The fix is in. The liberal media and Democratic donor class turned on President Joe Biden in droves on Thursday night after the first presidential debate. The only question worth asking now is, did they know that this was going to happen?

We all knew they were lying when they claimed anonymously that Biden was totally cogent behind closed doors, or when the White House claimed that videos of Biden in Normandy or Los Angeles were “cheap fakes.” But did they genuinely believe that they could put Biden at Camp David for a week, adjust his sleep schedule, give him a routine dosage of drugs and he would show up and perform tonight? Or, as my colleague Bridget Phetasy said, was it a “set-up?”

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The shivving on CNN and MSNBC at the conclusion of the debate was brutal, to be generous. John King said there is “deep panic” in the Democratic Party over Biden’s “dismal” performance. Abby Phillip asserted that Biden did “real damage” to his campaign this evening. David Axelrod and Van Jones both seemed near tears as they talked about how much they love Biden but how his campaign is not sustainable. “He sunk his campaign tonight,” Chris Wallace asserted. It truly felt like a scene from the A&E show Intervention.

Of course, this is a very early debate and the Democratic convention is not until August. The only thing standing in the way of the Democratic Party’s clear desire to replace Biden is… well, Biden. He has to willingly step aside in order for Democrats to put in another nominee. As one friend at a debate watch party said, “This was a debate for an audience of one: Jill Biden. They want her to tell Joe to give it up.”