Joe Biden’s Remarks After Debate Raises Questions

President Joe Biden addressed a watch party in Atlanta after his debate with former President Donald Trump on Thursday, and viewers were confused by his clarity and relative liveliness.

Biden had a difficult time in the debate—losing his voice, muddling his words and making multiple gaffes. But minutes later, while speaking to supporters at a debate watch party, the president spoke clearly and appeared energized, as seen in footage circulating on social media.

In one clip, Biden said of Trump: “He’s just a liar. Look, folks, what’s going to happen over the next couple days is they’re going to be out there fact-checking all the things he said.

“I can’t think of one thing he said that was true. I’m not being facetious. But look, we’re going to beat this guy. We need to beat this guy. And I need you in order to beat him. You’re the people I’m running for.”

On X, formerly Twitter, commentators weighed in on the irony of Biden coming across clearly only after the debate.

Olivia Nuzzi, New York magazine’s Washington correspondent, wrote: “Where the hell was the Joe Biden who is currently speaking at the Atlanta watch party during the debate? He sounds and seems fine now.”

User @PritzkerForPrez, a supporter of Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat from Illinois, similarly wrote, “Why does he sound sharp, clear, and on-point at a party just minutes later?”

Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko said: “Here’s Joe Biden after the debate. Maybe something bad happens to people when they get too close to Donald Trump.”

Media commentator Hannah Cox wrote, “Didn’t meds just kick in?”

Rumors have circulated about the candidates taking stimulants used for conditions such as ADHD or other performance-enhancing drugs ahead of debates.

A Biden aide previously told Newsweek that the president had a cold.

A poll produced for CNN found that 67 percent of people believed Trump won the debate, compared to 33 percent who thought the same for Biden.

Before the debate, 55 percent of the same voters thought Trump would perform well, and 45 percent believed the same for Biden.

This is a stark difference from 2020, when 60 percent of respondents thought Biden outperformed Trump, while 28 percent backed the Republican.

The results from Thursday evening were not fully reflective of the entire voting public, and respondents were 5 points likelier to be Republican-aligned.

SSRS conducted the poll via text message, surveying 565 registered U.S. voters who said they watched the debate.