Democrats in full-blown panic over feeble Biden’s disaster debate: Party members call for Joe to be REPLACED after ‘game changer’ showdown with Trump where he glitched after MINUTES

Democrats reacted with alarm Thursday after President Joe Biden’s first debate performance against former President Donald Trump, saying discussions would take place over whether he should continue his presidential bid.

Immediately after taking the stage, Biden’s voice sounded hoarse as he repeatedly coughed and cleared his throat.

At times, the president looked blankly into the camera or at his notes as Trump spoke.

Former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, admitted from the start of the debate that Biden’s first appearance was damaging.

“I think there was a sense of shock at the way he sounded at the beginning of the debate, the way his voice sounded, he seemed a little disoriented,” he said on CNN, noting that there would be “discussions” in the party after the debate about whether Biden should run for re-election.

According to Axelrod, Biden’s performance confirmed concerns people had about his age and his ability to serve four more years.

Biden also sometimes struggled to finish his sentences or make a point before moving on.

CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash repeatedly reminded him to make good use of the rest of his time, and he kept his answers and responses to Trump short.

Kate Bedingfeld, Joe Biden’s former White House communications director, also criticized her former boss’s performance.

“It was a really disappointing debate performance from Joe Biden,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any other way to describe it.”

Activist and CNN commentator Van Jones said that while he “loved Joe Biden,” he described the debate as “painful.”

“There are people who want him to take a different course now,” Van Jones said. “We are still a long way from our convention and there is time for this party to find a different path forward if he lets us, but that was not what we needed from Joe Biden.”

Other Democratic strategists with no ties to the Biden campaign agreed.

President Joe Biden, second from right, and first lady Jill Biden, right, greet CNN event moderators Dana Bash, from left, and Jake Tapper

US President Joe Biden and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election

“I don’t know if there are any high-level conversations happening right now about Biden’s performance in question, but it would be political malpractice to pretend that tonight the Biden campaign has moved forward,” MSNBC contributor and Democratic strategist Max Burns wrote on Social media.

Other Democrats responded anonymously to reporters to express their shock over Biden’s performance.

Leading Democratic texts: “Gavin please…,” wrote New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel.

CNN host Kasie Hunt wrote on social media that Democrats were “almost beside themselves watching this debate” after accepting Biden’s behavior.

She described detailed texts from leading Democrats on CNN.

“If I were Gavin (Newsom) or Gretchen (Whitmer), I’d be calling tonight,” one Democrat told her. Another simply wrote, “We’re f*cked.”

Other Democrats expressed their panic on social media and urged the party to be honest about their chances.

“Texts from family and friends, all Democrats who despise Trump, are extremely troubling. You can’t just spin this and ignore the fact that this is not going well for our side,” former New York City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer wrote on social media.

MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace said the conversation about Biden’s replacement was “live and active at the highest levels of the Democratic party.”

Biden spokesman Andrew Bates responded on social media by dismissing hand-wringing Democrats.

“We have a lot of experience providing spinal transplants,” he wrote, praising Biden for making “a strong case for his vision” during the debate.