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On Thursday night, President Biden joined former President Trump for the first general election debate of this year's White House race. Both candidates took political and personal shots at one another, as everyone expected.

A recap

During Thursday's debate, many Americans took to social media, aghast at what they were watching in real time. People expressed considerable dismay that Trump and Biden are ultimately the two main options for 2024's presidential race.

However, other folks pointed out that Americans who didn't want a rematch of the 2020 election had a chance to vote for other candidates during the Democratic and GOP primaries. In each of these races, Democrats overwhelmingly backed Biden, while Republicans overwhelmingly supported Trump.

Nevertheless, during the debate, the president appeared notably feeble. At multiple points of the 90-minute segment, he struggled to speak clearly, often sounding winded and out of breath. In the aftermath of this, some leftists called on the president to drop out and let a different Democrat take the nomination. The New York Times even ran a piece urging Biden to "leave the race."

In spite of this, the president's campaign team has made clear that he has no intentions of bowing out.

No sweat from Team Biden

During a rally on Friday, the president appeared more energetic and spoke with conviction. This was a clear contrast from less than 24 hours later, prompting some Americans to question what happened. It was at this rally that Biden himself conceded that this week's debate wasn't his finest moment.

However, the president posited that he has the character and skill sets to serve for another four years. Members of his team, such as campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, are also working hard to drive this point home.

O’Malley Dillion claims despite Biden's performance on Thursday night, recent polls indicate that the debate did not "change the horse race." In a memo, the president's campaign chair also argued Biden's standing in battleground states conflicts with narratives from the "beltway class" that are out to get him.

Seth Schuster, a spoksperson for the president's re-election team, has likewise gone on the record to reiterate that Biden will continue seeking a second term in office.