Bill Clinton is jumping into the post-debate pile-on—with a message loud and clear: Joe Biden’s still got it.
The former president told he stands by Biden, brushing off concerns raised after that rocky June 27 debate where the President’s hoarse voice and wandering thoughts left many viewers unsettled. But Clinton? He’s not buying the panic.
“I talked to him after the debate, and he knew exactly what was going on,” Clinton said in the ABC interview. “He was in command of the facts.”
It’s a bold defense, especially as the Democratic party faces a swirl of whispers, headlines, and hot takes about whether Biden, 81, should stay at the top of the ticket.
But Clinton’s not tiptoeing around. He told ABC’s Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce that Biden had a cold that night and was simply having a “bad debate.” Period.
That debate, of course, was watched like a season finale. The stakes were sky-high as Biden went toe-to-toe with Donald Trump. Instead, what viewers saw was Biden occasionally freezing mid-thought and Trump—well, being Trump—steamrolling ahead.
Cue the political firestorm. Even some left-leaning columnists and longtime allies started asking if it was time for Biden to step aside. But Clinton’s take? Chill. Bad nights happen. He’s judging Biden by the full record, not one night.
“He’s still got the best record of any president in recent memory,” Clinton said. And he’s not wrong on paper—Biden’s overseen job growth, major infrastructure bills, and a low unemployment rate.
Clinton also got a bit meta, saying voters should be careful not to let a single performance erase what Biden’s done—or who he is.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking one debate is the sum of the man,” he warned.
The former president isn’t alone. Several top Democrats have come out swinging in support of Biden, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim Clyburn. They’re sticking with him, even as some in the party quietly—or not so quietly—fret about what November could bring.
Still, the buzz is real. Social media’s been lit up with everything from #PassTheTorch to armchair medical assessments. And while Clinton’s not tweeting, he’s clearly making his opinion known where it counts—on prime-time news.
The question now: Will voters feel reassured by Clinton’s words—or will the “bad debate” moment linger like a Netflix show no one can stop talking about?