Looking to rebound from debate, Biden in Raleigh declares: ‘I know how to do this job’

President Joe Biden delivered the speech, Friday afternoon, in Raleigh, that many political pundits said he needed following Thursday night’s debate against former President Donald Trump.

At a campaign rally that had become a high-pressure, can-he-do-the-job crucible, Biden needed to reassure his supporters he was up to the challenge.

And for Simone Fine, a Democrat from Durham, this speech did just that.

“I feel like his performance this afternoon was the performance that I wish he had done last night,” she said. “It was good, it was vital, it was firm.”

It was in sharp contrast to his Thursday night appearance, where he came across as weak, with his voice hoarse, often hard to hear and his thoughts sometimes meandering and his sentences trailing off.

Fine felt better after seeing the energy Biden brought to Friday’s rally at the Jim Graham building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. The campaign said 2,000 people attended the mid-day event.

But Fine said she worries the optics of the debate, watched by 48 million people, will dissuade voters from giving him a second term.

And to Fine, the office is about more than just the president — it’s also about the people who surround him.

“On the whole, Joe Biden surrounds himself with people that I think are doing good things for the country,” Fine said. “I don’t agree with everything he does, but I don’t think I am going to agree with everything that anyone does.”

Biden also gave hope to Alex Knott, a Raleigh resident, who said she didn’t come into the rally feeling that way.

“I don’t know what happened last night, but he just seemed to be on top of his game (Friday) — he was very coherent with everything he said,” Knott said.

And Chuck Mihaliak, an Apex resident, was willing to look past Biden’s age.

“Obviously he’s 81, but I think he’s decent, he’s smart, he knows what the country needs and I think he’ll keep us on the right track,” Mihaliak said.

As for Joselyn Holt McCall, a public school teacher in the Triangle, she was focused on what Biden has done for Americans.

Her support comes due to his policies on education and women’s reproductive rights.

And, she said, she benefited from the president’s public service loan forgiveness plan.

“I would have been in debt for the rest of my life,” she said.

One person in the audience was turned off by Biden’s campaign team.

Roger Ehrlich, the son of a Holocaust survivor, told The News & Observer that event staff removed him from the rally because he wore a shirt that said “Jews say ceasefire now.”

And his removal may have cost Biden a vote.

Ehrlich said he was not disruptive and that he was cheering and clapping along with the crowd.

“By expressing my First Amendment with the words on my T-shirt, there might be more support among Democrats and more pressure on leaders to represent the majority who support a ceasefire,” Ehrlich said.

He said he’s not sure how he’ll vote in November, but that this experience has made him “more upset” with the Democrats.

And that impacted people around Ehrlich.

“I told the organizer that he’s causing more disruption than (Ehrlich),” rally attendee Stuart Ginsberg said.

Ginsberg, otherwise, thought Biden’s rally performance was noticeably different from Thursday’s debate.

The president was more enthusiastic, he said.

Responding to debate performance

Biden was coming off more than a 12-hour news cycle criticizing his performance on stage Thursday night at a debate, hosted by CNN.

For his part, Biden took to the stage and addressed the debate, avowing that he could still do the job of president.

“I know I’m not a young man,” Biden said. “I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong and I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.

“And I know like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up,” Biden said.

Democrats needed the president’s speech in Raleigh, his first public event since leaving Atlanta, to be solid and full of energy.

Judging by the reaction from his crowd of supporters, that’s what he delivered.

“I give you my word as a Biden that I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I could do this job,” Biden said. “The stakes are too high.”

He then talked about how “dangerous” Trump is to the country and to democracy.

Biden’s speech was met by cheers and chants of “four more years” from the crowd.

“I give you my word as a Biden that we’re still a nation that that believes in honesty and decency and treating people with respect,” Biden said.

“Donald Trump will destroy democracy and I will defend it,” Biden said. “So folks, are you with me?”

Biden in Raleigh Rally Live Updates

Here are earlier updates from Friday’s rally:

1:30 p.m.:

President Joe Biden took to the stage in Raleigh Friday bringing the energy Democrats had hoped to see him display Thursday night in a debate against former President Donald Trump.

The high-stakes appearance at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds marks the president’s first appearance since he faltered on the debate stage, leading some political watchers to say he needed to end his campaign.

But on Friday afternoon, was alert, spoke loudly and his sentences didn’t trail off like the night before. Though with a reported sore throat, he occasionally let out a cough.

He articulated why he believes he’s a better president than Trump and said Trump lied repeatedly during the debate. Among Biden’s complaints against his predecessor was that Trump has “no respect for women and the law.” He also discussed Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 riots.

He told the crowd that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has been a great governor and that voters now need to elect Attorney General Josh Stein to succeed him as governor. Both men spoke earlier in the rally.

He also said he wouldn’t promise not to steal Cooper away from North Carolina when he’s reelected. Cooper is only allowed to serve two-consecutive terms as governor, meaning he couldn’t run again in 2024.

Biden’s speech he was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, whom he ignored.

One yelled, “You’re funding a genocide.” Each time, the crowd drowned out the yells by chanting “four more years!”

First lady Jill Biden spoke before her husband, and also was interrupted by a protester, who was escorted out of the building.

Jill Biden, unfazed, told the crowd, “Joe has helped heal our country,” and said he is a “president with integrity.”

She then welcomed to the stage Eric Fitts, a public school educator who was among those whose student loans were forgiven by Biden.

“Last night I watched with pride as President Biden won the debate and put forward a clear vision for making life better for our families,” Fitts said.

1 p.m.:

Gov. Roy Cooper burst on stage in Raleigh at a rally for President Joe Biden, full of the energy Democrats hoped to see from Biden during a debate against former President Donald Trump Thursday night.

Now all eyes are on Biden’s campaign rally to see if he can redeem himself after a performance that had some people asking whether he should end his campaign.

But Cooper was clearly not counting out Biden.

“This election is not just about what kind of president we want to have,” Cooper said. “This election is about what kind of country we want to be.”

He then asked if supporters want to have Trump’s America to which the crowd shouted back, “No.”

“Can we beat Donald Trump right here and now and deny him the presidency? Of course we can,” Cooper said.

Cooper added that “when the fate of our country was hanging in the balance” under Trump’s presidency, Biden “saved this nation.”

Moments later, Biden and first lady Jill Biden joined Cooper on stage.

12:30 p.m.:

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democratic candidate for governor, took the stage in Raleigh to warm up the crowd ahead of President Joe Biden, who is making his first appearance after Thursday night’s debate left some political pundits saying Biden needs to end his campaign.

This is the second appearance by Stein at a Biden event this election cycle, an indication of how strongly Democrats are trying to rally around the president Friday.

Stein spoke to supporters just before 12:30 p.m.

Among other policy areas, Stein said he wants North Carolina to be a place “where our teachers are well-paid” — which garnered cheers and chants of “Josh! Josh! Josh!” from the crowd.

Stein also said, as governor, he would veto “any further restrictions on reproductive freedom.”

“These freedoms and so much more is on the line this November,” Stein said. “And the choice could not be clearer.”

When Stein mentioned his opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the crowd loudly booed.

“His vision is one of division and hate,” Stein said, referencing Robinson’s history of divisive rhetoric against teachers and the LGBTQ+ community, among other groups.

“Friends, we must deny him the governorship,” Stein said.

Stein also called on voters to break the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly, gain seats on the Council of State and keep Biden in the White House.

Gov. Roy Cooper is also at the rally.

12:15 p.m.:

Elected officials are beginning to gather at President Joe Biden’s first public appearance since Thursday night’s debate with former President Donald Trump, which left many political pundits asking whether Biden should end his campaign.

Among those officials are North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Sens. Mike Woodard and Paul Lowe, Rep. Abe Jones and Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls.

They are among hundreds being pumped up ahead of Biden’s appearance by both live performers and prerecorded music.

The Deep River Singers sang several songs before the rally began and led the crowd in a singalong to the lyrics “be the change you want to see in the world.”

Then the crowd began to dance to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA,” and “Ya Ya” by Beyoncè, as it played over the loudspeakers.

Later on, rappers Fat Joe and E-40 are expected to perform.

11:30 a.m.:

Biden could pass a small group of his opponent’s supporters on the way to the North Carolina State Fair Grounds.

He could also pass a group of pro-Palestinian protesters on Trinity Road calling for a ceasefire.

It’s not clear where Biden spent his morning after landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport just after 1:30 a.m. But Biden is scheduled to be at his campaign rally around 12:30 p.m.

Around 10 supporters of former President Donald Trump are gathered at the corner of Blue Ridge and Trinity roads holding signs and flags.

Around 11:15 a.m. the pro-Palestinian protesters began marching down Trinity Road toward the fairgrounds chanting “End the siege in Gaza now.”

But the few protesters outside the rally have not deterred Biden’s supporters from continuing to come into the fairgrounds to hear Biden speak.

Sarah Shah, who lives in Durham, said she is at the rally to support Biden for his “many accomplishments.”

“He’s vigorously defended women’s rights and reproductive rights,” she said. “He’s been an advocate for immigrant communities that I come from.”

She said she believes Biden “made a very strong case for what’s at stake” during Thursday’s debate.

11 a.m.:

Biden supporters have made their way to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds to hear from the president directly, following a debate performance Thursday night that left many political commentators wondering if he should continue his campaign.

By 10 a.m. at least 75 people were already on risers inside the fairground’s Jim Graham building, with another 50 in line to join then.

Megan Thacker, a public school teacher from Durham, said defending public schools and protecting student rights is important to her and she said she’s been scared by what’s happening with schools in North Carolina. She said coming to Friday’s rally was showing support for her class.

“There are so many inequities our students and people are seeing today, and so far the Biden-Harris campaign has really reached those.”

Thacker said she “hopes to God” Biden can win North Carolina. She said she listened to Thursday night’s debate, but couldn’t look at her television screen because it just raised her blood pressure.

She said she wished that more issues had been discussed, but in the end the debate didn’t leave her feeling more strongly about either candidate.

Tyler Smith, 22, said he was running on little sleep after watching the debate Thursday night at Goodwin House, the NC Democratic Party headquarters, and welcoming Air Force One at the airport.

He said the mood at the Goodwin House was “very energetic.”

And he was “more than energized” to be at Friday’s rally.

Smith’s takeaways of the debate was focused on Trump.

“The entire country was able to see how Trump lied,” Smith said. “I think the entire nation saw that last night, and I’m very excited about this. The contrast couldn’t be any clearer.”

Biden won Smith’s approval with his ability to cap insulin prices. Smith is a Type-1 diabetic.

But Smith believes there’s more work to be done on the issue. He said Biden is “pushing harder than any other politician I’ve seen in a long time, which is really refreshing.”

Jacob Fox told reporters he was disappointed by Biden’s performance Thursday night.

“It left me very disillusioned,” Fox said. “Very sad that two of our front-runners were talking about their handicap in golf when the middle class is struggling to make ends meet. I just didn’t think the debate performance from Biden was very good. But I’m definitely not going to vote for Trump.”

As many voters have expressed, 29-year-old Fox wishes for younger candidates. But Fox won’t vote for Trump because he “attacked democracy.“

But he said if the Democratic Party were to choose a new presidential candidate, he would “totally suport that.”

“Joe Biden has moved us forward in so many ways. However, I feel like last night’s debate just disillusioned a lot of the independent voters and I would totally understand that,” Fox said. “But whoever the Democratic party puts forward, I will support at the end of the day.”

Previously:

High-stakes rally

What was supposed to be a victory rally has turned into a high-pressure, can-he-turn-it-around crucible for Biden.

Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, called Biden’s performance Thursday night on the debate stage against former President Donald Trump “poor.”

“As a result, there is an inordinate amount of pressure on today’s speech in North Carolina,” Cooper said. “Biden needs to rescue the narrative immediately, or else he may lose his own party, to say nothing of movable Republicans and the very small number of independent voters who are still deciding.”

Cooper added that it will also be telling to see not just Biden’s reaction, but that of North Carolina Democrats.

“Are they willing to appear on stage alongside Biden and demonstrate their support for a Biden candidacy?” Cooper asked.

Biden landed at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport around 1:40 a.m. He was greeted on the Tarmac by supporters chanting “four more years.”

Gov. Roy Cooper, who often greets Biden as he deplanes, was not present, but plans to be at the rally.

Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue , Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Melton and Wake County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Shinica Thomas and Durham County Commissioner Brenda Howerton were among the supporters when he arrived.

It’s not clear where Biden is staying until he arrives at the fairgrounds at 12:30 p.m.

The rally marks the first time Biden will have an opportunity to speak directly to his supporters after a debate that sparked concerns among Democrats and political observers.

During Thursday’s debate, hosted by CNN, Biden and Trump sparred on issues that ranged from the economy to Jan. 6, 2021, when insurrectionists raided the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop Biden’s election certification.

Following the debate, Biden supporters and commentators called the president’s performance disappointing, with concerns raised about his age of 81 years. Others noted that Trump repeated lies about the circumstances of Jan. 6 and when abortions were allowed under Roe v. Wade before it was overturned.

The campaign event with Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds with their arrival scheduled around 12:30 p.m.

North Carolina is considered a swing state. Even though President Barack Obama is the only Democrat to win North Carolina since 1976, every election since 2008 has been decided by less than 4% of the vote.

Biden lost the state in 2020 by only 1.3%. That’s a smaller margin than any other state that year. And Democrats are hungry to flip the North Carolina blue in 2024.

Now, political spectators and voters will be closely monitoring Biden’s visit to North Carolina Friday.

Biden-Trump debate

Before the debate took place, it was already one for the history books because it was the first time a sitting president and a former president would face off. It also marked the earliest debate in presidential campaign history.

After it ended, people were talking about whether either candidate was able to sway undecided voters. And political observers called out CNN for not fact-checking either candidate in real-time when they said misleading comments or falsehoods.

Biden spent the last week at Camp David in Maryland practicing, but political observers and viewers quickly noted his hoarse voice and lack of energy, with some of his answers trailing.

At times, the debate got personal, with Trump saying he didn’t know what Biden said at the end of his sentence and wasn’t sure Biden knew either. At another point, Biden called Trump a “sucker” and a “loser,” repeating the words that Trump had allegedly called service members.

North Carolina’s Republicans took to social media celebrating what they considered a win in Trump’s performance.

In post-debate analysis, The New York Times quoted Nadia B. Ahmad, a progressive member of the Democratic National Committee: “Now would be a good time for Biden to drop out citing health concerns.”

Biden in North Carolina

Biden’s plans to visit the state after stepping off CNN’s stage was set in motion more than two weeks ago, when the campaign began sending invitations to people to attend Biden’s rally.

It’s rare for a president to stay overnight in North Carolina. It last happened in 2010, when then-President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama spent a weekend in Asheville.

Little is known about where the Bidens were going to stay. Neither the White House nor Biden’s campaign team would share details about their location.

A White House news release of Biden’s daily schedule, published Wednesday, indicated that the Bidens planned to depart Atlanta around 1 a.m. and land about an hour later at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

He will be joined at the rally by rappers Fat Joe and E-40, according to the Biden campaign.

Meanwhile, Trump planned his first stop, post-debate, across the North Carolina border in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Focusing on North Carolina

Since the beginning of the president’s reelection campaign, Biden has focused in on North Carolina, launching television ads, regularly sending surrogates into the state and hosting ongoing events.

The Bidens, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff have all been frequent visitors.

The first lady has already traveled to the state once this week. On Tuesday, she spent the afternoon at a private campaign event in Charlotte with 70 people, discussing her husband’s strengths and contrasting that against Trump.

Holding a rally is not something the Biden campaign does often, and Friday’s is not open to the general public. Typically, Biden leaves rallies to Trump, and opts for more intimate gatherings with supporters.

Trump, who has been less of a presence in the state this campaign season, scheduled a rally in Wilmington in April, but was forced to cancel due to severe weather. He has not rescheduled. In May, he attended the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.