Chesapeake, Va. – After debating President Biden on Thursday night, former President Trump went to Chesapeake, Virginia, in front of a crowd of thousands to host a rally in a state not won by a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.

Trump was joined by a potential Trump vice presidential choice, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Thousands of Trump enthusiasts waited in line for several hours in rising temperatures in hopes of catching a glimpse of the former and possible next president of the United States. Many in attendance tuned into Thursday night’s debate and told Fox News Digital they were less than impressed with Biden’s performance.

Anne Sprouse from Virginia Beach watched the debate not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised by how the moderators conducted the event.

‘I’m gonna give CNN some credit for being honest. I thought they were pretty nice to Trump. I think it went really well,’ Sprouse said. ‘Unfortunately, Biden is not physically able to be the president. I think that his family should take him home. I think he needs to retire, and I think Trump needs to take it back. I think he needs to make everything great again.’

Edward Young traveled more than 300 miles south from Brick, New Jersey, to hear the former president speak after his performance on the debate stage.

‘Biden’s toast. He’s finished. He’s gone,’ Young predicted. ‘Not only can’t he be the candidate, but he can’t continue as president. I predict he’s going to resign by the end of the week.’

‘They put all these restrictions on Trump, and he looked just fine. They get mad at him. They can’t understand his New York attitude,’ he added.

Kevin Gaudet of Chesapeake, Virginia, echoed Young’s thoughts about Biden’s performance.

‘It was a shame,’ Gaudet said. ‘Our president of the United States [was] basically disgraced on the world stage. Fumbling on every other word that he was saying. Every time he came up with a number, he was picking a new number. I don’t think he knew what he was talking about half the time.’

‘I think Trump did an excellent job. He kept his cool. He didn’t get upset. He was truly presidential this time versus ’16. He’s had my vote from day one,’ he said.

Supporters of all ages turned out to Greenbrier Farms, including future voters.

Sophia, 12, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was there with her family and watched some of the back and forth between Biden and Trump. One topic in particular caught her attention, and for all the wrong reasons.

‘I thought it was funny when they started talking about golf,’ she said.

Sophia then took a more serious tone when the topic switched from drivers and putters to the safety of Americans.

‘I like to watch politics,’ she said. ‘I like watching it because I want my country to be safe. I feel like Trump will provide a lot more safety because he has actual plans, rather than Joe Biden sleeping. It’s nice to know somebody’s awake and ready to support our country.’

The second and final presidential debate is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET and will be hosted by ABC News.

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

Democrats under threat of losing their seats to Republicans appear to be leaving President Biden high and dry after what’s been widely viewed as a ‘disastrous’ performance in Thursday’s presidential debate.

Fox News Digital asked multiple Democratic senators, House members and candidates facing tough races for their reaction to the debate and whether they agreed with the assessment by others in their party that Biden should step aside as a presidential candidate. 

Not one stepped up to defend him.

The names most notably absent from jumping to Biden’s defense were senators Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Jon Tester, D-Mont., Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, all of whom have been quick to praise the president in the more recent past.

Tester, for example, previously described Biden as ‘absolutely 100% with it,’ and said, ‘He’s fine. He’s doing a good job. I think folks are making a bigger deal out of it than it is.’ Republicans have been going after him by running those very words in ads across the state.

Baldwin’s campaign distanced itself from Biden following the debate, telling one news outlet Friday, ‘Tammy Baldwin is running her own race for the people of Wisconsin.’

‘Senate Democrats have been telling Americans Joe Biden is still sharp. Jon Tester even went so far as to say Biden is ‘absolutely 100% with it.’ It is clear they were lying, and voters will remember that in November,’ National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital.

Reps. Ruben Gallego, the likely Democratic nominee for Senate in Arizona; Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas; Elissa Slotkin, the likely Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan; and Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maryland, also failed to defend Biden when asked about the debate.

Some House Democrats facing tough races, such as Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, have taken a similar approach. The National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday posted a video on social media of Kaptur being trailed in the airport by a GOP operative asking if Biden was ‘fit to be president.’

‘Joe Biden is president,’ Kaptur said, refusing to give a direct answer. When pressed by the operative, Kaptur simply said, ‘Are you fit to be president?’

Kaptur’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes won a tight race in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District in 2022, and Cook Political Report ranks her race in 2024 as a ‘Democrat Toss Up.’ Fox News Digital reached out to her office and did not receive a response.

In Washington state, Dem. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is facing a tough reelection campaign that the Cook Political Report ranks as a ‘Democrat Toss Up.’ Her office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, who also could be facing a tough re-election fight this year, did, however, admit what the others wouldn’t.

‘Biden struggled, but he’s an honest person who cares deeply about the country, and Trump, on the other hand, is a con man and only cares about himself,’ Landsman told Fox News Digital. 

‘I’m not sure what happens next. I’m clear about my job, which is to serve the 700,000 people we represent, working to make life better for children and families by getting costs down, strengthening our democracy, restoring freedoms and helping to solve the big problems we face so families don’t have to worry as much as they do now.’

Democrats under threat of losing their seats to Republicans appear to be leaving President Biden high and dry after what’s been widely viewed as a ‘disastrous’ performance in Thursday’s presidential debate.

Fox News Digital asked multiple Democratic senators, House members and candidates facing tough races for their reaction to the debate and whether they agreed with the assessment by others in their party that Biden should step aside as a presidential candidate. 

Not one stepped up to defend him.

The names most notably absent from jumping to Biden’s defense were senators Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Jon Tester, D-Mont., Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, all of whom have been quick to praise the president in the more recent past.

Tester, for example, previously described Biden as ‘absolutely 100% with it,’ and said, ‘He’s fine. He’s doing a good job. I think folks are making a bigger deal out of it than it is.’ Republicans have been going after him by running those very words in ads across the state.

Baldwin’s campaign distanced itself from Biden following the debate, telling one news outlet Friday, ‘Tammy Baldwin is running her own race for the people of Wisconsin.’

‘Senate Democrats have been telling Americans Joe Biden is still sharp. Jon Tester even went so far as to say Biden is ‘absolutely 100% with it.’ It is clear they were lying, and voters will remember that in November,’ National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Mike Berg told Fox News Digital.

Reps. Ruben Gallego, the likely Democratic nominee for Senate in Arizona; Colin Allred, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas; Elissa Slotkin, the likely Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan; and Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maryland, also failed to defend Biden when asked about the debate.

Some House Democrats facing tough races, such as Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, have taken a similar approach. The National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday posted a video on social media of Kaptur being trailed in the airport by a GOP operative asking if Biden was ‘fit to be president.’

‘Joe Biden is president,’ Kaptur said, refusing to give a direct answer. When pressed by the operative, Kaptur simply said, ‘Are you fit to be president?’

Kaptur’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes won a tight race in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District in 2022, and Cook Political Report ranks her race in 2024 as a ‘Democrat Toss Up.’ Fox News Digital reached out to her office and did not receive a response.

In Washington state, Dem. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is facing a tough reelection campaign that the Cook Political Report ranks as a ‘Democrat Toss Up.’ Her office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, who also could be facing a tough re-election fight this year, did, however, admit what the others wouldn’t.

‘Biden struggled, but he’s an honest person who cares deeply about the country, and Trump, on the other hand, is a con man and only cares about himself,’ Landsman told Fox News Digital. 

‘I’m not sure what happens next. I’m clear about my job, which is to serve the 700,000 people we represent, working to make life better for children and families by getting costs down, strengthening our democracy, restoring freedoms and helping to solve the big problems we face so families don’t have to worry as much as they do now.’

Independent and Republican voters in Fox News Digital’s focus group appeared to have mixed reactions to President Biden and former President Trump’s sparring over their respective cognitive abilities and golf handicaps, while Democrats generally disapproved.

During the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday night, CNN moderator Dana Bash presented the ages Biden and Trump would be at the end of a potential second four-year term. 

Biden would be 86, while Trump would be 82. 

‘I took two cognitive tests, I aced them,’ Trump said. ‘He took none, I’d like to see him take one, just one.’ 

‘I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships. To do that, you have to be quite smart. And you have to be able to hit the ball a long way,’ the former president continued.

Biden defended his age, saying he ‘spent half my career being criticized about being the youngest person in politics. I was the second-youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate, and now I’m the oldest. This guy is three years younger and a lot less competent.’ 

‘Look, I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him,’ Biden said.

‘I’ve seen you swing. I know your swing,’ Trump fired back. ‘Let’s not act like children.’ 

Biden replied: ‘You are a child.’

According to Fox Digital’s focus group dial, Republicans and independents approved of Trump’s comments, while Democrats did not. 

Likewise, Democratic approval soared during Biden’s responses, while independent and Republican voters’ approval took a nosedive. 

Focus group participants reacted in real time to Biden and Trump, turning dials to indicate approval or disapproval. In the video embedded in this story, Republican participant sentiment is graphed in red, Democrats in blue and independents in yellow.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is set to introduce a resolution calling on President Biden to declare the month of July as ‘American Patriotism Month.’

The resolution, which recognizes the U.S. as the ‘greatest country on Earth’ and aims to affirm support from the House of Representatives for the special designation for the month of July, is expected to be introduced by Texas GOP Rep. Roger Williams on Friday.

Pointing to several events and dates that are of significance to U.S. history – including July 4, 1776, when the U.S. declared its independence from British rule – the resolution expresses the importance of ‘patriotism’ and how it has united Americans in the past.

The resolution, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital, states that ‘patriotism has bonded citizens of the United States of America since the foundation of our country,’ adding that the ‘people of the United States hold a deep love for this country and have showed this through patriotic acts throughout history.’

‘The divide in our country is clearer than ever, and there is no better time to rally behind American pride,’ Williams told Fox News Digital. ‘Throughout history, we have created holidays for many groups, but fail to adequately celebrate the patriots who made our freedoms possible.’

He added: ‘Any man or woman, regardless of their background, can be a patriot, and American Patriotism Month is an opportunity to remind us of the values that make our nation great. There is no reason for Biden to deny an opportunity to embrace American pride.’

Co-sponsors include: Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska, Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Republican Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee, Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, and Republican Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas.

Also mentioned in the resolution are the events of June 6, 1944, when ‘over 73,000 Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy to protect democracy and liberty,’ and remarks from past presidents who pushed for unity throughout the United States.

The text specifically highlights remarks from the inaugural addresses of former Presidents John F. Kennedy, who insisted that Americans should ‘ask what you can do for your country,’ and Ronald Reagan, who said that ‘no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.’

Touting the ‘leadership of United States Presidents and the American people,’ the resolution notes that ‘America was triumphant in the cold war against the Soviet Union and emerged as the beacon of hope for the free world.’

Also recognized in Williams’ resolution, which has received support from the Eagle Forum, is the resounding unity in the U.S. following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City. At that time, the resolution notes, ‘American patriots rushed to help one another, defend our country, and defend the values that as Americans we so deeply believe in.’

The resolution also praises those aboard United Airlines flight 93 on September 11, who ‘fought against the hijackers and saved thousands of American lives,’ as well as the ‘181,510 Americans [who] joined the ranks of Active Duty service and 72,908 [who] enlisted in the reserves’ in the year after the attacks.

‘It is because of patriotic men, women, and children throughout all of history that America is the greatest country on Earth,’ the resolution states. ‘Patriotism is a selfless act of love for one’s country and fellow citizens.’

Paying tribute to the more than ‘2,000,000 military personnel who are enlisted to defend the freedoms of all Americans in a selfless act of patriotism,’ the resolution also notes the significance of teaching ‘the younger generations about the importance of United States patriotism and loving one’s country.’

Williams’ resolution calls on Biden to ‘issue an annual proclamation designating ‘American Patriotism Month,” just one day after the president went toe-to-toe with his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in a heated debate.

Democrats were forced to grapple with a whirlwind of chaos on Capitol Hill Friday after many were left frustrated by President Biden’s debate performance on Thursday night.

‘I think the emotions of the night were basically disappointment, anger, and then by the end it was panic,’ one House Democrat, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital.

‘Now, with that foundation, where do we go? Obviously, there are conversations that I believe need to be had at all levels, with the realization of, this is not just about the presidency, this is about down-ballot.’

Democratic lawmakers were skittish on Friday morning as groups of reporters fervently chased even normally low-profile members for comment on the debate. Several declined to speak with Fox News Digital about the match-up, even when offered anonymity.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., looking noticeably weary, would not answer a reporter’s question on whether Biden was the most effective messenger for the party. 

He said instead, ‘President Biden is scheduled to speak today around noon, as I understand it, in North Carolina. I’m looking forward to hearing from President Biden. And until he articulates a way forward in terms of his vision for America at this moment, I’m going to reserve comment about anything relative to where we are at this moment, other than to say I stand behind the ticket.’

A second anonymous House Democrat, jaded by the process in general but who did not watch the debate, told Fox News Digital, ‘I’ve been hearing everyone freaking out and s—, but debates in this day and age are stupid. Tell me the last debate you saw where you felt good after and learned something?’

‘I bet you the majority of Americans would not choose these two old guys to be the only choice that they have,’ the Democrat said.

One senior House Democratic aide compared the mood on Capitol Hill to what they imagined Republicans went through after a high-profile gaffe by former President Trump during his administration.

‘Coming into work with absolute dread, knowing everyone is gonna come after you, and knowing you have nothing good to say,’ the aide explained.

Biden appeared tired and unfocused at times during his 90-minute face-off with Trump. At one point, Trump fired back, ‘I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.’

It exacerbated long-simmering concerns that Biden’s mental acuity has lessened in his advanced age, despite his Republican rival being just three years younger.

A longtime Democratic operative said lawmakers who spoke with them were alarmed by how the debate went.

‘What I’m hearing from people is a sense of disappointment, in that this was a moment that we could have capitalized on and that it was missed. This then leads to panicky responses, like, how do we fix it? What do we do? That’s the underlying discussion right now,’ the operative told Fox News Digital.

Even Democrats who spoke on the record reluctantly admitted that Biden’s performance was less than desirable, but they quickly insisted the election was about far more than a single bad performance.

‘The president doesn’t have a great debate night. That’s very clear. But, you know, this is more than just about one debate performance, but the future of America and the existential threat that Donald Trump poses to Americans and to our national security,’ Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told reporters.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said, ‘I think he had a terrible night…bad debate.’ Meeks still maintained that Biden ‘is the right man at the right time to do this job.’

Meanwhile, others within the Democratic sphere expressed frustration at fellow left-wingers – particularly media pundits – who were making their concerns about Biden’s debate performance public.

‘For those who are worried, it’s time to do less worrying and get to work,’ Joel Rubin, a Democratic strategist and former Obama administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs to the House, told Fox News Digital in a brief interview in response to the anonymously voiced concerns.

‘We’re four-plus months out, and the Democratic Party in moments like this, we tend to be experts at self-criticism, and we’re seeing it on full display today. But to win this election is not going to be based upon just one candidate being anointed by the heavens…it’s going to be about the whole infrastructure of the Democratic and progressive community mobilizing voters.’

Rubin said, ‘I mean, just because the president had a rough night does not mean that he’s not up to the job and that we stay home and stop fighting for him. He’s earned our support. A rough performance on one night doesn’t eviscerate three and a half years of extraordinary accomplishments.’

Not a single voter who participated in a Fox News Digital focus group said they felt better about President Biden after watching his performance at the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday.

Democrats, independents and Republicans who gave their real-time reaction to the debate said that former President Trump appeared stronger than Biden when it came to effective communication and the ability to appear like a leader.

‘He got off to a horrible start,’ a male voter told focus group leader Lee Carter, president of Maslansky and Partners. ‘At the beginning he couldn’t even put a sentence together at the opening statement.’ 

One woman expressed disappointment in the debate, noting that Biden and Trump spent more time attacking each other’s records than discussing the problems facing the country.

‘I think they’re just battling each other, like, head on and not addressing the real problems. Like, they’re just trying to be on top of each other. It just felt like, I don’t know, a fist fight to me,’ she said. 

A man who said he was ‘okay’ with Biden’s performance suggested the president would have been helped if his microphone was closer to his mouth. Biden’s voice appeared raspy during the debate and at times he did not project at the level of his opponent, Trump.

But another woman interjected, saying that Biden, as an executive, should be able to project and communicate his points.  

‘Given that he was one of the earliest, as you mentioned, senators and has been in politics for decades, I don’t think that is an excuse,’ she said. 

Another male voter compared the physical presence of the two candidates and said Trump had an edge over the 81-year-old Biden. 

‘Okay, you just take Trump versus Biden on the physical and the ability to communicate: Trump is 78 years old also, but he is communicating as if he was 55 years old, and he’s getting his points across, and he’s acting like a leader,’ a male voter said.

At the onset of the discussion, about half of the focus group indicated they had concerns about Trump going into the debate. Voters said they were worried he would not act presidential, or that he would be too ‘aggressive’ in going after Biden. 

More than half of the focus group later said Trump exceeded their expectations. Several said the debate format, in which a candidate’s microphone was muted when it wasn’t their turn to speak, ultimately helped Trump maintain composure and control.

‘I think they meant to help Biden but they ended up helping Trump,’ one voter said. 

‘Because they shut him up.’