(The Center Square) – The Texas governor and lieutenant governor blasted President Joe Biden’s job performance and his performance in the first presidential debate Thursday night, saying President Donald Trump won the debate and would win the election in November.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement through his campaign, saying, “President Trump proved once again why he is the leader America needs, while President Biden was slow to respond, incoherent, and unable to defend his disastrous record on the border.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick through a personal social media account said the debate was “a set-up by the Democrats to replace Biden on the ballot,” referring to his apparent mental decline.
Abbott also brought up the border crisis.
“Under President Biden, our nation has experienced an unprecedented crisis at our southern border with record-high numbers of illegal immigrants, weapons, and deadly drugs like fentanyl entering our country,” Abbott said. “President Biden’s dangerous open border policies have already allowed over 11 million illegal immigrants – including dangerous criminals, gang members, and known terrorists – into our country. He has singlehandedly endangered the safety and security of the United States. Our country can’t survive another four years of Joe Biden in the White House.”
Trump hammered Biden on the issue throughout the debate, inserting comments about the border in many of his answers to unrelated questions, The Center Square reported.
Abbott has called on Biden to close the border for years, suggesting policies to implement to secure it, also blaming Biden for creating the crisis, The Center Square has reported.
He also reiterated why he first endorsed Trump at the border in Texas, saying, “President Trump is a strong, decisive leader who puts America first with real border security and the enforcement of our immigration laws. Tonight, he reiterated his successful actions as President that will secure the border, including building a border wall and reinstating the effective border policies President Biden dismantled on day one in office. His bold solutions stand in stark contrast to the crime and chaos we see under the Biden Administration. Americans want a leader who cares about our border – that’s why this November, voters will fire Joe Biden and return Donald Trump as President of the United States.”
Abbott posted statements on social media refuting Biden claims during the debate about the economy. He said, “President Biden is gaslighting the American people. Americans are WORSE OFF financially thanks to Bidenflation. This November, Americans will return Donald Trump as President to slash inflation and put their hard-earned money back in their pockets.”
He also highlighted his approach to governance, signaling that the Texas legislature would cut taxes again next year as it did in the last legislative session. “Thanks to ‘Bidenomics,’ inflation is on the RISE. High prices of everyday goods are burdening Americans,” he said. “Last year, Texas delivered the largest property tax cut in state history – over $18 BILLION back to hardworking Texans. We’ll continue to provide relief to Texans & cut taxes.”
Multiple news organizations said Trump handily won the debate and was poised to win in November.
The New York Times reported, “After last night, the Democrats are panicked. … Biden’s voice was hoarse and halting. His answers were often unclear, and he struggled to finish his thoughts. … Some Democrats are now pushing for him to drop out of the race.”
The Wall Street Journal reported, “Biden, battling a hoarse voice and sometimes stammering, delivered an unsteady performance in his debate against former President Donald Trump. It was the sort of showing Democrats feared the incumbent would deliver. Some Democratic strategists, donors and advisers to donors said they were shocked by Biden’s performance, which they said had spurred private discussions about replacing him on the presidential ticket. Trump, meanwhile, uncharacteristically kept his cool.”
After the debate, Patrick issued a statement saying, “Democrats are saying Biden was an unmitigated disaster, and some say he should step down. I’ve said from the day this early debate was announced this was a set-up by the Democrats to replace Biden on the ballot. Part of the set-up was CNN’s split screen, which kept the camera on Biden. The Democrats’ post-debate analysts on CNN are making it clear that Biden needs to be replaced. So obvious this was the set-up. I told a large Republican group tonight that this whole debate sham was a ploy to make it absolutely clear that Biden had to be replaced. Now, we are watching it happen.”
He also said, “Biden lost the split-screen debate. He looked totally lost. Biden lost the policy debate on every issue. Biden lost, period. It was a Trump knockout in every round.”
