Top House Dem admits Biden debate was a ‘setback,’ calls for a comeback after ‘underwhelming performance’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., admitted that President Biden gave an “underwhelming performance” at the first presidential debate, despite most Democrats in leadership remaining quiet on the issue.

Biden participated in a debate against former President Trump on Thursday, and concerns over the president’s ability to remain the Democrat nominee arose just minutes into the event. Viewers noticed throughout the night his raspy voice and how he lost his train of thought.  

Democrats, including the president himself, admitted that Biden was not at the top of his game, and Jeffries called the night a “setback.”

“I’ve been very clear that it was an underwhelming performance on Thursday during the debate, as President Biden and his campaign have acknowledged,” Jeffries told MSNBC Sunday. 

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a “setback,” and that it is time for a “comeback” within the party. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Jeffries argued that Democrats can use the debate to have a “comeback moment,” as he works to help his party take back the House in November. 

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“I believe a setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback. And the reality is, Joe Biden has confronted and had to come back from tragedy, from trials, from tribulations throughout his entire life,” the Democrat said Sunday. “It’s going to require all of us to lean in, articulate a forward-looking message as to why the Democratic platform is best equipped to deal with the challenges facing the American people.”

President Biden stands at his podium during the debate against former President Trump in Atlanta on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Kevin D. Liles for The Washington Post)

Another top House Democrat, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told CNN after the debate that he “thought it was a tough night,” but added that his support for the president as the Democrat nominee is unwavering. 

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Fox News Digital asked several top Democrats in the House and Senate about the debate, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., but the lawmakers did not return calls seeking comment.