I oversee the WSJ’s Washington bureau. Ask me anything about last night’s debate, where things stand with the 2024 election and what could happen next.

[u/wsj]

President Biden’s halting performance during last night’s debate with Donald Trump left the Democratic Party in turmoil. You can watch my video report on the debate and read our coverage on how party officials are now trying to sort through the president’s prospects. 

We want to hear from you. What questions do you have coming out of the debate? 

What questions do you have about the election in general? 

I’m Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Coverage Chief, overseeing our political reporting. Ask me anything.

All stories linked here are free to read.

proof: https://imgur.com/a/hBBD6vt

Edit, 3:00pm ET: I'm wrapping up now, but wanted to say a big thanks to everyone for jumping in and asking so many great questions. Sorry I couldn't answer them all! We'll continue to write about the fallout from the debate as well as all other aspects of this unprecedented election, and I hope you'll keep up with our reporting. Thanks, again.

[u/PeacefulAtheist]

As someone not from the United States but aware of the importance of specific swing states in deciding the election as opposed to the national popular vote, is the Biden campaign facing a potential death spiral?

From my understanding he was already trailing in the major swing states and after last night’s performance it’s unlikely to get better. If anything, the gap might tend to widen.

What are the potential ways for Biden to turn this around or does he have to hope for external factors like Trump’s legal woes? As someone to the left of American politics, this looks like it could be a dangerous election to not win for the dems in terms of democracy for the United States.

Edit: I’m not even asking about Trump and fact checking his constant lies because that’s something that seemingly is not possible to be done in real time. I’m concerned about the sitting president and how he can ensure his campaign continues.

[u/wsj → u/PeacefulAtheist]

Great questions. Biden has been running a very controlled campaign. He has been mostly holding events that are closed to the public. He works off of teleprompters. He doesn't do many media interviews. He doesn't even meet as much as he used to with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He probably needs to change the script. That could mean doing impromptu interviews. Putting himself out there more. He needs to SHOW Americans that he isn't the same person that they saw during the debate. And he might have to do it again and again.

[u/PeacefulAtheist → u/wsj]

Keeping your answer in mind and taking it further, I wonder if being more unscripted can prove to be a danger further to Biden considering how he seemed during the debate. While I personally prefer looking at the content of what’s being said, campaigning as a 80+ year old is already difficult and strenuous. The American public and even the media to a certain extent seem focused on general appearance, manner and body language. I worry if he’s going to be willing to change course so dramatically. Lack of Campaigning in particular swing states is what doomed HRC in 2016 according to many post mortems of that election.

[u/Upset_Version8275 → u/PeacefulAtheist]

Honestly he seems to do better in unscripted settings or reading off a teleprompter. In situations like last night where he has to memorize scripted answers that's where he really struggles. You see him interact with people normally and he seems sharper.