NationalWatch

Presidential debates changed television.

“You want to put a lot of new Supreme Court justices – radical left!” hollered former President Trump at President Biden during the 2020 debate.

“Will you shut up man?” implored Mr. Biden.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: WHO NEEDS WHO?

And television changed politics.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, you’ve got to look good on television. Therefore, if you don’t, you’re doomed.’ It’s not quite that easy,” said Walter Podrazik, television curator at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. “You have to learn how to speak directly through the medium that most people understand. They know television as well as any politician does because they watch it all the time.”

That was the problem facing President Biden in Thursday night’s debate with former President Trump.

Mr. Trump fared better because he appeared engaged. Vigorous. President Biden looked pasty and out of it.

It doesn’t matter what Mr. Biden represents or what his policies are.

When it comes to the debate, you must excel at television.

Debates imprinted the importance of live performance onto the debate genre.

That mixed reality TV with politics – long before reality TV was a thing.

“I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” quipped a 73-year-old President Ronald Reagan during a 1984 debate with former Vice President Walter Mondale, then a youthful 56.

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

“They brought us whole binders full of women,” said 2012 Republican nominee and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) at one of that year’s debates with former President Obama.

2016 Democratic nominee and former Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., was in the middle of saying something about the Social Security Trust Fund in a debate with Mr. Trump when he fired off this volley.

“Such a nasty woman,” sneered the former President.

Debates also amplify on-screen gaffes.

“There is no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe,” said President Gerald Ford in a debate with future President Jimmy Carter in 1976.

The remark shocked the press corps.

And Cold War Eastern Europe.

However, debates sometimes deliver unexpected humor.

“I’m all ears!” bragged 1992 independent Presidential candidate Ross Perot at a debate with future President Bill Clinton and former President George H.W. Bush.

Perot drew attention to his own features – which stuck out like two taxicab doors, attached to a crew cut.

UNDER THE DOME AND ON THE DIAMOND

Sometimes what’s said isn’t even what most people remember. People easily recall the visual of former President Trump, lurking and then creeping onto the screen behind Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Sometimes viewers recall what a candidate does during the debate.

Former Vice President and 2000 Democratic Presidential nominee Al Gore is remembered for his theatrical sighs of exasperation at various orations from future President George W. Bush.

And then there was Bush 41 in 1992 with Bill Clinton and Perot. All three candidates briefly rested against stools as ABC News Anchor and debate moderator Carole Simpson addressed the audience.

The elder Bush slipped a glance at his wristwatch.

Viewers interpreted that presidential peek as a subliminal cue that Mr. Bush’s time in office was up after one term.

The debate between President Biden and former President Trump marked a sea change in the way American voters experience the forum. Both campaigns worked directly with CNN to develop the debate. It’s the first major alteration to debates since 1988. The campaigns cut the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) out of the action this time.

Otherwise, each of the 33 Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates since 1988 has been under the aegis of the Commission. The CPD created the town hall format where average citizens could pose questions directly to the candidates.

That’s how Illinois power plant worker Ken Bone and his red sweater rose to prominence for a hot second after the 2016 town hall debate.

President of the United States Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump participate in the first Presidential Debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on June 27, 2024.  (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The CPD also hosted the debates at universities. Such was the case with the first debate on September 25, 1988, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., between then Vice President Bush and then Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis (D).

How they conduct the debates is almost as important as the debates themselves.

“We want free and fair debates. This commission has shown bias,” argued former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Fox Business in early 2022.

The RNC urged GOP Presidential candidates to refuse to participate in any debate not sanctioned by the GOP.

But the Biden campaign also rejected the Commission on Presidential Debates. It pushed for a June debate and another one in September. The Biden camp also demanded certain rules – including an option for moderators to mute the microphone of a candidate.

In short, both President Biden and former President Trump took their feud outside.

As in outside the Commission on Presidential debates.

Mr. Trump offered a dare to the President.

“I’m calling on crooked Joe to debate any time, any place,” said former President Trump.

President Biden called the bluff of his rival. Even chiding Mr. Trump about what day court was out of session in the defamation trial in New York.

“Make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice,” said President Biden in a message posted to X. “I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.”

SENATE STUMPED OVER COVID ORIGINS: WHAT WE KNOW – AND DON’T KNOW

And so the gamesmanship squeezed out the Commission on Presidential Debates.

“What they wanted to do was what they thought was in the best interests of their candidate,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, who led the CPD since its inception in 1987. “You’ve got two candidates who are unique.”

Fahrenkopf is upset the debates aren’t staged at universities.

“You’ve lost that being on campus. Kids being involved. A Focus on civics,” said Fahrenkopf.

Fahrenkopf also lamented the loss of the town hall meeting.

“The most popular format,” observed Fahrenkopf. “That’s gone.”

What would Ken Bone say?

The first modern Presidential debate unfolded in 1960. The first debate between future President John F. Kennedy and future President Richard Nixon forever fused the presidency and television. It established a paradigm for American politics – and television.

“This is one of the few times in which neither party, neither candidate, controls the environment. And so, if you’re (a voter) trying to decide or if you’re looking for confirmation, then this is when you’ll see it,” said Podrazik of the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

There were no more debates until 1976. The League of Women Voters ran the debates until the Commission on Presidential Debates stepped in for the 1988 cycle.

“What politics did is provided a baseline reality that television can and could embrace,” said Podrazik.

Former President Donald Trump at the first Presidential Debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on June 27, 2024.  (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The debate between President Biden and former President Trump was the first without a studio audience since the initial forum in 1960. It was unclear whether future President John F. Kennedy or future President Richard Nixon won that contest.

Nixon sweated. He sported a five-o-clock shadow. Nixon’s knee smarted after he banged it getting out of the limousine arriving at the debate.

Meantime, Kennedy appeared cool and confident.

It’s said that those listening to the radio believed Nixon won. But people watching TV thought Kennedy prevailed.

But that’s debate folklore – even though publishers have printed that chestnut in every American political science textbook for decades.

I challenge you to locate the study or survey which proves the alleged Nixon/Radio versus Kennedy/TV thesis.

But, that old saw goes to show the importance of grasping the complexities of television – compared to raw debate, say on the radio.

And that’s something else the merging of television and politics provides.

“It’s all in pursuit of the audience,” said Podrazik.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And that’s a universal interest between media and politicians.

FIRST ON FOX: Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur was captured on video Friday losing her patience with a man who asked her whether President Biden should step down following his widely panned CNN debate performance. 

“Excuse me congresswoman, should Joe Biden step down?” A man in the Detroit airport asks Kaptur in video obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The 78-year-old congresswoman ignores the question as she is going up the escalator through the airport, which prompts the man to repeat the question.

After Kaptur doesn’t respond for a second time, she is asked, “Why has the White House been lying about Joe Bidens’ cognitive abilities?”

‘MUST APOLOGIZE’: VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM FACES RENEWED BACKLASH OVER COMPARISON INVOLVING 9/11 TERRORIST

Rep. Marcy Kaptur attempted to evade questions about President Biden’s mental health on Friday (Fox News Digital)

Kaptur, who appears to be adjusting her luggage, then stares into the camera before grabbing the phone in the man’s hands as the video cuts out.

“Congresswoman why did you take my phone like that?” Kaptur is asked in a follow-up video as she walks through the airport.

DEMOCRATIC STAFFER GOES VIRAL FOR BOASTING ABOUT BIDEN CANCELING HIS STUDENT DEBT: ‘WHY ELECTIONS MATTER’

Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur speaks at press conference (AP Photo/Ken Blaze, File)

“What is your name? Kaptur responds looking directly into the camera. “Where do you live?”

“Why are you asking me all these personal questions, congresswoman?” The man responds.

“Because you’re asking me questions,” Kaptur says.

VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM UNDER FIRE FOR INTRODUCING ONLY 5 BILLS THAT BECAME LAW IN 41 YEARS: ‘HASN’T DONE SQUAT’

President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As the two slowly spin in a circle, Kaptur asks, “Where do you live? Where do you live? What town?”

“I don’t have to tell you that information,” the man says, which causes Kaptur to say, “Then I’m not answering you.”

As Kaptur again starts walking away, the man again asks, “I just want to know, congresswoman, should Joe Biden step down?”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“No,” Kaptur responds before continuing to walk away.

The two continued to go back and forth with Kaptur asking the man why he is “reading questions off that sheet” and “who owns you?”

“Nobody owns me,” the man responds. “I’m just curious on some questions.”

“They own you,” she says as she walks out of the airport doors.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kaptur campaign spokesperson Alexandra Wilcox said, “It’s one thing to ask a question but an unknown man refusing to identify himself, forcing a camera in the Congresswoman’s personal space is another thing entirely.”

“The man has still not identified himself or the organization for which he works.”

Wilcox continued, “All these politics aside, Congresswoman Kaptur remains fully focused on delivering further transformational federal investment to Northwest Ohio.”

Democrats, particularly those in competitive elections this November, have been facing questions about Biden’s debate performance and specifically where he should step aside in the 2024 race.

Many Democrats have acknowledged that Biden did not have a good night, including former President Barack Obama who said on Friday, “bad debate nights happen.”

Kaptur, who has served in Congress for 21 terms, is facing a tough re-election race in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District that Cook Political Report ranks as a “Democrat Toss Up.”

Independent voters in Fox News Digital’s focus group appeared to overwhelmingly approve of former President Trump’s response to a question about his “retribution” — and his description of President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, as “a convicted felon” — during Thursday night’s CNN Presidential Debate.

“My retribution is going to be success,” Trump said. “But when [President Biden] talks about a convicted felon — his son is a convicted felon. At a very high level, his son is convicted, gonna be convicted probably numerous other times, should have been convicted before.”

Approvals from Democrats trended downward during the answer. Meanwhile, Republican approval continued to increase throughout Trump’s comments. 

FIRST 2024 TRUMP-BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TOP CLASHES OVER ISSUES FROM THE BORDER TO UKRAINE

Former President Trump, left, and President Biden faced off Thursday night during the CNN Presidential Debate.  (Getty Images )

“As soon as he gets out of office, Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done,” Trump said.

He later added: “This man is a criminal. This man, you’re lucky, you’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We have a system that was rigged and disgusting.”

Meanwhile, Biden pushed back, saying the idea that he has committed any wrongdoing is “outrageous.”

CNN FLASH POLL SHOWS TRUMP AS CLEAR WINNER OF FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘STUNNING NUMBER’

Former President Trump, left and President Biden debated on Thursday night. (Getty Images)

“It’s simply a lie,” Biden said. “Number two, the idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American just because you’re president is wrong. No president has ever spoken like that before. No president in our history has spoken like that before.” 

Democrat approval saw an uptick during Biden’s comments, but the approvals of independent and Republican voters trended downward. 

A RASPY BIDEN GETS OFF TO A HALTING START AGAINST TRUMP IN THE FIRST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATE

CNN flash poll from Thursday’s debate. (CNN)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Focus group participants reacted in real time to Biden and Trump, turning dials to indicate approval or disapproval. In the video embedded in this story, Republican participant sentiment is graphed in red, Democrat sentiment in blue and independents are represented in yellow.

Chesapeake, Va. – After debating President Biden on Thursday night, former President Trump went to Chesapeake, Virginia, in front of a crowd of thousands to host a rally in a state not won by a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.

Trump was joined by a potential Trump vice presidential choice, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Thousands of Trump enthusiasts waited in line for several hours in rising temperatures in hopes of catching a glimpse of the former and possible next president of the United States. Many in attendance tuned into Thursday night’s debate and told Fox News Digital they were less than impressed with Biden’s performance.

TRUMP, YOUNGKIN MEET FOR FIRST TIME AS GOP EYES WINNING VIRGINIA IN NOVEMBER

Former President Trump, left, and President Biden debate on Thursday night. (Getty Images)

Anne Sprouse from Virginia Beach watched the debate not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by how the moderators conducted the event.

“I’m gonna give CNN some credit for being honest. I thought they were pretty nice to Trump. I think it went really well,” Sprouse said. “Unfortunately, Biden is not physically able to be the president. I think that his family should take him home. I think he needs to retire, and I think Trump needs to take it back. I think he needs to make everything great again.”

Edward Young traveled more than 300 miles south from Brick, New Jersey, to hear the former president speak after his performance on the debate stage.

“Biden’s toast. He’s finished. He’s gone,” Young predicted. “Not only can’t he be the candidate, but he can’t continue as president. I predict he’s going to resign by the end of the week.”

From left: Ashley King, Lauren Euhus and Kevin Gaudet spoke with Fox News Digital about the CNN Presidential Debate at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday. (Getty Images | Fox News Digital)

“They put all these restrictions on Trump, and he looked just fine. They get mad at him. They can’t understand his New York attitude,” he added.

Kevin Gaudet of Chesapeake, Virginia, echoed Young’s thoughts about Biden’s performance.

MEDIA FIGURES SHOCKED AT BIDEN’S ‘BAD’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ‘TOTAL AND COMPLETE DISASTER’

“It was a shame,” Gaudet said. “Our president of the United States [was] basically disgraced on the world stage. Fumbling on every other word that he was saying. Every time he came up with a number, he was picking a new number. I don’t think he knew what he was talking about half the time.”

“I think Trump did an excellent job. He kept his cool. He didn’t get upset. He was truly presidential this time versus ’16. He’s had my vote from day one,” he said.

Former President Trump, left, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin meet ahead of Trump’s rally in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday. (Trump campaign)

Supporters of all ages turned out to Greenbrier Farms, including future voters.

Sophia, 12, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was there with her family and watched some of the back and forth between Biden and Trump. One topic in particular caught her attention, and for all the wrong reasons.

“I thought it was funny when they started talking about golf,” she said.

Sophia then took a more serious tone when the topic switched from drivers and putters to the safety of Americans.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I like to watch politics,” she said. “I like watching it because I want my country to be safe. I feel like Trump will provide a lot more safety because he has actual plans, rather than Joe Biden sleeping. It’s nice to know somebody’s awake and ready to support our country.”

The second and final presidential debate is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET and will be hosted by ABC News.

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

The governor of President Biden’s longtime home led several other Democratic state officials in maintaining they will stick with their party’s incumbent, following a debate performance that roiled the political scene.

Delaware Gov. John Carney told Fox News Digital he still supports his constituent’s bid to remain in the White House.

“I endorsed President Biden’s reelection campaign last year and continue to stand behind him,” Carney said.

“We need to make sure President Biden can finish the job he started.”

Fox News Digital reached out to every Democratic governor and several state-level Democrats for their take after Biden received friendly fire post-debate from fellow liberals and media allies.

ECONOMY, BORDER, ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN’S HOMETOWN AS SCRANTON LOOKS BACK ON NATIVE SON’S TENURE

Delaware Democratic Gov. John Carney is seen at the Major Joseph R. Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center in New Castle, Del., on Jan. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Several governors did not respond to requests for comment, but those that did indicated Biden remains their man.

In West Virginia, State Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said that Biden is a winner, and Trump is a criminal.

“As Democrats, we believe in the democratic process. President Biden is our nominee because of his winning performance in the presidential primaries,” he said.

“Donald Trump is a convicted felon who paid hush money to cover up an affair with a porn star and who helped incite a riot as part of a plot to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” said Pushkin, who is also a state lawmaker.

Instead of claiming Democrats should replace Biden, the GOP should turn inward, Pushkin added.

“If Republican leaders had an ounce of integrity and cared about our democracy, they should be looking to replace Donald Trump on the ticket,” he said.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, state Sen. Sharif Street, the Commonwealth’s Democratic Party chair, said he will proudly continue to support Biden.

BIDEN CLAIMS TO SEE THE ECONOMY THROUGH THE EYES OF SCRANTON, NOT WALL STREET

“He’s created more jobs this year than Donald Trump has in his entire time in office,” said Street, whose father, John Street, was a popular Philadelphia mayor.

“President Biden has had an outstanding tenure, appointing Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and protecting a women’s right to choose. Additionally, he has invested in our communities by passing the CHIPS Act & the infrastructure bill,” Street said.

Street added Trump is a “convicted felon” and that the debate showed him to be a “compulsive liar” and “total lunatic.”

“[He’s] bad for America,” Street said. “I’m proud to support President Biden and look forward to the next four years.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office pointed to an interview moments prior on CNN, where he appeared as a Biden campaign surrogate.

The governor, whose state narrowly went to Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, did not mince words about remaining behind his party’s nominee.

“Here’s the bottom line: Joe Biden had a bad debate night, but Donald Trump was a bad president,” Shapiro said.

“I think what the American people have to do now is make a decision: Do we want to go back to a dark time that Donald Trump promises, where we have less freedom, where the middle class gets screwed, where there are fewer opportunities in our community?” 

BIDEN’S HOMETOWN SPEAKS OUT ON BIDENOMICS

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz concurred with Shapiro during a recent Fox News interview when asked if Biden should remain the nominee.

“[He] had a bad night last night,” he said. “I hate these debates. I’ve been through dozens of them myself, but they’re performative,” Walz told “America’s Newsroom.”

“I’ve had the job under President Trump and under President Biden, and the difference couldn’t be more stark than the ability to be able to deliver what governors need.”

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said “last night was not a good night” for Biden, but added Trump instead “spewed wild conspiracy theories from the debate stage.”

“President Biden has a vision for America where women have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies, where we tackle high housing costs, where every family can afford childcare, and where we show compassion and love for one another rather than hate,” Polis said.

While North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper did not respond to a request for comment, he later lauded and introduced Biden at a Raleigh campaign rally Friday afternoon.

Reached for comment on whether they will continue supporting Biden, an official with the North Carolina Democratic Party responded simply, “Yes.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to post-debate remarks in which the Democrat pledged to “never turn my back on President Biden.”

“I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back,” he said.

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told Fox News Digital she’s proud to continue supporting him.

“While I have never been shy about standing up to Washington when it’s wrong for Kansas, the president’s record of delivering bipartisan results speaks for itself,” she said.

“His efforts will continue to allow Kansas to recruit new manufacturing businesses, rebuild our infrastructure, and stand up for our fundamental freedoms. He is a decent man of strong character,” she said.

Former President Trump appeared to earn significant approval from Republican and independent voters who were part of a Fox News Digital focus group during his response to President Biden’s claims about immigration during the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday night.

When CNN moderator Jake Tapper asked Biden to inform voters how he can curb the record-high numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border, the two presidential contenders sparred over their immigration policies, which ended in Biden calling Trump a “liar” and Trump appearing to not understand a portion of Biden’s responses.

After touting Congress’ bipartisan border package that lawmakers bucked earlier this year, Biden said “we find ourselves in a situation where when [Trump] was president, he was separating babies from their mothers, put them in cages, making sure that the families were separated.”

FIRST 2024 TRUMP-BIDEN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TOP CLASHES OVER ISSUES FROM THE BORDER TO UKRAINE

Former President Trump appeared to earn significant approval from Republican and independent voters during his response to President Biden’s claims about immigration. (Fox News Digital)

“That’s not the right way to go. What I’ve done since I’ve changed the law, what’s happened? I’ve changed it in a way that now you’re in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally. That’s better than when he left office. And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we can do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said.

During Biden’s remarks, Republican and independent voters who took part in the Fox News Digital focus group gave the president low approval. When Trump responded, however, the approval from the same voters shot up, indicating support for the former president’s positions on the subject. 

Republican approval lines are color-coded red, while independents’ are color-coded yellow and Democrats’ blue.

BIDEN’S HIT ON TRUMP OVER ‘SUCKERS’ AND ‘LOSERS’ REPORT BACKFIRES WITH INDEPENDENTS: FOCUS GROUP

Former President Trump speaks during a presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

Trump, appearing to not understand Biden, responded: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”

“Look, we had the safest border in the history of our country,” Trump added. “All he had to do was leave it, all he had to do was to leave it. He decided to open up our border, open up our country, to people that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists — we have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now.”

President Biden stands at his podium during the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle in Atlanta on Thursday. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Approval from Democratic voters who took part in the real-time reaction gave Biden high marks for his remarks on immigration. During Trump’s rebuttal, Democratic approval dropped significantly.

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Democrats were forced to grapple with a whirlwind of chaos on Capitol Hill Friday after many were left frustrated by President Biden’s debate performance on Thursday night.

“I think the emotions of the night were basically disappointment, anger, and then by the end it was panic,” one House Democrat, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital.

“Now, with that foundation, where do we go? Obviously, there are conversations that I believe need to be had at all levels, with the realization of, this is not just about the presidency, this is about down-ballot.”

Democratic lawmakers were skittish on Friday morning as groups of reporters fervently chased even normally low-profile members for comment on the debate. Several declined to speak with Fox News Digital about the match-up, even when offered anonymity.

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a cryptic answer when asked if President Biden was the best nominee for the White House. (Getty Images)

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., looking noticeably weary, would not answer a reporter’s question on whether Biden was the most effective messenger for the party. 

He said instead, “President Biden is scheduled to speak today around noon, as I understand it, in North Carolina. I’m looking forward to hearing from President Biden. And until he articulates a way forward in terms of his vision for America at this moment, I’m going to reserve comment about anything relative to where we are at this moment, other than to say I stand behind the ticket.”

A second anonymous House Democrat, jaded by the process in general but who did not watch the debate, told Fox News Digital, “I’ve been hearing everyone freaking out and s—, but debates in this day and age are stupid. Tell me the last debate you saw where you felt good after and learned something?”

MEDIA CALLS FOR BIDEN TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE AFTER ‘DISASTER’ CNN DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ‘IT’S OVER’

“I bet you the majority of Americans would not choose these two old guys to be the only choice that they have,” the Democrat said.

One senior House Democratic aide compared the mood on Capitol Hill to what they imagined Republicans went through after a high-profile gaffe by former President Trump during his administration.

“Coming into work with absolute dread, knowing everyone is gonna come after you, and knowing you have nothing good to say,” the aide explained.

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

Biden appeared tired and unfocused at times during his 90-minute face-off with Trump. At one point, Trump fired back, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

It exacerbated long-simmering concerns that Biden’s mental acuity has lessened in his advanced age, despite his Republican rival being just three years younger.

A longtime Democratic operative said lawmakers who spoke with them were alarmed by how the debate went.

“What I’m hearing from people is a sense of disappointment, in that this was a moment that we could have capitalized on and that it was missed. This then leads to panicky responses, like, how do we fix it? What do we do? That’s the underlying discussion right now,” the operative told Fox News Digital.

RASPY BIDEN GETS OFF TO A HALTING START AGAINST TRUMP IN THE FIRST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATE

Even Democrats who spoke on the record reluctantly admitted that Biden’s performance was less than desirable, but they quickly insisted the election was about far more than a single bad performance.

“The president doesn’t have a great debate night. That’s very clear. But, you know, this is more than just about one debate performance, but the future of America and the existential threat that Donald Trump poses to Americans and to our national security,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told reporters.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said, “I think he had a terrible night…bad debate.” Meeks still maintained that Biden “is the right man at the right time to do this job.”

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, said Biden had a ‘terrible’ night. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, others within the Democratic sphere expressed frustration at fellow left-wingers – particularly media pundits – who were making their concerns about Biden’s debate performance public.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“For those who are worried, it’s time to do less worrying and get to work,” Joel Rubin, a Democratic strategist and former Obama administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs to the House, told Fox News Digital in a brief interview in response to the anonymously voiced concerns.

“We’re four-plus months out, and the Democratic Party in moments like this, we tend to be experts at self-criticism, and we’re seeing it on full display today. But to win this election is not going to be based upon just one candidate being anointed by the heavens…it’s going to be about the whole infrastructure of the Democratic and progressive community mobilizing voters.”

Rubin said, “I mean, just because the president had a rough night does not mean that he’s not up to the job and that we stay home and stop fighting for him. He’s earned our support. A rough performance on one night doesn’t eviscerate three and a half years of extraordinary accomplishments.”

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that it is shielding an extra 300,000 Haitian nationals from deportation and offering them work permits, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorka said he is extending and redesignating Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months until February 2026. The redesignation allows Haitian immigrants, including those in the country illegally, who were not covered by prior designations to apply for the protection and for work authorization.

To be eligible, Haitians must have been in the U.S. as of June 3. DHS predicts that it will allow an estimated 309,000 additional nationals to file for TPS, on top of those already protected.

TRUMP REPEATEDLY HAMMERS BIDEN ON BORDER CRISIS TURNING US INTO ‘RAT’S NEST’: ‘KILLING OUR PEOPLE’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks on Capitol Hill, on Wednesday, April 10. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

TPS grants protection for nationals in countries found to be unsafe for them to be returned and is based on three grounds: armed ongoing conflict, environmental disasters or “extraordinary and temporary conditions.” 

“Several regions in Haiti continue to face violence or insecurity, and many have limited access to safety, health care, food, and water. Haiti is particularly prone to flooding and mudslides, and often experiences significant damage due to storms, flooding, and earthquakes. These overlapping humanitarian challenges have resulted in ongoing urgent humanitarian needs,” DHS said in a release.

“We are providing this humanitarian relief to Haitians already present in the United States given the conditions that existed in their home country as of June 3, 2024,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “In doing so, we are realizing the core objective of the TPS law and our obligation to fulfill it.” 

BIDEN ADMIN SHIELDS 330,000 IMMIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION; TOP DEM SAYS ITS NOT ENOUGH

There are currently 16 countries designated for TPS, including Venezuela, Ukraine, Honduras, El Salvador and Afghanistan. Mayorkas re-designated Venezuela last year, a move expected to have protected over 470,000 nationals. 

The use of TPS has repeatedly sparked pushback from Republicans and immigration hawks, who say that the use of TPS encourages illegal immigration from those countries, with people coming in anticipation of the next redesignation. When the Venezuelan TPS redesignation was announced, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News that the decision will only compound the problem at the border and draw even more Venezuelan migrants because of the “pull” factor of being granted TPS status and the ability to get work authorization.

Unaccompanied minors walk toward U.S. Border Patrol vehicles after crossing over from Mexico on May 9, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. A surge of immigrants is expected with the end of the U.S. government’s COVID-era Title 42 policy, which for the past three years has allowed for the quick expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

ILLEGAL ACCUSED OF RAPING NY TEEN AFTER SLIPPING INTO SAN DIEGO FROM TURKEY

There were 163,781 encounters of Haitian nationals at the border in Fiscal Year 2023, and that number has already been exceeded in Fiscal Year 2024. The Biden administration has also allowed Haitians to be flown into the U.S. for parole as part of the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV). That program allows 30,000 nationals into the country each month.

The U.S. has been facing a three-year crisis at the southern border, which has become a top political issue ahead of the November election.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Republicans have blamed the crisis on border policies implemented by the Biden administration, which in turn has said it needs more funding and reforms from Congress, blaming Republican obstruction.

It has taken a number of moves to tackle the crisis, including a new limit on asylum applications and a “parole in place” for some spouses of U.S. citizens. The administration has noted that there has been a 40% drop in encounters since the limit was announced, but Biden took heat from former President Trump on Thursday over his handling of the crisis.

 CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“He’s the one that killed people with the bad border including hundreds of thousands of people dying, and also killing our citizens when they come in. We are living right now in a rat’s nest,” Trump said in Thursday’s debate.

FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is set to introduce a resolution calling on President Biden to declare the month of July as “American Patriotism Month.”

The resolution, which recognizes the U.S. as the “greatest country on Earth” and aims to affirm support from the House of Representatives for the special designation for the month of July, is expected to be introduced by Texas GOP Rep. Roger Williams on Friday.

Pointing to several events and dates that are of significance to U.S. history – including July 4, 1776, when the U.S. declared its independence from British rule – the resolution expresses the importance of “patriotism” and how it has united Americans in the past.

The resolution, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital, states that “patriotism has bonded citizens of the United States of America since the foundation of our country,” adding that the “people of the United States hold a deep love for this country and have showed this through patriotic acts throughout history.”

MARYLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FACES BACKLASH OVER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, ‘MANDATORY PATRIOTISM’

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers will introduce a resolution Friday, calling on President Biden to declare the month of July as “American Patriotism Month.” (iStock, Getty Images)

“The divide in our country is clearer than ever, and there is no better time to rally behind American pride,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Throughout history, we have created holidays for many groups, but fail to adequately celebrate the patriots who made our freedoms possible.”

He added: “Any man or woman, regardless of their background, can be a patriot, and American Patriotism Month is an opportunity to remind us of the values that make our nation great. There is no reason for Biden to deny an opportunity to embrace American pride.”

Co-sponsors include: Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska, Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Republican Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee, Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, and Republican Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas.

Highlighted in the resolution are the patriotic actions taken by Americans to “protect democracy and liberty” abroad and at home during World War II. (Photo by Roger Viollet via Getty Images)

Also mentioned in the resolution are the events of June 6, 1944, when “over 73,000 Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy to protect democracy and liberty,” and remarks from past presidents who pushed for unity throughout the United States.

The text specifically highlights remarks from the inaugural addresses of former Presidents John F. Kennedy, who insisted that Americans should “ask what you can do for your country,” and Ronald Reagan, who said that “no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

The resolution specifically highlights patriotic remarks from the inaugural addresses of former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. (AFP, Getty Images)

Touting the “leadership of United States Presidents and the American people,” the resolution notes that “America was triumphant in the cold war against the Soviet Union and emerged as the beacon of hope for the free world.”

THESE 3 POPULAR EXPRESSIONS DATE BACK CENTURIES, SURROUND THE 4TH OF JULY AND AMERICAN HISTORY

Also recognized in Williams’ resolution, which has received support from the Eagle Forum, is the resounding unity in the U.S. following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City. At that time, the resolution notes, “American patriots rushed to help one another, defend our country, and defend the values that as Americans we so deeply believe in.”

Lit by the bright lights of Times Square in New York City, US flags hang from the scaffolding of a construction site four days after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The resolution also praises those aboard United Airlines flight 93 on September 11, who “fought against the hijackers and saved thousands of American lives,” as well as the “181,510 Americans [who] joined the ranks of Active Duty service and 72,908 [who] enlisted in the reserves” in the year after the attacks.

10 MOST PATRIOTIC US STATES AHEAD OF JULY 4: SEE IF YOUR HOME STATE MADE THE LIST

“It is because of patriotic men, women, and children throughout all of history that America is the greatest country on Earth,” the resolution states. “Patriotism is a selfless act of love for one’s country and fellow citizens.”

Discussing the resolution, Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, insisted there’s “no reason for Biden to deny an opportunity to embrace American pride.” (Getty Images)

Paying tribute to the more than “2,000,000 military personnel who are enlisted to defend the freedoms of all Americans in a selfless act of patriotism,” the resolution also notes the significance of teaching “the younger generations about the importance of United States patriotism and loving one’s country.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Williams’ resolution calls on Biden to “issue an annual proclamation designating ‘American Patriotism Month,'” just one day after the president went toe-to-toe with his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in a heated debate.

President Biden and former President Donald Trump squared off in their high-stakes 2024 election debate rematch on Thursday and the contrast between the pair could not have been more stark, body language expert Susan Constantine tells Fox News.

Constantine says the physical difference between the candidates was noticeable from the moment they both took the stage in Atlanta, and that set the tone for the rest of the evening, with Trump purveying strength and confidence in his mannerisms, while Biden showed a tired and slow demeanor, made worse by his raspy voice, mumbled answers and oftentimes dazed looks.

“I was really concerned because the minute [Biden] walked out on that stage, I felt he [was] not feeling good,” Constantine said. “His skin was pale, it was pasty, and he literally looked like a dead man walking.”

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

Biden looks on as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former President Trump on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“It was as if everything were in slow motion,” she continued. “His fingers and his lack of illustrators when he was talking, he was like a frozen statue up there on the stage. It really was painful to watch. [Trump] had a more serious demeanor. He didn’t make a lot of facial gestures as we normally see him do. He didn’t flash his great big smile at anybody. He was very serious when he walked out on the stage, and it really didn’t change at all through the entire debate.”

Constantine added, “It made Biden look exceptionally weak, and made Donald Trump exceptionally powerful.”

Biden’s campaign blamed the raspy voice on a cold, but the president’s uneven debate performance grabbed the vast majority of headlines from the debate, sparking a new round of calls from political pundits and some Democrats for the president to consider stepping aside as the party’s standard-bearer. 

But top Biden allies pushed back against such talk as they defended the president and targeted Trump for lying throughout the debate. 

Constantine says that it was clear that Biden had rehearsed many of his answers and went through his scripted answers very fast so as not to forget his lines. But when he did fail to recollect lines, it tripped him up, resulting in him giving long stares, oftentimes without blinking, which she describes as a “stalker stare.” 

“And the minute he forgot a couple of words, it was all over with, right, and then you could see that dropped mouth, and it was that dumbfounded look,” she explained. “His eyes would become very open and almost zombie-like. So he had that very flat stare in his eyes.”

MEDIA CALLS FOR BIDEN TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE AFTER ‘DISASTER’ CNN DEBATE PERFORMANCE: ‘IT’S OVER’

Biden and Trump debated in a high-stakes debate Thursday night and a body expert says their gestures told a lot about them. (Getty Images)

She also said Biden had too many cosmetic injections which physically prevented him from making proper expressions.

“He was really way too botoxed out, and that is a real problem because it can create some cognitive issues because when you shut down those emotions through facial effects, it can affect your brain,” Constantine explained. “It really almost felt abusive in my opinion, to literally allow him … [to] go through that kind of pressure knowing that he is in this high cognitive decline was to me, almost abusive.”

“And it was sad to watch. My heart broke,” she added. “I mean, literally, I could have cried watching him try to force these words out the best he could and it was just super hard to watch. The emotion that I felt, of sympathy, of empathy, because he just truly looked pathetic.”

Trump, on the other hand, showed discipline and commanded his stage space, Constantine said, adding that the lack of an audience played to Trump’s advantage as it kept him focused on the debate and not distracted.

She said Trump also used his hand movements to convey his messaging. He also expressed his emotions in his face, and said that when he is hurt or attacked, it is noticeable as his face droops downward in a sad gesture.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Trump used his hands to convey his point in the debate. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“He’s a big guy with big hands, right? And he captures the attention,” Constantine said. “He’s very big, and wide and open, and so everything in his gestures and in his movements are big and boisterous. His hands are no more than additional communicators of what he’s saying.”

Constantine said Trump used a chopping motion when he was serious and used an “okay” sign when he was concentrating on something that was really important. He also gave an “L” sign at ear level which she terms as “listen and learn” while he also moved his hands towards his chest as if he is playing an accordion. 

“[Trump’s gestures] are much more rapid and much more commanding, much more intense. But that goes along with his personality so it is in sync with his personality,” Constantine said. “We’ve seen politicians where their gestures are so synchronized and they’re so on point that it loses its authenticity. He left that window open so that he was able to gesture, stay within that balance, stay within the frame, connect with the audience, or on camera and not over gesture but just gesture enough to get his point across.” 

“Very powerful,” she added. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.  

Some members of the Fox News Digital focus group had a change of heart on how they planned to vote after watching the debate.

“Cognitive ability … this is the highest office, and for me, it’s very important that I trust the executive to understand and be cognitively competent,” one member of the focus group, who changed their support from President Biden to former President Donald after the debate, said of their reasoning.

The comments come after the first debate between Biden and Trump, who will square off in a rematch of the 2020 election.

BIDEN RIPPED FOR ‘OLD’ APPEARANCE, ‘WEAK’ VOICE DURING FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘DEEPLY ALARMING’

President Joe Biden speaks as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.  ((Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images); (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))

Biden, who has faced growing questions about his fitness to continue serving in the nation’s highest office, looked to dispel any notion that he lacked the physical and mental capacity for four more years as president. However, many critics point out that his performance only did more to deepen those fears among voters.

“From the very first moment, Biden looked old, hard to understand, confused, saying scary things, and just throwing mud,” Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow said shortly after the debate.

“I’ve lived four years with Trump, I lived three and a half years with [Biden]. I’ll take the other four.”

Those observations were shared by the Fox News Digital focus group, with one member saying that one only had to play back video of the debate to see why the night solidified his support for Trump.

TRUMP VOWS HE ‘WILL NOT BLOCK’ ABORTION PILLS OR MEDICATION IF ELECTED, SAYS HE BELIEVES IN ‘EXCEPTIONS’

“I’ve lived four years with Trump, I lived three and a half years with [Biden],” the member said. “I’ll take the other four.”

Overall, 10 of the 15 members of the group said they were supporting Trump after the debate.

Asked whether any moments for Biden stuck out, some respondents praised the president for his positions on taxes and childcare. Nevertheless, the group expressed concern overall when it comes to Biden’s ability to lead the country.

President Joe Biden speaks as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

“I don’t think anyone is going to remember anything he said tonight,” one member said. “They’re going to remember how he said it.”

For its part, the Biden campaign insists the debate was a net negative for Trump and helped make the case for the president.

“Based on research we conducted during tonight’s debate, it is clear that the more voters heard from Donald Trump, the more they remembered why they dislike him. Meanwhile, President Biden started slow but finished strong,” a Biden campaign official told Fox News Digital in an email early Friday morning. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Biden campaign referred to a “survey of undecided voters in a Midwest state” where “debate-watchers agreed that President Biden won the debate and the more they saw of Donald Trump’s erratic and vindictive behavior, the more they remembered why they voted against him in 2020.”

“Over the course of the night, Trump continued to double down on unpopular policy positions and petty and vindictive personal anecdotes, while refusing to address the issues that undecided voters actually care about,” the official added.

Republican voters flatlined after President Biden claimed that no troops have died under his watch – failing to acknowledge the service men and women who have died during his administration.

During a Fox News Digital focus group, Republicans, Democrats and Independents used dials to react live to President Biden’s claim during the presidential debate that no troops died under his watch.

“When he was president, they were still killing people in Afghanistan,” Biden said, referring to former President Donald Trump. “And he didn’t do anything about that.”

“When he was president, we were finding ourselves in a position where you had a notion that we were this safe country,” Biden said. “The truth is, I’m the only president this century, this decade, that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did.”

CNN FLASH POLL SHOWS TRUMP AS CLEAR WINNER OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘STUNNING NUMBER’

US President Joe Biden speaks as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

After his statement about the former president’s loss of military lives in Afghanistan, Democrats in the focus group reacted positively. 

Republicans and Independents reacted negatively, with the dial line plummeting. 

Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz in Kabul, Afghanistan the day he was killed by a suicide bomb attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport.  (Mark Schmitz)

Biden’s statement failed to acknowledge the 13 fallen service members who were killed during his administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal in Aug. 2021.

Thirteen U.S. service members, including 11 Marines, one Army special operations soldier, and one Navy corpsman, were killed in the bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

TRUMP RIPS BIDEN FOR NOT FIRING GENERALS AFTER BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: ‘INCOMPETENCE’

In Jan. 2024, U.S. Central Command confirmed that three U.S. service members were killed and at least 25 others were injured in a drone attack on an outpost in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border.

Two U.S. Navy SEALs, identified as Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers, 37, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram, 27, died while conducting a weapons transfer from Iran to Houthi rebels off the coast of Somalia.

MH-60S Seahawk helicopter performing routine flight operation, Atlantic Ocean, July 4, 2018. Five soliders died in a helicopter crash in Nov. 2023. (Image courtesy Petty Officer 3rd Class Thomas Gooley / USS Harry S Truman. Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Other U.S. service members have also died abroad in training incidents.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Five soldiers died in a helicopter crash in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in November 2023 during a routine refueling mission, and eight U.S. airmen died in a CV-22 Osprey crash in November 2023 in Yakushima Island, Japan.

President Joe Biden was praised by his wife on Thursday following his first presidential debate appearance despite a widely-criticized performance.

First Lady Jill Biden greeted her husband on stage at the debate after-party with a live audience, seeming to celebrate the mere fact that the president responded to moderators’ questions. 

“Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!” Jill Biden cheered to a smiling Joe Biden on-stage.

JILL BIDEN SAYS HUSBAND IS ‘ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE PRESIDENTS’ IN MODERN HISTORY ‘BECAUSE OF’ HIS AGE

Biden and First Lady Jill Biden speak to supporters at a watch party for the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta, Georgia. Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump faced off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign.  (Tasos Katopodis/Tasos Katopodis)

“And let me ask the crowd. “What did Trump do?” the first lady continued, turning to the audience and gesturing before shouting “Lie!”

The moment has gone viral since the debate, with many articles reporting on Jill Biden’s manner of speaking being reminiscent of praising a child.

Biden’s performance at the debate has been almost universally panned by commentators due to his inarticulate speaking and unstable demeanor.

BIDEN’S ‘DISASTER’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE SPARKS MEDIA MELTDOWN, CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW FROM 2024 RACE

Jill Biden greets her husband’s supporters at the campaign’s watch party for the CNN Presidential Debate. (Tasos Katopodis/Tasos Katopodis)

Repeated stammering, long periods of silence and facial expressions that conveyed intense confusion have convinced some of Biden’s loudest cheerleaders that the president must step down from the re-election campaign.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a longtime Biden ally, wrote the debate “made me weep” and realize Biden should step aside.

“I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime — precisely because of what it revealed: Joe Biden, a good man and a good president, has no business running for re-election,” he wrote.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Bidens can be seen walking with Mayor of Durham Leonardo Williams (R) upon arrival at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

CNN commentator Van Jones, who cried for joy when Biden won the 2020 presidential election, offered an emotional plea for the president to step aside.

“I love that guy as a good man. He loves his country. He’s doing the best that he can. But he had a test to meet tonight, to restore confidence of the country and of the base, and he failed to do that,” Jones said. “And I think there’s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now.”

Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.

Heated exchanges ensued between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday night, as the two rivals went head-to-head during their second debate since 2020. 

Illegal immigration, abortion, and inflation were among the top issues on the debate stage, as well as climate change and the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars.

The debate comes as Biden and Trump are the frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican parties respectively. This is the first televised debate between the candidates for this election cycle and a second hosted by ABC is scheduled to be held in September. 

Trump did not participate in the Republican primary debates, while the Democratic National Convention (DNC) threw its full support behind Biden and did not hold any debates among his challengers.

BIDEN CAMP DODGES ANSWERING IF PRESIDENT PLANS TO USE PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS BEFORE DEBATE

President Biden and former President Trump.  ((AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson and Evan Vucci))

Here are the top clashes from Thursday’s debate:

1. “I really don’t know what he said,” Trump-Biden immigration clash

When CNN moderator Jake Tapper asked President Joe Biden to inform voters why he can curb the record-high numbers of illegal migrants crossing the border during Thursday night’s debate, Biden and Trump sparred over their immigration policies, which ended in Biden calling Trump a “liar” and Trump appearing to not understand a portion of Biden’s responses.

After touting Congress’s bipartisan border package that lawmakers bucked earlier this year, Biden said “we find ourselves in a situation where when he was president, he was separating babies from their mothers put them in cages, making sure that the families were separated.”

“That’s not the right way to go. What I’ve done since I’ve changed the law, what’s happened? I’ve changed it in a way that now you’re in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally, that’s better than when he left office. And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we can do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said.

But Trump, appearing to not understand Biden, responded: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

“Look, we had the safest border in the history of our country,” Trump continued. “All he had to do was leave it, all he had to do was to leave it. He decided to open up our border, open up our country, to people that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists – we have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now.”

TRUMP, BIDEN SPAR OVER GOLF HANDICAPS AS THEY TRY TO CONVINCE VOTERS THEY ARE NOT TOO OLD FOR THE PRESIDENCY

US President Joe Biden speaks as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (Getty Images)

2. ‘Alley cat morals,’ Trump-Biden clash over Stormy Daniels allegations

Biden accused former President Trump of “having sex with a porn star” and said he has “the morals of an alley cat,” but the presumptive Republican nominee maintained that he did not, and accused Biden of being behind his legal cases because “he can’t win fair and square.” 

“How many billions of dollars do you owe civil penalties for molesting a woman in public? For doing a whole range of things—having sex with a porn star…while your wife was pregnant?” Biden said. “You have the morals of an alley cat during the night, sir.” 

Trump fired back denying the allegations.

“I didn’t have sex with a porn star, number one,” he said. “Number two, that was a case that was started, and they moved a high-ranking official—DOJ—into the Manhattan DA’s office to start the case.” 

Trump was referring to Matthew Colangelo, who served as a senior DOJ official in the Biden administration, and left to join Bragg’s prosecution team. 

3. ‘I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelinsky as President-Elect before I take office,’ Trump-Biden spar over Ukraine-Russia war

Trump threw several jabs at Biden for giving billions of dollars to Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy to continue its defense against the Russian invasion that began in February 2022 and said if elected, he’d have the war “settled” before taking office.

“He’s given $200 billion, that’s a lot of money,” Trump said. “I don’t think there’s ever been anything like it. Every time that Zelinsky comes to this country. He walks away with $60 billion. He’s the greatest salesman ever.”

“The money that we’re spending on this war, we shouldn’t be spending. It should have never happened. I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelinsky as President-Elect before I take office on January 20. I’ll have that war settled. People being killed so needlessly, so stupidly and I will get it settled, and I’ll get it settle fast before I take office.”

In response, the current president said, “The fact is that Putin is a war criminal.”

“He’s killed 1000s and 1000s of people and he has made one thing clear, he wants to reestablish what was part of the Soviet empire, not just a piece, he wants all of Ukraine,” he said.

“By the way, all that money we give Ukraine from weapons we make here in the United States, give them the weapons, not the money at this point, and I made our NATO allies produce as much funding for Ukraine as we have – that’s why it’s that’s why we’re strong,” he said. 

A RASPY BIDEN GETS OFF TO A HALTING START AGAINST TRUMP IN THE FIRST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATE

This composite image shows President Biden, former President Trump and the southern border. ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert and Fox News))

4. Trump-Biden spar over cognitive abilities, golf handicaps: ‘You are a child’

During the CNN Presidential Debate, CNN moderator Dana Bash presented the age Biden and Trump would be at the end of a potential second term.

Biden would be 86. Trump would be 82. 

Biden defended his age, saying he “spent half my career being criticized about being the youngest person in politics. I was the second-youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate, and now I’m the oldest. This guy is three years younger and a lot less competent.” 

But Trump reminded that he has taken two cognitive tests. 

“I aced both of them, as you know, we made it public. He took none. I’d like to see him take one. Just want a real easy one,” Trump said. 

Trump, an avid golfer, said Thursday night that he recently “won two club championships—not even senior—two regular club championships.” 

“To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way and I do it,” Trump said. “He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match—he can’t hit a ball 50 yards.” 

“I’ve seen you swing. I know your swing,” Trump fiered back. “Let’s not act like children.” 

But Biden replied: “You are a child.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Debate dial shows Democratic voters react favorably towards Biden’s comments on the economy.   (Fox News Digital)

5. Biden-Trump exchange jabs over criminal records

While Biden reminded Trump that the “only person” that has a felony record on the debate stage is Trump, the former president said “when he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon.”

“At a very high level, his son is convicted,” Trump said, adding that he’d seek “retribution,” referring to a potential November election victory. 

“As soon as he gets out of office, Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done,” he continued. “He’s done horrible things, all of the death caused at the border, telling the Ukrainian people that we’re gonna want a billion dollars if you change the prosecutor, otherwise, you’re not getting a billion dollars. If i ever said that, that’s quid pro quo.”

“This man is a criminal. This man, you’re lucky, you’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We have a system that was rigged and disgusting,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Biden pushed back at the idea that he has done any wrongdoing “is outrageous.”

“It’s simply a lie,” Biden responded. “Number two, the idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American just because you’re president is wrong. No president has ever spoken like that before. No president in our history has spoken like that before.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

President Biden and former President Trump’s tense Thursday night match-up was the first debate since 1960 to not feature a live audience.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson told Axios earlier this week that he was aiming for “an absolutely classic debate,” similar to the first-ever televised debate between former Presidents Kennedy and Nixon in 1960. 

It was one of several details that spurred comparisons online between the CNN Presidential Debate and the historically significant first debate between Kennedy and Nixon.

Political commentator S.E. Cupp wrote on X, “Maybe the most consequential debate since Nixon/Kennedy?”

TRUMP LEADING BIDEN AHEAD OF CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, SUPPORT FROM BLACK VOTERS WAY UP SINCE 2020: POLL

President Biden, left, and former President Trump speak at the CNN Presidential Debate. (Getty Images)

Nixon, who had just spent the better part of a decade as vice president in the Eisenhower administration, had led then-young Sen. John F. Kennedy in most national polls ahead of the event, according to the National Constitution Center.

However, Kennedy’s team took a more media-savvy approach, accepting an invitation for a media walkthrough before the event and opting for wearing makeup for the cameras, according to reports.

Nixon, feeling the toll of both the intense campaign trail and a recent hospital stay, appeared tired and unhealthy. 

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: HOW MUCH DID THE DEBT GROW UNDER BIDEN AND TRUMP’S TERMS?

It was the first debate without a live audience since the first televised debate in 1960. (Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

It was widely reported that people who watched the debate on television thought Kennedy won, and people who listened to it on the radio thought Nixon won. Kennedy went on to win the election by a narrow margin.

RealClearPolitics elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich made the comparison to Thursday’s debate on X.

“The modern version of the Nixon-Kennedy debate: People who only read the transcript will think Biden won, people who watch or listen will think Trump won,” he wrote.

THE MANY FACES OF DONALD TRUMP FROM PAST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

From left to right, Senator John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963), Don Hewitt of CBS News and Vice President Richard M. Nixon (1913 -1994) at the first televised presidential debate on Sept. 26, 1960. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

Others also compared Biden to Nixon after the 81-year-old president appeared tired and sometimes unfocused while sparring with his rival on screen.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Former Trump 2020 campaign aide Tim Murtaugh wrote on X, “It’s funny. They say that people who listened to Kennedy and Nixon debate on the radio thought Nixon won because he spoke well and made good arguments. But people who watched on TV thought Kennedy won because he looked better.”

“Biden lost both groups tonight,” he added.

ATLANTA – With the first presidential debate in their 2024 election rematch now in the rearview mirror, President Biden and former President Trump stay in the South as they hold rallies in states they’re aiming to flip come November.

Following their face-to-face on-stage showdown at the CNN Presidential Debate Thursday night in Atlanta, Georgia – where Biden struggled with a raspy voice and delivered halting answers – the president heads to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he’ll hold a rally Friday in a state he lost to Trump by a razor-thin margin in 2020.

Trump, whom pundits declared the winner of the debate, will be rallying Friday in Virginia, which he lost by 10 points four years ago.

A RASPY BIDEN DELIVERS A HALTING DEBATE PERFORMANCE

It’s been two decades since a Republican carried Virginia in the race for the White House. 

You have to go back to then-President George W. Bush, who won the Commonwealth in his 2004 re-election victory.

But recent polling indicates a close contest.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLL IN VIRGINIA 

A Fox News poll conducted June 1-4 indicated the Democratic president and his Republican predecessor in the White House each with 48% support in a head-to-head match.

In a multi-candidate race, Biden stands at 42% and Trump at 41%, with Democrat-turned-independent Robert K. Kennedy at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 2%.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

University of Lynchburg political science professor Dave Richards, asked about the apparently deadlocked race in his state, said “politics down here are in a confused state and I think that’s being reflected in the polling, where there’s not a clear front-runner.”

At a closed-door Republican National Committee retreat for top-dollar donors earlier this spring at a resort in Palm Beach, Florida, senior Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and veteran pollster Tony Fabrizio spotlighted internal surveys that suggested both “Minnesota & Virginia are clearly in play.”

“In both states, Donald Trump finds himself in positions to flip key electoral votes in his favor,” the survey, which was shared with Fox News, emphasizes. 

And according to a memo from the Trump campaign obtained last week by Fox News, the former president’s team is aiming to open 8 offices in Minnesota and 11 in Virginia and hire staff to manage the new locations.

THIS REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SAYS HIS STATE IS IN PLAY IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia agrees, at least when it comes to his state.

A couple of days ahead of the Fox News poll’s release, the governor said in a Fox News Digital interview that “we’re here in June and there’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but Virginia looks like it’s in play and that’s pretty exciting.”

Former President Donald Trump and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin meet for the first time in June 2024. (Trump Campaign)

Youngkin will join Trump at Friday’s rally at the historic Greenbriar Farms in Chesapeake, Virginia.

The governor’s appearance will likely spark more speculation about Youngkin as a possible running mate. The two politicians met in person two weeks for the first time ever, as they discussed flipping Virginia in the autumn election.

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP

When asked in a recent interview with Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie about Youngkin, Trump said he’s “great” and “I think I could consider it.”

Biden on Friday will be in Raleigh, North Carolina’s capital city. The Biden campaign said that the president and First Lady Jill Biden will be joined by “Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist Fat Joe, in addition to multi-platinum musician and entrepreneur E-40.”

The president lost the state by just 74,000 votes four years ago. The latest polls in the state indicate Trump with a mid-single digit advantage.

As he aims to be the first Democrat since former President Obama in 2008 to carry North Carolina, he’s beefed up his campaign’s footprint in the state and flooded the airwaves with ads.

President Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks on his economic plan during a visit to Abbotts Creek Community Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Biden’s stop next week will be his fourth so far this year in North Carolina, which has seen a surge of new residents since the 2020 election that potentially may benefit the Democratic incumbent.

“I think with the fact that only 75K votes differentiated between Trump and Biden, and the fact that registered Republicans have a higher turnout rate than registered Democrats, I think Biden’s campaign sees the opportunity,” Michael Bitzer, chair of the politics department at Catawba College.

But Bitzer emphasized “it’s an opportunity only if they invest in the ground operations to make that turnout work.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

There were several heated moments and pointed jabs during the first 2024 presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump on Thursday night. 

Discussing a variety of topics, including immigration and the border, the war in Israel, and abortion, the candidates managed to land some punches and challenge one another on their respective records. 

CNN FLASH POLL SHOWS TRUMP AS CLEAR WINNER OF FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘STUNNING NUMBER’

Here are the top five moments from the presidential debate, which was hosted by CNN.

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

1. ‘I didn’t have sex with a porn star’

During the debate, Biden hit Trump over the various criminal cases he is involved in, including the New York trial that ended with Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records. The records were related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who Trump allegedly had an affair with. However, Trump shot back at Biden, claiming, “I didn’t have sex with a porn star.”

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN BIDEN, TRUMP WAS FESTIVAL OF THE UNPRECEDENTED

2. Trump slams Biden Afghanistan withdrawal 

“He was so bad with Afghanistan,” Trump claimed during the debate, calling it “such a horrible embarrassment.” 

“He should have fired those generals like I fired the one that you mentioned, and so he’s got no love lost, but he should have fired those generals,” he added. “No general got fired for the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, Afghanistan, where we left billions of dollars of equipment behind. We lost 13 beautiful soldiers and 38 soldiers were obliterated.”

TRUMP RIPS BIDEN FOR NOT FIRING GENERALS AFTER BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL: ‘INCOMPETENCE’

3. Biden denies wrongdoing, calling it ‘outrageous’

The president slammed Trump’s claims he could be prosecuted, brushing it off as “outrageous.” 

“Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done,” Trump claimed. 

 “This man is a criminal. This man — you’re lucky. You’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We’d have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,” he added. 

Biden shot back, “the idea that I did anything wrong is outrageous.”

TRUMP’S CLEAR-CUT DEBATE VICTORY OVER BIDEN RAISES AWKWARD QUESTION ABOUT 2024 CAMPAIGN

4. Biden says he is ‘not for a late-term abortion — period’

Biden pushed back on Trump after the former president said he would allow late term abortions to occur.

“So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth? Because some states Democrat-run take it after birth. The former governor of Virginia: ‘put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it.’ So, he’s willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. Nobody wants that to happen — Democrat or Republican. Nobody wants that to happen,” Trump said. 

But Biden claimed, “You’re lying. That is simply not true.” 

According to the president, he is “not for a late-term abortion — period. Period.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

5. Trump claims Biden ‘has become like a Palestinian’

While discussing Israel’s war with terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, Trump slammed Biden, who he said doesn’t want to let Israel “finish the job.”

“He’s become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one,” he said. 

“I’ve never heard so much foolishness,” Biden responded.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Democrats wholeheartedly reacted favorably to President Biden’s remarks on how he wants to tackle the economy, according to a focus group that offered their approval in real time during Thursday’s presidential debate, according to a Fox News Digital focus group. 

The group of Republicans, Democrats and Independents used dials to react live to the beginning of the debate where Biden argued that his economic record was not worse than former President Trump’s.

“Let’s look at what I was left with when I became president. What Mr. Trump left me,” Biden said. “We had an economy that was in freefall. The pandemic was so badly handled. Many people were dying.” 

BIDEN RIPPED FOR ‘OLD’ APPEARANCE, ‘WEAK’ VOICE DURING FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ‘DEEPLY ALARMING’

Democrats reacted positively to President Biden’s remarks on the economy during Thursday’s presidential debate.  (Fox News Digital)

“The economy collapsed. There were no jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 15%” added Biden. “We’re in a situation where if you take a look at all that was done in his administration, he didn’t do much at all. By the time he left, things were in chaos.”

Democrats in the focus group agreed with the president, as opposed to Republicans and Independents, who went in the completely opposite direction. 

The Republicans in the focus group nearly unanimously disagreed with Biden’s view on the Trump economy. 

During the debate, both men sparred over inflation, with Biden saying Trump’s economy was so bad, there was no room for price increases that many Americans have had to live with in the past few years. 

TRUMP VOWS HE ‘WILL NOT BLOCK’ ABORTION PILLS OR MEDICATION IF ELECTED, SAYS HE BELIEVES IN ‘EXCEPTIONS’

The debate dial appears during the debate between President Biden and former President Trump.  (Fox News Digital)

Democrats also agreed with Biden’s criticism of Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approval by Republicans and Independents trended downward.

Independents, however, seemed to agree somewhat when Biden said he wanted to cap “corporate greed” to lower prices of necessities like gas, groceries, prescription drugs  and housing. 

“There’s more to be done,” he said. “Working-class people are still in trouble. The combination that I was left with and corporate is the reason why we’re in this problem right now.”

President Biden and former President Trump debated on Thursday night.  (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We’re working to bring down the price around the kitchen table and that’s what we’re going to get done,” he added. 

Following the conclusion of the CNN Presidential Debate, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., fired back at reporters when asked if he would support the idea of replacing President Biden.

“I would never turn my back on President Biden. Never turn my back on President Biden. I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back,” Newsom said.

“We run, not the 90-yard dash. We are all in. We’re going to double down in the next few months. We’re going to win this election,” he continued.

When questioned about Biden’s performance, Newsom said he cared about “the substance.”

ADAM CAROLLA SAYS HE’S LEAVING ‘HORRIBLE’ CALIFORNIA, PANS ‘SOCIOPATHIC’ NEWSOM: ‘SLIPPERY EEL OF NOTHINGNESS’

Left: President Biden. Right: California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Getty Images)

“How about the substance? I care about the substance. I care about the substance,” Newsom said without explaining what he meant. 

Newsom assured reporters that he was not going to turn his back on the president and was confident he was fit to be the country’s leader.

“I spent a lot of time with him. I know Joe Biden, I know what he’s accomplished in the last three and a half years. I know what he’s capable of. And I have no trepidations,” Newsom said.

ROGAN SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS ‘SETTING UP GAVIN NEWSOM’ FOR 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN AMID BIDEN SCANDALS

Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, photographed with President Biden, have been married since 2008. (David McNew)

Leading up to the debate, rumors continued to swirl that Newsom, a possible candidate for president in 2028, had been tapped as a Biden surrogate leading up to the November presidential election.

Back in February, podcast host Joe Rogan speculated the Democratic Party was preparing to swap out Biden with Newsom on the 2024 presidential ticket. 

“Don’t you think that that’s a ruse, him running for president?” Rogan asked, later arguing, “I think they’re gonna get rid of him, I think they’re gonna move him out, they’re gonna force him to step down. That’s what I think.”

GAVIN NEWSOM ‘WANTS TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT’ IN 2024, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST SAYS

Gov. Gavin Newsom with President Joe Biden (Getty Images)

Following the debate, Newsom brushed off concerns about Biden’s performance, saying “we’ve all had those nights” and that the president has repeatedly pushed through concerns about his age.

“He never gives up. He’s never giving up, fighting for us, fighting for democracy, our future kids, our grandkids. So we’ve got to have this back in this respect. And yeah, I hope he does come back, and I hope he is back on the stage in another debate,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner in a post-debate interview.

When pressed if he was “ready to take on Donald Trump,” hinting that he could be a potential replacement for Biden, Newsom again denied the rumors and gave his full support to the president.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Absolutely not. I will never turn my back. That’s my personal point of view. I do not know one Democrat that would do that,” Newsom said. 

Fox News Digital’ Alexander Hall contributed to this report.