Van Jones on Biden debate reaction: ‘It’s not just panic, it’s pain’

Speaking minutes after Thursday night’s presidential debate, CNN commentator Van Jones called the debate “painful” and suggested the Democratic Party should find a “different way forward.”

“[President Biden] didn’t do well at all,” Jones said. “He loves his country. He’s doing the best that he can, but he had a test — to me — tonight to restore confidence of the country and of the base, and he failed to do that. And I think there’s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course.”

“That was not what we needed from Joe Biden, and it’s personally painful for a lot of people. It’s not just panic, it’s pain, what we saw tonight,” Jones added.

Biden faced off against former President Trump at a CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta. Within the first 30 minutes of the debate, Democrats began to panic over Biden’s stumbling performance. Rambling at times, Biden appeared to have a sore throat and repeatedly lost his train of thought. Trump, meanwhile, made frequent inaccurate claims, but was comparatively forceful and direct in his delivery.

“You kind of have the old man versus the con man,” Jones said. 

A snap CNN poll showed that 67 percent of watchers believed Trump won the debate, leaving only 33 percent who believed Biden won. In contrast, during the 2020 debate, when Trump repeatedly interrupted and talked over Biden and the moderator, 60 percent believed Biden had won.

“Now, we’re still far from our convention, and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward, if [Biden] will allow us to do that,” Jones added. 

The Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19.

Jones is among a number of Biden supporters who are suggesting a ticket change before the Democratic National Convention, though no elected Democrats had publicly called for Biden to step aside as of Friday morning. The White House and Biden campaign have insisted he is not stepping aside.

Immediately after the debate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), one of the most prominent surrogates for the Biden team, slammed that “hand-wringing” by Democrats, saying it was unnecessary and unhelpful. He added that Biden would continue to be the party’s nominee and would win reelection. Newsom is seen as a top contender to succeed Biden. 

“Biden ain’t going nowhere,” former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers, another CNN commentator, posted on the social platform X. “It’s June. Let go of your pearls and dry your bed. He lost a debate. Bad. But it’s June. You’re not replacing him.”