Who could replace Joe Biden? Reaction to Trump v Biden debate - as Democrats 'shocked' by 'car crash' performance (2024)

Democrats watched the start of the debate through their fingers, says US correspondent James Matthews.

Joe Biden looked stiff, often turning away from the camera, rather than delivering the energy and stamina needed to demonstrate he has the capacity to continue in high office.

Matthews said the president failed to provide an excuse to undecided Americans looking to avoid voting for Trump.

"It was Joe Biden at his worst. Losing the thread, unable to finish his sentences and looking every day of his 81 years," said Matthews.

"That compared to Donald Trump, who told untruths on the night, not for the first time, but did so confidently."

The New York Times counted more than 20 false statements made by Trump.

The debate moderators had difficulty pinning him down on the insurrection and accepting the results of this election, said Matthews.

Together, the majority of Americans feel Biden v Trump presents the worst choice they could have, he said.

"The difficulty for Joe Biden, if there was a part of the electorate looking for an excuse not to vote for Donald Trump, the people in the middle, then Joe Biden didn't give that to them.

"He needed a big performance tonight, he needed energy and stamina to demonstrate that he has the capacity to continue in high office. He didn't deliver."

Watch a special programme with more reaction to the US presidential debate on The World With Yalda Hakim on Sky News from 6pm tonight.

There is a potential "loophole" which could allow Joe Biden's party to replace him in November's presidential election.

But such an outcome is still "highly unlikely".

There are ways to replace a nominee if they die, resign or are incapacitated, but President Biden won the Democratic state primaries earlier this year, winning virtually all the delegates.

Democrats are now set to go through the customary process of rubberstamping his nomination at the Democratic National Convention on 19 August.

But the "loophole" allows the party to act if "in all good conscience" its actions "reflect the sentiments of those who elected them".

So if concerns about his performance and mental acuity reach critical level this could be a way forward.

Read more on the process below...

A Democratic strategist has called for the party to replace Joe Biden and named three potential alternatives.

Theryn Bond told Sky News California governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer could be candidates, but the "mostly likely replacement" is Vice President Kamala Harris.

But the strategist said she could not deliver a victory for the party because the US was "not ready" for a Black woman to be president.

"Unfortunately as much as I want the US to be ready for Black woman to be president, they are not ready," she said.

"This country is not ready. This country is too divisive, unfortunately, we're just not there. I don't think she would be the one to take the Democratic Party to victory."

Without a replacement, the country will be forced to choose between a convicted felon and "somebody in mental decline", she said.

She added: "What we saw was mental acuity being diminished in real time and that's very sad when you know what someone's professional trajectory looks like and then you see a decline in real time."

When asked at the debate whether he would urge Joe Biden to end his campaign, Mr Newsom said no, appearing to rule out a challenge.

Watch a special programme with more reaction to the US presidential debate on The World With Yalda Hakim on Sky News from 6pm tonight.

Joe Biden's debate performance was among the worst by any presidential candidate in history, if not the worst, our US correspondentMartha Kelnerwrote in the aftermath.

She said she was "literally gripping the sides of my seat at times it was so excruciating".

Here are all the ways it went wrong for the president, according to her analysis.

Damning verdicts from Democrats

It was an "unmitigated disaster", "a meltdown", and "a slow-motion car crash".

Those are not descriptors from Republican voters, they are the words of Democrats. Even former aides of President Biden admit it was a really horrible night for him.

Biden's best self failed to reappear

Team Biden hoped to seeState of the Union Joeon the stage, when the president gave a slick, impassioned and well-delivered speech.

Right from the start it became apparent this would be an entirely different version of him. His voice was hoarse, he was stumbling and there were long pregnant pauses.

Age fears dominated

Kelner was struck by how much older Biden looked than the last time he was in the same room as Donald Trump four years ago.

"We finally beat Medicare," he said with a misspeak that is sure to go viral, a sentence that does not make sense and was pounced upon byDonald Trump.

Open goals missed

Biden was asked by the debate moderator about abortion, one of the strongest issues for the Democratic Party, a subject where he has the opportunity to really nail Donald Trump to the wall.

He somehow managed to ramble his way off-topic to talk about immigration, one of his biggest vulnerabilities. It was an open goal missed in spectacular style.

A trivial focus on golf

The debate descended near the end into a row between two senior citizens about who had a lower golf handicap and who could drive the ball further.

It summed up the quality, or lack thereof, of this debate. It might have been funny if it weren't so depressing for American voters.

A gamble gone wrong

It is hard to believe that President Biden fought for this debate at this time, the earliest there has ever been.

His team calculated that, given he was trailing Trump in the polls and there were growing questions about his age and vitality, it was a risk worth taking.

But it was a huge gamble, given that this format is so exposing on the national stage. It could well be a gamble they come to regret.

Even those who want to see Joe Biden replaced doubt it is possible and aren't certain who would replace him, our NBC colleagues report.

If the president doesn't step down voluntarily, delegates pledged for Mr Biden would have to revolt at the Democratic National Convention.

Under the party's primary voting system, Democrats in each state have voted indirectly for their favourite presidential nominee by sending delegates to the convention with instructions on how to cast votes on their behalf.

David Axelrod, a key adviser behind Barack Obama's successful presidential campaigns, said Mr Biden wouldn't be inclined to leave the race.

"This is a guy with a lot of pride... who believes in himself," he told CNN.

Biden allies have dismissed the idea of change, with a potential alternative, governor Gavin Newsom, rejecting the idea the president should end the campaign.

Nonetheless, some Democrats expect calls to oust Mr Biden to grow.

"The chatter of replacement is absolutely going to explode," a veteran Democratic strategist told NBC.

"There is no coming back from this disaster."

Watch a special programme with more reaction to the US presidential debate on The World With Yalda Hakim on Sky News from 6pm tonight.

After the debate, a new one is raging about whether President Joe Biden should carry on with seeking a second term in November's election.

Political figures and commentators are openly talking about and even calling for replacing Mr Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.

It's "time to talk about an open convention and a new Democratic nominee," one Democratic politician told Sky's US partner network NBC News.

Another said: "This was like a champion boxer who gets in the ring past his prime and needs his corner to throw in the towel."

They added that he meant Mr Biden should exit the race.

Read more in our story recapping last night's debate below...

Welcome back to our live coverage of the fallout of the first TV debate.

Joe Biden's uneven performance, particularly early in the debate, has crystallised the concerns of many Americans that, at 81, he is too old to serve as president.

Although Donald Trump is just three years younger, it has sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat to consider stepping aside as the party's nominee.

We'll be bringing you live updates, reactions and analysis on the impact of the head-to-head clash.

That's all for our live coverage of the first TV debate in this year's US election campaign.

It proved to be a testy evening, with both candidates - notably Donald Trump - repeating false claims, and Joe Biden stuttering regularly.

On Mr Biden, US correspondent Martha Kelner said it might have been the worst performance from any candidate in a presidential debate ever.

The president fired shots at Donald Trump's criminal record, his alleged "suckers and losers" comments and his "malarkey" on the war in Ukraine.

In turn, Mr Trump took aim at Mr Biden's age, his record as president and his son's recent legal troubles.

It culminated in the pair squabbling about who was better at golf.

You can read about the debate as it happened by scrolling below, or check out our full reporthere...

Vice president Kamala Harris has said Joe Biden had a "slow start but a strong finish" in the debate.

Speaking to CNN, she said: "I'm not going to spend tonight talking about the last 90 minutes, I'm going to talk about the last three and a half years of performance."

Donald Trump has reminded people why they fired him four years ago, the chair of Joe Biden's re-election campaign has said.

Issuing a post-debate statement, Jen O'Malley said Mr Trump offered a "dark and backwards window" into what the US would look like if he was back in the White House.

She praised Mr Biden's performance, saying he presented a "positive and winning vision" for the future.

"Trump's performance tonight reminded the American people why they fired him four years ago, and reinforced just how high the stakes are this November for the future of our country," she added.