Biden's advisers are planning a comeback tale based on the notion that one bad night does not define his presidency.
Biden's campaign has long sought to make Trump the main focus, discussing topics such as his attempt to overthrow the last election and abortion rights.
Despite concerns from some elected leaders and donors, there is no clear show of defiance from the Democratic Party's leadership.
President Joe Biden's performance in recent debate raised concerns about his mental fitness and ability to continue serving as president.
Some Democrats are calling for a shift in focus from Biden's campaign to Trump's potential presidency once again.
President Joe Biden's performance in the recent debate has raised concerns about his mental fitness and ability to continue serving as president. In an interview with ABC News, Biden spoke about his exhaustion following the debate but did not undergo any cognitive or neurological tests as urged by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN.
Meanwhile, some Democrats are calling for a shift in focus from Biden's campaign to Trump's potential presidency once again. Representative Eric Swalwell of California believes that the strategy should be to highlight what rights Americans would lose if Trump becomes president again.
Biden's campaign has long sought to make Trump the main focus, discussing topics such as his attempt to overthrow the last election and abortion rights. However, recent events have led some Democrats to question Biden's own ability to lead.
Despite concerns from some elected leaders and donors, there is no clear show of defiance from the Democratic Party's leadership. Over 70% of the public considers Biden too old to serve as president, and many Democrats have expressed concern about his cognitive well-being.
Biden's advisers are reportedly planning a comeback tale based on the notion that one bad night does not define his presidency. However, some believe that this may not be enough to quell growing doubts about Biden's ability to effectively campaign and win reelection.
Biden's campaign has long sought to make Trump its main focus, discussing topics such as Trump’s attempt to overthrow the last election and highlighting anniversaries of news regarding abortion rights.
Representative Eric Swalwell of California suggests that the focus must shift back to Trump and what rights Americans would lose if he becomes president again.
Accuracy
President Biden's debate performance was seen as abysmal, highlighting his inability to make a case against Mr. Trump.
,
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains a few informal fallacies and an appeal to authority. It presents anecdotal evidence from a Democratic representative stating that the focus should shift back to Trump and that Biden needs to convince voters he is up to the job. Additionally, it mentions Biden's campaign strategy of highlighting Trump's record and actions. However, no formal logical fallacies are present in the article.
The last three elections have shown us if you’re the focus, you lose.
President Joe Biden appeared frail and delusional in his first interview since the disastrous debate, raising concerns about his candidacy.
Biden’s remarks indicated that his party may be heading toward a worst-case scenario where he is incompetent as a campaigner but not so consistently and flagrantly inept that his incapacity to win reelection becomes undeniable.
Some congressional Democrats have rallied to defend Biden’s candidacy, but there is no clear show of defiance from the party’s leadership.
Over 70% of the public considers Biden too old to serve, and many Democrats have gone on record saying he should not be running for president or expressing concern about his cognitive well-being.
Accuracy
,
Deception
(30%)
The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. The author, Eric Levitz, uses emotional manipulation by describing Biden's performance as 'disastrous', 'frightening', and a 'worst-case scenario'. He also engages in selective reporting by focusing on negative aspects of Biden's interview while ignoring any positive statements or context. Furthermore, the author makes editorializing statements such as 'Biden did better, but still awful.' and 'It is not plausible that Biden can surge in the polls between now and November.' These statements are not facts but rather the author's opinions. Lastly, there are several instances of sensationalism with phrases like 'the president appeared too frail to defeat Trump' and 'Biden's remarks indicated that his party may be heading toward a worst-case scenario'.
Had Biden seemed every bit as ill and confused as he did at last week’s debate, it would be easier to persuade him to drop out – or at least for Democrats to unify behind a concerted push for his exit.
The president’s aim in Friday’s interview was clear: to establish that all the disquieting features of his debate performance – the incoherence, shaky voice, and vacant facial expressions – were all one-off aberrations brought on by a cold and poor preparation rather than symptoms of cognitive decline.
The president appeared too frail to defeat Trump and too delusional to end his campaign.
Biden grew more coherent as the interview continued, but he also became more detached from reality.
Far from easing anxieties about his candidacy, the president’s sit-down with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News should further alarm Democratic leaders.
Fallacies
(65%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting and relying on the opinions of Democratic lawmakers about Vice President Harris being a better nominee than Biden. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Biden's debate performance as 'disastrous' and 'awful', and suggesting that he is leading the Democratic Party towards a worst-case scenario.
Far from easing anxieties about his candidacy, the president’s sit-down with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News should further alarm Democratic leaders.
, there was an overwhelming sense among lawmakers that Vice President Kamala Harris would be a better nominee than Biden.
Altogether, nearly a dozen House Democrats had called for Biden’s exit as of Sunday evening.
Bias
(5%)
The author expresses a clear bias against President Joe Biden's performance in the debate and his ability to win reelection. He repeatedly states that Biden is 'far from easing anxieties about his candidacy' and that Democrats may be heading towards a 'worst-case scenario'. The author also expresses skepticism towards Biden's claims about preparing for the debate, stating that it was not plausible. These statements demonstrate a bias against Biden.
Democrats may be heading toward a worst-case scenario
Far from easing anxieties about his candidacy
It is not plausible that Biden can surge in the polls between now and November.
Who's gonna be able to hold NATO together like me?
Biden retreated from public view following the speech and rally, holding private fundraisers and giving short scripted addresses at the White House
Sentiment on Capitol Hill soured, donors organized against Biden, and some public polls showed significant erosion of support
Independent Democratic strategists circulated plans to build up Vice President Harris
Accuracy
President Biden admitted to having difficulty with speaking and moving as he used to during debate night
Biden's team planned a comeback tale based on the notion of a single bad night after debate
Biden declared ‘When you get knocked down, you get back up!’ in a campaign ad
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it focuses on the negative aspects of Biden's performance in the debate and his subsequent actions, while ignoring any positive reactions or responses. The authors also use emotional manipulation by describing Biden's retreat from public view as a 'deafening silence', which creates a sense of unease and uncertainty for the reader. Additionally, there is an implication that Biden is unable to do the job as president, which is not supported by any facts or evidence presented in the article.
But the crisis that may yet topple his candidacy would only get worse.
Sentiment on Capitol Hill soured, donors organized against him and some public polls showed significant erosion.
His own advisers and staff began to speak out, alarmed by what one called the ‘deafening silence.’
Then began the drip-drip of elected and former leaders asking him to step aside.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains an appeal to authority when it mentions polls showing that Biden is losing to Trump. It also contains a dichotomous depiction when it describes the speech as both a comeback tale and reinforcing inconsistency.
“Polls show that he is losing to Donald Trump,”
“But the crisis that may yet topple his candidacy would only get worse.”
“It was a comeback tale, based on the notion of a single bad night.”
“But suddenly the race was about Biden. Could he really do the job?”
In a parallel universe, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin never kneeled on George Floyd, and the Democratic Party didn’t prioritize identity politics during the 2020 Black Lives Matter unrest.
Joe Biden was not forced to choose an unpopular running mate like Kamala Harris.
Accuracy
President Joe Biden is facing a dilemma about staying in the 2024 race despite his poor debate performance.
Biden's debate performance was described as bad by his own admission and by critics.
70% of Americans do not believe Biden has the mental or cognitive health to serve as president according to new polling from YouGov.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several informal fallacies, including an appeal to false authority and a straw man argument. The author cites a poll that claims 70% of Americans do not believe Biden has the mental capacity to serve as president, presenting it as fact without providing context or sources. Additionally, the author misrepresents Biden's post-debate explanations as attempts at damage control, when in reality they were efforts to address concerns about his performance. The article also engages in a straw man argument by suggesting that Biden's critics believe he is indispensable and lives in a parallel universe, when the actual criticism is about his declining cognitive abilities.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School on July 05, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin.
By his own admission, Biden’s performance in last week’s debate was bad. But it’s the post-debate spin from the White House that makes his campaign look like it’s the one living in a parallel universe.
More than 70 percent of Americans don’t believe Biden has the “mental or cognitive health to serve as president,” according to new polling from YouGov.
Bias
(5%)
The author expresses a clear bias towards President Joe Biden's performance in the debate and his ability to serve as president. The author uses language that depicts Biden as being out of touch with reality and living in a 'parallel universe'.
But it’s not America’s reality.
That parallel universe may be Biden’s perception in 2024.
President Joe Biden spoke with his doctors after the debate and was told he is exhausted.
Doctors who work with aging patients say there is no single moment or test that determines a person’s mental fitness or ability to function.
In-depth evaluations for cognitive and neurological tests might include short questionnaires, physical exams, blood tests, brain imaging, lengthy interviews with the individual and conversations with family members and friends.
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta urged President Biden to undergo detailed cognitive and neurological tests and make the results public.
President Biden has not had cognitive tests or an exam by a neurologist.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The author, Jen Christensen, does not commit any formal logical fallacies in the article. However, there is an appeal to authority by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta which should be noted. Additionally, there is a somewhat dichotomous depiction of cognitive tests and evaluations as either comprehensive or based on simple questionnaires without considering the range of methods in between.
]Dr. Sanjay Gupta urged the president to undergo detailed cognitive and neurological tests and to make those results public.
In-depth evaluations can provide more answers, including ruling out potential problems. Such tests might start with short questionnaires, then expand to physical exams, blood tests, brain imaging, lengthy interviews with the individual and conversations with family members and friends.
