WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden addressed a barrage of criticism of his debate performance during a rally Friday, while Democrats said in an interview on Capitol Hill that the party must find a way to reassure voters after what they called a “terrible” performance and a “bad night.”

Biden, speaking from Raleigh, North Carolina, acknowledged some of the blunders he made during Thursday night's debate on CNN, including a raspy, deep voice and answers that often started one way and then drifted off into a completely different topic.

“I know I'm not a young man anymore, it's just a matter of saying that,” Biden said. “I don't walk as casually as I used to. I don't speak as fluently as I used to. I can't debate as well as I used to, but … I know how to tell the truth.”

Biden, 81, told the crowd that despite the glitches, he would remain in office for another four years and said his rival, 78-year-old likely Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump, was a “real threat to this nation.”

“When you get knocked down, you get back up,” Biden said. “I wouldn't run again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job, because frankly, there's too much at stake.”

Outside the Beltway, Democrats continued to try to process what they saw Thursday night. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis did not directly respond to calls from some Democrats that Biden should resign. But in a statement released later in the day, he said, “Last night was not a good night, and I hope President Biden does a better job of conveying his optimistic message about his vision for our future throughout the campaign.” In the swing state of Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and other Democrats defended Biden on social media and on the radio.

Hoyer rejects Biden's resignation

In Washington DC, lawmakers had mixed feelings about Biden's performance during the debate. Some said a bad night should not cause the party to change its candidate in the coming weeks. Others said Biden should reconsider his decision to run for re-election.

Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said Biden had “a bad night,” but stressed that the president had nevertheless shown respect for “the people, the truth and the Constitution.”

“The other candidate, who has no respect for any of that, showed that last night,” he said of Trump.

When asked if the Democrats needed a new presidential candidate, Hoyer dismissed the idea by saying they already had one and that was “Joe Biden.”

“He has an exceptional track record,” Hoyer said.

Democratic Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota said it was a “terrible debate.”

“We all have to acknowledge that, and Donald Trump has lied every time he has opened his mouth,” Craig said, adding that she is not worried about November but is focused on the flooding in her home state.

Mood in the House of Representatives

New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks said he did not expect party members to suddenly abandon the Biden-Harris ticket, but added that Biden still has a lot of work to do before Election Day.

“I know Joe Biden. I've sat across from Joe Biden in some very important meetings,” Meeks said. “And I know he's fully there and has the ability to do it. He didn't do that last night. But I know he has that ability.”

However, the mood in the House of Representatives on Friday morning was anything but ideal, he said.

“There's no hiding it, people are not happy. No one is jumping for joy and saying, 'That was a great night last night,'” Meeks said. “Are there concerns? Yes, because we know how important it is to win this election.”

Meeks declined to speculate on whether Biden will drop out of the second debate in September, but said, “It might be difficult to get out of there.”

Biden needs to appear before voters much more frequently in town hall meetings and interviews before the election to give them confidence, he said.

Meeks also tried to point out a difference between Biden and Trump, saying the lies Trump told during the debate showed he had not evolved.

“Nothing has changed with Trump. He is still the pathological liar that Lindsey Graham called him. He is still the conman that Marco Rubio called him,” Meeks said, referring to the Republican senators from South Carolina and Florida. “And I certainly don't want a pathological liar and conman to become president of the United States of America. That would be bad for us and will be bad for our allies.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives sees “serious problem”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Cabinet members should “look into their hearts” to decide what was the best way forward for the country given “this alarming situation.”

“I think they know they have a serious problem – but it's not just political, it's not just the Democratic Party, it's the whole country,” Johnson said. “We have a serious problem here because we have a president who, by all appearances, is not up to the task.”

“This is a very serious moment in American history and it must be viewed and treated as such,” Johnson added.

The Louisiana Republican did not rule out that the 25th Amendment, which deals with presidential incapacity and succession, might be appropriate, but he noted that this is a matter for the Cabinet, not the House.

During the debate, Trump “demonstrated the temperament, the stamina and the mental acuity necessary to do this really important job at this really important moment,” Johnson said.

Biden, on the other hand, “showed last night that he is weak, sadly that he is powerless,” Johnson added.

Democrats are pushing ahead with plans to nominate Biden as their official presidential candidate ahead of the Democratic Party convention in Chicago at the end of August.

The all-virtual roll call is scheduled to take place before August 7, the deadline for Ohio to accept candidates. The state requires candidates to be officially nominated at least 90 days before the November election..

This means that any final decisions about Biden's candidacy will likely have to be made during the month of July.

Biden does not need to be replaced

Democratic Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts said he was looking at the campaign “long term” and did not believe Democrats would need to replace Biden at the top of the ballot.

“I think we're in a time where personalities play a big role in politics,” Neal said. “At the same time, I think Joe Biden has a really good track record… And I think we want to make sure people see that throughout his presidency.”

Neal said that Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, won her first debate against Trump, even though Trump ultimately won the election.

He also pointed out that Walter Mondale, the 1984 Democratic presidential candidate, was widely considered to have won his first debate against Republican Ronald Reagan, even though Reagan handed him a landslide victory in the election.

Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel of Florida said: “There was only one decent, honest man who represented my values, and that was Joe Biden.”

Frankel said she was not particularly concerned about calls for Biden to step down as front-runner, but said she had not been involved in those discussions.

Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania said Biden's performance reminded him of a 2022 debate in which his own performance was “lousy.”

“He had a rough night,” Cartwright said, adding that he believes Democrats should not “overreact.”

Cartwright said he does not believe Biden's performance in the debate will affect how voters in his district, which includes parts of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Scranton, vote in lower-ballot elections later this year.

“The people where I live are splitting their votes,” Cartwright said. “They know who I am, and they know I'm not the same guy as the guy who's in the White House.”

Republicans react

Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack said Biden's performance “validated” many of the concerns lawmakers and others had before the debate about his “cognitive abilities.”

“But ultimately, you have to assume that both will still be neck and neck in November,” Womack said.

Republicans must “go full steam ahead” to keep the House of Representatives, turn the Senate around and retake the White House in November, he said. But that is just the beginning of the hard work.

“When that happens, we have a few years to show that we are serious about leading America,” Womack said.

Iowa Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said it was up to “Democrats to decide whether they believe their candidate is up to the task of governing the country for the next four years.”

“From my perspective, what I saw last night confirms that he is not and that I will be voting for President Trump,” Miller-Meeks said. “I thought President Trump's answers and policies were well thought out and showed that he was very astute, very empathetic and very well informed.”

Miller-Meeks said it will be a challenge for the Biden team and Democrats to put aside concerns about Biden's mental state after the debate.

“I think what a lot of people noticed is now very clear and hard to hide, given the performance that everyone saw last night,” Miller-Meeks said.

Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, one of Trump's running mates for vice president, said Trump “did what he was supposed to do – he demonstrated leadership and sovereignty by speaking out about the problems that plague this country.”

“As far as I'm concerned, the Democrats' agenda is a failure, whether it's Joe Biden, Kamala Harris or anyone else. Period.”