Joe Biden’s Disastrous Performance in Presidential Debate

The recent Presidential Debate showcased an unimpressive performance from current occupant of the White House, Joe Biden against the formidable ex-President, Donald Trump. This happened in June, with numerous unflattering episodes for Biden on display. Meanwhile, confident Trump triumphed in securing the delegate vote at the Republican National Convention, endorsing the Ohio senator JD Vance for the vice-presidential role.

Is there a possibility of a Trump-Harris showdown? Everything is clouded in uncertainty. Upcoming presidential debate details, such as date and participants, are subject to unforeseeable changes. The Trump-Biden debate episode was initially set for Sept. 10 on ABC, but Trump seemed unenthusiastic about engaging with any successor that the Democrats could potentially propose, according to his remarks on Truth Social.

During his interview with CBS News, Trump’s answer to the potential debate opponent was elusive. He was unsure about who he might have to compete against and was non-committal about the debating prospects. However, he did reveal a willingness to debate whoever sets foot in the ring against him.

As for Kamala Harris stepping up to the debate, the chances are murky. Before she could be in the running, she would have to be officially nominated as a candidate in the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Here, delegates from all across the nation will place their votes to pick the official Democratic contender for the 2024 race.

Interestingly, Biden, despite his questionable performance, managed to secure 3,896 delegate votes throughout the country. These same delegates could potentially vote for someone other than Biden to front the party, despite him having won their states’ primaries this year.

A peculiar provision in the DNC rules, known as the ‘good conscience’ clause covered under Rule 13 (J) allows delegates an out from voting for a candidate who has won their state’s primaries. The rule states: ‘Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.’

The ‘good conscience’ clause, instituted in the 1980s, had a purpose to give delegates the flexibility to vote out of their moral and political philosophy alignment, rather than being constrained by the state’s primary result.

Harris, who has no meaningful connection to the Sunshine State, has still attempted to make her presence felt through various campaign and official visits, mostly to criticize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policies. She has marked Jacksonville on her map for three separate trips, attending events there that pointed to a substantial pandemic relief bill and opposing the state’s approach to teaching Black history.

One could see Harris rallying against the state of Florida for implementing tighter restrictions on access to abortion. In her visit in May, she made a speech condemning Florida’s six-week abortion ban soon after it was instituted, tying such bans in Florida and other states to the policies encouraged by ex-President Donald Trump.

However, all of Harris’s efforts don’t seem to drive up her approval rating. As of July 22, Harris’ average approval rating is teetering at 38.6 percent, while hovering at a much higher disapproval rating of 50.4 percent, as stated by FiveThirtyEight, the opinion poll analysis website.

Surrounding imminent vice-presidential debates, uncertainty is ripe as Trump’s campaign has publicly refrained from setting a date. They couldn’t commit due to the ambiguity regarding who would top the democratic ticket, as reported by USA TODAY.

Moving towards a solid GOP future, Trump showed faith in JD (James David) Vance, 39, and chose him to be the next vice-presidential candidate for the United States from the GOP side. Vance had a dynamic background, from serving as a public affairs officer in the Marine Corps in Iraq and gaining an electoral seat in the U.S. Senate in 2022.

Vance also lends cultural understanding and insights garnered from his experiences penning down a best-selling memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ in 2016. The memoir, reflecting on Vance’s life and experiences, proved to be a hit, eventually birthing a successful movie that featured Amy Adams and Glenn Close in 2020.

The Democratic National Convention, seen as the decisive moment where the democratic candidate for 2024 would be chosen, is slated to happen in Chicago. The schedule for the convention spans from Monday, Aug. 19 to Thursday, Aug. 22.

This upcoming event may well unravel who should be better prepared for the ensuing confrontations: Harris or Biden. Yet, with Biden’s shaky performance and Harris bubbling with criticism more than actionable plans, Trump seems to hold an advantageous position in the coming showdown.