07/02/2024
FACTS AND ZINGERS
Biden's trips abroad, especially to France earlier this month, generated Republican social media clips poking fun at his age but, his team believed, it also showed him as a strong leader on an international stage.
White House aides who traveled with the president were in a good mood as he headed to Camp David on June 21.
Biden had flown to France, back to the United States, to Italy, and to the West Coast, among other travels, over a 14-day period before taking just a few days to rest at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
He was dragging, according to several people who observed him during this period.
As Biden and his aides settled in at Camp David six days before the debate, aides figured he had a lot to accomplish, more than his opponent. Trump could just complain about the present administration - and Biden would need the facts and some zingers at his fingertips.
They expected Trump would be far more disciplined and prepared than he had been in 2020 and believed that they would need to counter a string of rapid-fire lies.
In lengthy prep sessions, they peppered Biden with details, then followed them up with mock debates.
Critics say now that the preparation should have focused on the bigger vision he needs to sell to the country, and that Biden had insufficient rest headed into the debate.
Run down, Biden would also catch a small cold, White House aides said, as he has regularly during his term after long stretches of time zone-bending work.
In an email to supporters Saturday, O'Malley Dillon said internal polls and focus groups showed no change in voters' opinions in battleground states after the debate.
She warned "overblown media narratives" may drive "temporary dips in the polls," but said she was confident Biden would win in November.
