r/politics • u/wsj The Wall Street Journal • 6d ago

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. AMA-Finished

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.

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u/DUNDER_KILL 6d ago

It would stupid of them to do so, because Biden was so bad yesterday it's unlikely he'll be like that again. It would be giving him an opportunity to redeem himself. But I mean I hope they do, you never know what Trump might decide.

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u/Maladal 6d ago

Maybe, but it also gives Biden an easy way to claim Trump is afraid to debate him. And the debates are also a good way to catch the attention of the independent political mayflys who ignore politics for 47 months at a stretch, which is what they're really after.

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u/FusRoGah 6d ago

For Trump to win, he only needs to retain his base and have low turnout overall. He's been leading polls for months and the electoral map favors him. His campaign isn't hinging much on undecideds, who are mostly likely to just stay home in a situation like this.

All else equal, Trump coasts to a win from here, so he has no incentive to risk another debate. Biden could call him out, but it won't stick like the clips from last night. People remember what they see. Hillary did the same thing in 2016 when she bailed on the final primary debate against Bernie at the last minute. She had a narrow lead on him in the upcoming California primary, so why risk a shake up? It's not exactly sporting, but it's effective.

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u/Maladal 6d ago

Retaining his base isn't enough overall, he needs to win back the states that Biden flipped between 2016 and 2020.