Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson doubles down on support for Joe Biden after tough debate

Following a debate performance by President Joe Biden that left Democrats across the nation unsettled, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson doubled down on his support for Biden's campaign for a second term in the White House and expressed confidence in the president's ability to do the job.

"I continue to support President Joe Biden, and I think he laid out a vision for America that is inclusive of all people and not this dark, dystopian future that we saw from Donald Trump," the Democratic mayor said Friday morning.

Biden spoke softly and haltingly, at various points seeming to lose his train of thought during the 90-minute CNN debate Thursday night. It had been widely seen as an opportunity for Biden to allay voters' concerns that the 81-year-old was fit for the job, but the debate performance left questions.

The debate was the first ever between a sitting president and a former president as the two men look to a November rematch of the 2020 election.

In Wisconsin, Trump lost to Biden by just 21,000 votes four years ago, and a key poll this week showed the candidates are tied in this critical swing state heading into November.

More: 'Good luck America': Biden debate performance leaves voters in liberal Madison lamenting choice

Johnson on Friday said he has met Biden on "numerous" occasions and said he was confident in the president's mental acuity.

"The man is sharp, he knows his stuff, he knows exactly what's going on," Johnson said. "He is very competent, and he knows how to do the job. ... We are experiencing the successes of the Biden Administration."

Biden was "on fire" at a post-debate watch party in Atlanta, said Johnson, who has been a vocal advocate for Biden's re-election.

He expected Biden to win over voters by speaking to his record in the coming months.

For Ald. Robert Bauman, neither candidate had a good night on the debate stage.

"The American people are in a quandary," he said. "You have a 78-year-old and an 81-year-old, and one's a sociopath and one appeared that night to be a little bit on the feeble side. It was a bad night. I don't think that's (Biden's) general condition, but who knows?"

Asked whether he thought Biden's performance would create concern among voters, he said, "If last night is the last impression voters have of Joe Biden, that'll be a problem."

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayor doubles down on support for Biden after tough debate