BIDEN'S FIRST RE-ELECTION TEST

What won’t be said at next week’s debate

President Joe Biden welcomes Pope Francis to the G7 Summit last week in Bari, Italy. / Photo by Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

In a rational political world, the key issues on the table in next Thursday’s debate would be the Biden administration’s foreign policy: that is, the president’s unwavering support for Ukraine in the war with Russia and his inability to have any significant impact on Israel’s continuing war in Gaza.

Of course on debate night the main attention will be on Joe Biden’s ability to stay focused  and on point, both verbally and physically with the sure-to-be garrulous and off-topic Donald Trump. 

So here is a breakdown on some of the issues, as I understand them from my contacts with various military and political insiders over many decades.

First of all, there is a serious concern among the Democratic Party leadership and the major Democratic fundraisers, primarily the big donors in New York City, about Biden’s ability to defeat Trump in November. This is, of course, not to be spoken of in public.

A major touchstone for many will be Biden’s performance in the debate. The president is going to need to match the intensity he demonstrated at his State of the Union address in March next week to keep his contributors happy. A shaky performance, I have been told by two longtime politicos who have direct knowledge, will increase pressure on Democratic Party to do something drastic, and unprecedented, before the November election.