Trump says Biden 'will be the nominee’ amid Dem panic over debate performance
Former President Trump said he believes that President Biden "will be the nominee" for the Democratic Party, despite the president's debate performance Thursday night that prompted calls from those on the left for him to withdraw from the 2024 race.
Trump and Biden faced off in the first presidential debate in Atlanta on Thursday night.
"It was a great honor to be on stage representing the people of our country," Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Friday morning.
CNN FLASH POLL SHOWS TRUMP AS CLEAR WINNER OF FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: 'STUNNING NUMBER'
The Trump campaign declared victory shortly after the showdown ended, saying the former president and presumptive Republican nominee had "delivered the greatest debate performance and victory in history to the largest voter audience in history, making clear exactly how he will improve the lives of every American."
"Joe Biden on the other hand showed exactly why he deserves to be fired," Trump campaign co-chairs Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement Thursday night. "Despite taking a week-long vacation at Camp David to prepare for the debate, Biden was unable to defend his disastrous record on the economy and the border."
They added: "President Trump is spot-on when he says that if Joe Biden is too incompetent to stand trial, then Biden is too incompetent to be President."
That sentiment about Biden's performance was echoed not only by his opponents, but also by traditional allies, with many Democratic strategists — including a number of former Biden administration officials, like White House press secretary Jen Psaki and White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, expressing concern for the future of the president's re-election campaign.
With a raspy voice and delivering rambling answers, Biden struggled during portions of Thursday night's debate. He also lost his train of thought several times, raising concerns among his closest allies in politics and in the media.
Sources told Fox News that some Democrats were even suggesting the possibility of replacing Biden as the nominee at the Democratic nominating convention in August.
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During the exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump was asked whether he believes that Biden will be the Democratic nominee.
"Yes, I think he will be the nominee," Trump said.
When pressed further on concerns from Democrats over Biden’s performance and chatter that the president could be replaced, Trump told Fox News Digital he does not think Biden will be removed.
"No, I don’t think so," Trump said, touting his own debate performance. "They wouldn’t have done any better. No one else would have been better."
Trump said he "beat" Biden, and suggested he would have beaten anyone else on stage with him.
A flash poll conducted by CNN following Thursday night's presidential debate showed Trump soundly defeating Biden.
The CNN poll posted on air showed that 67% of debate watchers felt that Trump had won the debate, compared to 33% who believed that Biden had won the debate.
Biden, though, told reporters after the debate that he felt he had performed well against Trump.
"I think we did well," Biden told reporters at an Atlanta area Waffle House.
Biden was asked whether he was suffering from a cold, which the campaign revealed following the debate performance where many expressed concerns about the sound of the president's voice.
"I am sick," Biden said.
Officials revealed during the debate Thursday night that the president had a cold.