CNN White House correspondent said that according to her contacts, 'Everyone is deflated' and 'commiserating'
CNN reporter says White House staffer mood is 'abysmal' after debate
Correspondent Kayla Tausche reported on a live CNN broadcast that the rank and file in Biden’s White House are devastated by the president’s performance in Thursday’s debate.
CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche reported Friday that some rank and file Biden administration staffers are so devastated by the president’s performance in Thursday’s debate, they are unable to even show up to work.
President Biden’s debate demeanor sparked yet another national conversation about his ability to serve, and while his team is publicly standing by the president, some are privately panicking.
"The Biden campaign just believes they need a little bit of time for the dust to settle and to move forward," Tausche told CNN host Kasie Hunt. "They plan for the president to stay in the race and to debate again in September."
President Joe Biden looks down as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
"But I‘ve been talking to a bunch of rank-and-file at the White House and the mood inside the building is not good," she continued. "They described the tone of the groupchats among staffers as abysmal, ugly. They say everyone is deflated and a lot of people chose to work from home today, saying, ‘We‘re just commiserating, and we didn‘t want to do that at a desk."
Earlier on "Inside Politics with Dana Bash," Hunt recounted how the debate has left the nation in "yet another uncharted moment in American politics with just 130 days until election day. People close to the president are asking this question, ‘Can Joe Biden remain in this race?’"
She later added that one particularly viral moment of Biden awkwardly staring at Trump "and 90 minutes worth of the video that came with it has shown it has the potential to completely upend this presidential race."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and did not receive an immediate reply.
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
