Barack Obama came to the rescue of Joe Biden after his failure in the first presidential debate against Donald Trump.  He challenged those who publicly and behind the scenes are calling for the current president to step aside to avoid a major electoral stumble in November.  Obama publicly endorsed Biden's candidacy.

Minutes after the event ended, many of Biden´s allies were calling for him to step down.  From Van Jones of CNN to Nicholas Kristof, the legendary The New York Times columnist, many expressed the opinion that Biden should not to be the candidate.

In an attempt to put these rumors to rest and, in the view of some political analysts, drawing a line in the sand, Obama made a clear endorsement of Biden on his X account.

"Bad debate nights happen."

Trying to minimize the situation, the former president recalled that anyone can have a bad night, referring to his own experience.  During the 2012 presidential election, in which Obama was seeking re-election against Mitt Romney, the Republican was considered a comfortable winner of the first encounter between the two candidates.

However, just a few months later, the Democrat had obtained the electoral votes necessary to renew his stay in the White House for another four years.  Against this backdrop, the former Illinois senator left a message of encouragement on his X account.

"Bad debate nights happen.  Trust me, I know.  But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.  Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit.  Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November," Obama wrote, also including a link to Biden's campaign website in an effort to boost fundraising.

"I may not debate as well as I used to, but what I do know is to tell the truth."

Almost simultaneously, President Biden participated in a rally in the city of Raleigh, NC, where he was confident despite the stumble in the debate.

By way of justification, and with a more forceful tone than the one he used during the debate, he stated the following:

"Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to.  I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to.  I don’t debate as well as I used to, but...I know how to tell the truth.  I know right from wrong, and I know how to do this job.  I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up," Biden said.

The Democrat also took the opportunity to attack his rival, whom he characterized as a "liar" and immoral.

"I spent 90 minutes on stage debating a guy with the morals of an alley cat.  I think he broke the record for lies in a debate.  Donald Trump isn't just a convicted felon.  Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave," he declared.