North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has expressed significant concern over President Joe Biden’s debate performance, suggesting it projects weakness to international adversaries. Following CNN’s first presidential debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump, Burgum spoke with The Daily Wire’s Cabot Phillips, highlighting the security risks he believes the U.S. now faces.
Burgum emphasized that global leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ayatollahs of Iran, and Chinese President Xi Jinping were likely observing Biden’s debate. He argued that Biden’s stumbling and incoherent responses during the 90-minute debate could undermine U.S. security.
“Even more concerning, we know who else is watching this debate tonight … Putin was watching, the Ayatollahs were watching, Xi was watching in China,” Burgum stated. “And I feel like this is a national security risk for our country. Because what the world saw was weakness from our leader in the White House, the guy who’s making the decisions. … We’re in a real danger period for now between now and November.”
Burgum also addressed the domestic impact of Biden’s performance, particularly for Americans struggling with economic issues and border security. He expressed empathy for families dealing with high interest rates, inflation, and the consequences of an open border.
“If you’re a working family that today is suffering from high interest rates, from inflation, from the open border and its effect on your public safety, all of those folks that are looking for an answer tonight did not get one from Joe Biden,” Burgum said. “And again, that’s Democrats, Independents, Republicans, if they came looking for an answer, they didn’t find it.”
Burgum also commented on the growing panic within the Democratic Party regarding Biden’s candidacy. He suggested that the decision to keep Biden as the nominee rests with the Democrats, but hinted at a broader lack of confidence within the party.
“Democrats are going to have to make that decision. They created this situation four years ago and they created this decision with their VP pick. If they had a great VP, I don’t think the headlines would [read] panic,” Burgum added.
He also noted that Trump’s strong position post-debate could galvanize further support for his campaign. “President Trump is in such a strong position right now, heading to a rally in Virginia tomorrow,” Burgum said. “You can expect tonight after this performance, people coming off the sidelines in terms of financial support for President Trump. You’re going to see people who were undecided moving into his camp.”
