Following President Biden's challenging performance in the June 2024 debate against former President Trump, a key advisor revealed the Democratic Party's internal turmoil. Mike Donilon, a long-time advisor to Biden, described the party's reaction as a complete "meltdown" driven by fears about Biden's re-election chances. The debate, hosted by CNN, drew immediate criticism, with outlets like CNN and the BBC using terms like "disastrous" and "incoherent" to describe Biden's showing.

President Joe Biden (right) and former President Donald Trump at the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Pundits and political commentators quickly weighed in. CNN's Stephen Collinson deemed the debate a "political disaster," highlighting Biden's entrance onto the stage as a foreshadowing of what was to come. Even Biden supporter and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman expressed his dismay, calling the performance "heartbreaking" and suggesting Biden should withdraw from the race.

President Joe Biden at the CNN Presidential Debate in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Donilon expressed disbelief at the party's rapid shift in sentiment, emphasizing that Biden was only down by a small margin in the polls at the time. He questioned the logic of abandoning a candidate in such a close race, particularly during the summer months of a general election cycle. He pointed out that post-debate polls actually showed a narrowing of the gap between Biden and Trump, not a widening.

Former President Trump at the debate in Atlanta. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Referencing focus groups conducted on the night of the debate, Donilon noted that while Trump was generally perceived as the winner, participants also expressed reservations about both candidates. Concerns about Biden's age were balanced by anxieties about Trump's stance on election results and his comments regarding the January 6th events.

President Joe Biden at the White House on December 13, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Donilon argued that the narrative surrounding the debate became more damaging than the debate itself. He attributed Biden's eventual downfall not to cognitive decline, but to the lingering impact of the Afghanistan withdrawal and persistent inflation. Ultimately, Biden was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, who subsequently lost to Trump in the general election.