(FeaturedHeadlines.com) Democrats would vote for US President Joe Biden even if he were in a nursing home, former Democratic US Congressman Charles Rangel said. Rangel was critical of Biden’s performance in a June 27 debate against Republican challenger Donald Trump, although he declined to entirely disavow Biden.
Rangel said that he has never been more “shocked and embarrassed” by a presidential debate performance than he was by Biden’s. Biden appeared confused and unaware of where he even was at times, Rangel said.
However, Rangel noted that Biden appeared more articulate during remarks the day after the debate. Rangel questioned where the well-spoken version of Biden was on the day of the debate. Sources close to Biden said that he suffered from a cold heading into the debate.
Nevertheless, Biden’s poor debate performance sparked concerns among some Democrats about his viability as a candidate, raising questions about whether the party should replace him with an alternative nominee. The Biden campaign has denied having discussed replacing him.
Rangel said that he would not object to Biden and Trump taking cognitive tests—an idea floated by Trump during the debate. Trump claims to have “aced” two cognitive tests, while Biden declined to take one during his most recent physical.
Biden, 81, is the oldest US president in history and would be 86 by the end of a possible second term as president. Trump, 78, would be 82 at the end of a second term. Biden and Trump also argued about their respective physical capabilities during the debate by comparing their golfing abilities.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not allowed to participate in the first debate. The 70-year-old claims that he could have beat Biden and Trump in a debate, despite having suffered from brain worms. Kennedy instead broadcasted his own response to debate questions.
It is unclear how the second presidential debate will play out, including whether Biden will even be the nominee at that point, but it is clear that he will need to put on a better performance to restore confidence in his campaign and leadership.
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