Inside Biden-Trump debate, I watched US media grapple with what Americans have long known

Those of us covering the debate between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump in Atlanta on Thursday were expecting the unexpected during the first face-to-face meeting between the rivals since they last squared off in 2020. But few of us had anticipated we would be reporting on a full-blown panic attack from the Democratic Party immediately after CNN's 90-minute debate, with well-known US pundits suddenly calling on Mr Biden to step aside. From the press “spin room”, an arena bustling with media outlets and guests of the respective campaigns, we were observing the debate, the candidates' supporters and, in a way, ourselves, as we watched a Biden-friendly press corps reckon with the President's disastrous performance . President Biden's performance managed to jar even his closest allies in the media – with a slew of former advisers and commentators expressing shock to left-leaning MSNBC and on CNN, which has never hidden its contempt for Trump. Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator, appeared energised when I spotted her in the spin room earlier in the day, ahead of the 9pm debate. But by the end of the night she was describing herself as heart-broken, telling MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, with little pushback, that “Joe Biden had one thing he had to do tonight, and he didn't do it”. “I'm not the only one whose heart is breaking right now. There's a lot of people who watched this tonight and felt terrible for Joe Biden. You have to ask, how did we get here?” That the 81-year-old Mr Biden has aged dramatically over the past four years is hardly a secret. That didn't diminish the shock factor of watching the leader of one of the most powerful countries struggle on the world stage to counter an opponent spreading predictable misinformation and xenophobia on the debate stage. One Democratic strategist focused on down-ballot elections that could be affected by low voter enthusiasm for Mr Biden, texted me, saying simply and cynically: “Insane.” But time and time again through polls, Americans have told the Democratic establishment they want fresher faces at the helm. According to a Gallup poll this month, Americans are nearly twice as likely to say Mr Biden is too old to be president, at 67 per cent, compared to about 37 per cent for Trump, who is only three years his junior. Previous polling has shown that only 31 per cent of Americans say they are willing to vote for a presidential candidate over the age of 80. Had Mr Biden pulled off even a mediocre performance or turned up with the same level of energy as at the State of the Union address, the media would have focused more on Trump's onslaught of misinformation and his refusal to condemn the political violence of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. But Team Biden was forced to go on the defensive instead of addressing Trump's performance, which was riddled with the same debunked talking points and xenophobic grievances that he has spent the last four years touting. For months, Democrats have assured the public that Mr Biden is coherent, engaged and alert in private meetings, brushing off Republican critiques of his age and competency as scurrilous partisan attacks. Progressives, who are more likely to vote Democrat but who are furious at Mr Biden over his support for Israel since October 7, have also criticised Mr Biden's competency. “CNN is having an existential crisis live on air over what leftists have been trying to make clear for months,” said one reporter who covers progressive US protests. Stationed alongside fellow reporters in the spin room's upper corners, I saw journalists watch the debate with measured reactions. But there was no such restraint from pundits on CNN and other major outlets, amid growing Democratic panic while Trump surrogates grew increasingly gleeful. I spotted the former president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump walking off the floor beaming and laughing after the debate. The press corps also flocked to California Governor Gavin Newsom, there in support of Mr Biden, when he came to the red-carpeted floor. He somehow managed to project enthusiasm for Mr Biden still being the Democratic candidate. In this moment of reckoning with what the American two-party system has produced – two squabbling old men unable or uninterested in developing a unifying vision for the country – I found myself returning to demonstrators I'd spoken to earlier that were supporting third-party candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. They were travelling across the country in support of Mr Kennedy, and arrived in Atlanta to protest CNN after the network denied him a space on the stage, saying he hadn't met the bar for qualification. I pondered their striking political diversity, especially as a Capitol Hill reporter that often sees a polarised Congress divided by hard lines of “red” and “blue”. I chatted with Melinda Hicks, who identifies as a centrist former Democrat, as she put her arm around her fellow Kennedy comrade Ernest “Dwayne” Pursley, a former Republican. They were also joined by more liberal, anti-establishment Kyle Kemper leading the bus tour. Ms Hicks urged Americans to think beyond this cynical moment in US politics, with most Americans dissatisfied with both Mr Biden and Trump. “If you say I like RFK, but can he win? That's fear. If you say I like RFK and I'm going to help him win, that's hope. I'm going with hope.” This is not an endorsement of RFK as a candidate – but there are some important lessons to be learnt with the sentiment of those abandoning the major parties in favour of him, especially as it appears Mr Biden risks losing Democratic endorsements. With the exception of Trump's enthusiastic advocates, last night's debate watchers seemed to feel an overwhelming despair about the state of US democracy. This morning, I sat in my Atlanta hotel lobby listening to guests chat over their continental breakfasts, eyes periodically turning to the giant television screen airing MSNBC's debrief. Chuckles at times filled the room over various gaffes from both Trump and Mr Biden. At least from the eavesdropping ears of this correspondent, there didn't appear to be a sense of shock among the Americans moving through their morning at the Hampton Inn. To eloquently characterise the mood – I might describe it as: “Well, yeah.”