“Will they replace Joe Biden?” was the big question that invaded the atmosphere after a black night for the president of the United States in Atlanta, where he clearly lost the first presidential debate against his rival, former Republican president Donald Trump.

All eyes were on the vigorousness of Biden, who at 81 years old is the oldest president in history, and the worst omens were fulfilled.

Despite having locked himself up for almost a week with his team to prepare for a historic day, he appeared with a hoarse, slow, tired voice and with difficulty concluding some sentences.

Trump, only three years younger, repeated many of the hoaxes that characterize him and avoided answering the most uncomfortable questions of the moderators, but he was seen more content than expected and much more energetic than his rival.

In a lapidary final shot of the debate, the first lady, Jill Biden, was shown, helping her husband, who had a lot of difficulty going down the stairs of the stage and saying goodbye to the moderators.

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Panic had taken over Biden’s campaign in the middle of the debate and his team hurried to justify that the president suffered the flu during the week, but the damage was already done.

The Republicans did not take long to make firewood from the fallen tree and several of Trump’s allies quickly went out to sing victory in the ‘spin room’, a press room installed in a stadium adjacent to the CNN studios where the face-to-face was broadcast.

“This man cannot continue as president of the United States, I am very worried about this country. I don’t think he can continue even for the six months he has left in office,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, who faced Trump in the Republican primaries and is now one of his greatest acolytes.

Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Scott walked through the room repeating that it was a crushing victory for Trump, of whom both aspire to be vice presidents in a second term.

Matt Gaetz, congressman of the most radical wing of the Republicans, soon verbalized to the press what many were thinking. He opined that in a few days an internal battle will be opened in the Democratic Party to replace the president.

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The proof of disbelief within the Democratic ranks is that it took several minutes for Biden’s allies to appear together before the press in the ‘spin room’, where they tried to convey an optimistic message that contrasted with their long faces.

Among them were Senator Raphael Warnock and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, but all eyes were on the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, one of the most prominent faces of the Democratic Party.

The press asked him several times if he is ready to replace Biden but categorically denied that he was going to take the step: “He has my support. We are with him,” he said seriously.

The official vision of the Democratic campaign, according to a statement, is that the president presented “a positive and winning vision for the future of the United States” in the face of a Trump who wants to end democracy and the right to abortion.

This debate, unusually early given that the campaigns have not yet started formally, was especially decisive since it came at a time when both candidates were tied in the polls and knew that any mistake could make the balance decant.

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According to a first CNN poll published at the end of the match, Trump was the clear winner for 67% of those surveyed.

The truth is that the Democratic Party still has to hold its national convention next August in Chicago to formally nominate its candidate. Technically there would be time for a replacement, but it would be something never seen before.