lead her husband, who looked as though he didn’t know where he was, off the stage.
The media erupted into a frenzy over Biden’s disaster of a performance. Even liberal networks couldn’t defend his obvious blunders, with New York Times Columnist Thomas L. Friedman saying the debate made him “weep” and that the former president had “no business running for re-election.”Jill Biden leading Dementia Joe off stage. Wow…. pic.twitter.com/aEVn6OVSFH
— Paul Hookem (@PaulHook_em) June 28, 2024
Some liberal commentators attempted to salvage a semblance of dignity for Biden. Gen Z political content creator Harry Sisson tried to argue that the debate “wasn’t anything.”
“It doesn’t matter what the candidates say on stage,” he said. “It matters what they would do as president.”
Biden and Trump just finished debating. The conclusion? Biden is the right man for the job. pic.twitter.com/ZbSeyFA5ZO
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) June 28, 2024
He was universally mocked for this, with Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren asking if he was “getting paid triple to lie.”
Are you getting paid triple to lie about this, Harry?
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) June 28, 2024
The debate marked a significant shift in the Democratic Party, and 28 days later, Biden officially announced his intention to drop out of the race. Former Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him on the ballot, a move that proved to be damaging, as President Donald Trump won both the popular and electoral vote and took back the White House.