Following the first 2024 Presidential Debate Thursday night, the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) had very little to say in President Joe Biden’s favor. The post-debate coverage emphasized what was obvious to all viewers, specifically that the night was a disaster for Biden’s campaign.

ABC’s White House correspondent Jonathan Karl detailed his conversations with other Democrats, as the debate progressed, who expressed their concerns about Biden’s chances in the race, saying that “you are starting to see here at least privately discussions among Democrats about whether or not Biden can effectively go on with this campaign against Donald Trump.”

Other Democrats who had been firm Biden supporters also voiced their “shock” and dissatisfaction:

I talked to one member–Democratic member of Congress who is a strong supporter, until now, of Joe Biden, saying to me, ‘I am in a state of shock. He is diminished to an extent that has become undeniable.’ Biden's gonna have to answer these questions–this was not just one night in the campaign. This was the night in the campaign so far. Another Democrat said, ‘I wish this performance had been during the Democratic primary. If it were, we would have had a different nominee.’

 

 

On CBS, co-host Norah O’Donnell seemingly displayed doubt about claims from the President’s advisors blaming his poor performance on a cold. She pointed out that not only was his voice unsteady but he also failed to refute former President Donald Trump’s apparently obvious lies:

We witnessed President Biden opening this debate and continuing it with a very shaky voice, a raspy voice that we have learned from advisors close to him that apparently he's had a cold for the past several days. But he also had a number of wandering answers during this debate. He had a number of facts and accomplishments that he wanted to tout but I think his voice sometimes was distracting from that. President Trump offered repeated lies and exaggerations but then President Biden failed to fact-check Trump most of the time.

Co-hosts Margaret Brennan and Gayle King mentioned Biden’s ramblings about “being raped by your sister” when answering a question about abortion. On the other hand, White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe stressed Democratic displeasure, stating, “Some house Democrats who were gathered tonight watching this together talking about–talking to the White House about having him step down. That's how bad it was, in their view.”

NBC correspondent Hallie Jackson told co-host Savannah Guthrie that she, too, heard murmurs about a potential Biden replacement which, while “potentially impossible” was still a significant “shadow” on the president’s campaign:

I will tell you that in about the back half of the debate, maybe the latter third of the debate, I heard from a Democratic lawmaker, member of Congress, who has been a strong supporter of President Biden’s, who suggested the possibility, Savannah, of perhaps an open convention, or replacing President Biden on the ticket. I will tell you, it is all but potentially impossible for that to actually happen. But the fact that that is even being raised, the fact that is even a shadow, now, hanging over the debate performance for President Biden is at minimum a headache for the Biden campaign moving into the next stretch of this campaign ahead of the Republican convention in the next couple of weeks. And at worst, potentially, something that will dog them for months, given what we have seen from voters in polling consistently, which is, yes, concern about President Biden's age. 

The transcripts from all three networks are below. Click "expand" to read:

ABC News

6/27/2024

10:45:19

JONATHAN KARL: I think we have to be very clear. This was a very bad night for Joe Biden. I have been talking to Democrats as this debate progressed, and you are starting to see here at least privately discussions among Democrats about whether or not Biden can effectively go on with this campaign against Donald Trump. 

Donald Trump did go through rapid fire lies, I mean, a machine gun of lies, at times during this debate. He said things like, “Everybody wanted Roe v. Wade repealed,” that–that everything was rocking good when he was president, there were no wars, the unselect committee deleted all the evidence that he–Nancy Pelosi refused 10,000 National Guard troops. None of that was true, and Biden was not effectively able to bring the argument back to him. 

I talked to one member–Democratic member of Congress who is a strong supporter, until now, of Joe Biden, saying to me, “I am in a state of shock. He is diminished to an extent that has become undeniable.” Biden's gonna have to answer these questions–this was not just one night in the campaign. This was the night in the campaign so far. Another Democrat said, “I wish this performance had been during the Democratic primary. If it were, we would have had a different nominee.”

(...)

CBS News

6/27/2024

10:39:10 PM EST

NORAH O’DONNELL: We wa–witnessed President Biden opening this debate and continuing it with a very shaky voice, a raspy voice that we have learned from advisors close to him that apparently he's had a cold for the past several days. But he also had a number of wandering answers during this debate. He had a number of facts and accomplishments that he wanted to tout but I think his voice sometimes was distracting from that. President Trump offered repeated lies and exaggerations but then President Biden failed to fact-check Trump most of the time.

(...)

10:41:52 PM EST
MARGARET BRENNAN: For President Biden and some of the things we talked about, the importance of abortion, in particular, for Democrats–he stumbled on his answer and it wasn't just meandering. 

O’DONNELL: Biden stumbled.

BRENNAN: Joe Biden stumbled on his answer. He started talking about abortion and then said something about being raped by your sister. He went from…

GAYLE KING: And your in-laws.

BRENNAN: …went from the very key issue of abortion, something about the border and a recent death of a 12-year-old girl allegedly at the hands of a migrant. So, he took himself into an issue that is not a strength for him, the very real border crisis in this country. He also seemed to lose his point a few times on the issue of foreign policy which he is so proud of. He took Donald Trump to a weakness which was referring to that deadly day in 2021 with the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The–one of the single deadliest days for U.S. Troops in that entire 20-year war and said “No soldiers died on my watch.” 13 service people died. So, it was–it was as if some parts of this were memorized and then the points were lost.

(...)

10:53:10 PM EST

ED O’KEEFE: Or at least some house Democrats who were gathered tonight watching this together talking about–talking to the White House about having him step down. That's how bad it was, in their view.

(...)

NBC News

6/27/2024

10:42:17

HALLIE JACKSON: It was a shaky start. [Wouldn’t?] at times, meandering at times. I will tell you that in about the back half of the debate, maybe the latter third of the debate, I heard from a Democratic lawmaker, member of Congress, who has been a strong supporter of President Biden’s, who suggested the possibility, Savannah, of perhaps an open convention, or replacing President Biden on the ticket. I will tell you, it is all but potentially impossible for that to actually happen. But the fact that that is even being raised, the fact that is even a shadow, now, hanging over the debate performance for President Biden is at minimum a headache for the Biden campaign moving into the next stretch of this campaign ahead of the Republican convention in the next couple of weeks. And at worst, potentially, something that will dog them for months, given what we have seen from voters in polling consistently, which is, yes, concern about President Biden's age. 

(...)