Politico Playbook Audio Briefing

President Joe Biden’s campaign gambled on a June debate, ostensibly with the goal of shaking up the trajectory of the campaign. Last night, it backfired in spectacular fashion. Over the course of a disastrous 90 minutes, the incumbent often wandered into incoherence, his voice faint, while former President Donald Trump blasted a firehose of insults and untruths. Now, with word that prominent Dems are in crisis mode, could we be approaching virtually unforeseen political territory? Playbook co-authors Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza and Eugene Daniels unpack what we saw and where things go from here.