![I was at the Trump-Biden debate and it was clear what had gone so badly wrong...](https://cdn.magzter.com/1591272633/1719633012/articles/ZQ_H_Uonj1719644597879/I-WAS-AT-THE-TRUMPBIDEN-DEBATE-AND-IT-WAS-CLEAR-WHAT-HAD-GONE-SO-BADLY-WRONG.jpg)
At one point, a former prominent TV commentator got up from their seat and started pacing back and forth, worriedly. Biden aides and surrogates, who had been in constant communication with each of us throughout the day, fell silent, one by one.
When the cameras stopped rolling and the debate was over, a whole team of Trump surrogates flooded onto the spin room floor. That included multiple Republicans – Ben Carson and Lindsey Graham among them – who have been vying for the expresident’s favor as he seeks a new veep pick.
All of those Republican operators and Maga staff members were eager to tell us reporters how Biden’s performance had telegraphed weakness on the world stage. They confidently declared that Trump had won. By contrast, the Biden surrogates were nowhere to be found.
While some of the assembled press were interested in what the Republicans had to say, the vast majority were looking for Biden’s backers to defend his performance.
Finally, they came out as a group, grim-faced, to face a wave of reporters, producers and videographers at the far end of the spin room. Their sudden appearance led to a comically packed scrum, with your correspondent being crushed between an NBC reporter, a Biden spokesperson and the sitting governor of California, Gavin Newsom – who everyone had already started whispering about replacing the president.
I held up a recorder to capture their words as they recited their talking points, struggling to breathe.
This story is from the June 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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