AS you’ve probably heard or saw, the mega-hyped presidential debate between Joe Biden and former Donald Trump was an unmitigated disaster for the current president.

There’s no sugarcoating what 90-100 million people watching at home witnessed on that CNN debate stage in Atlanta.

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Joe Biden put up a dismal performance during Thursday’s presidential debateCredit: Rex

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Kamala Harris defended Biden’s performance, saying he got off to a ‘slow start’ but ‘finished strong’Credit: AP

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s name is being mentioned as a potential candidate who can replace Joe Biden in the electionCredit: Getty
Biden was glassy-eyed. He was hoarse. He had zero command of the facts.

And when Trump was talking about his record on the economy and inflation and illegal immigration, the split screen showed a disciplined Trump in command while Biden often stared slack-jawed with an expression that looked like he was hearing all of this bad information for the first time.

On social media and in the immediate aftermath, it’s not hyperbole to say the reaction from Democrats was an earthquake not seen in modern political history.

Not one prominent member of the party could defend Biden’s performance. Even his own vice president, Kamala Harris, could only muster up that he got off to a “slow start.”

No less than four opinion pieces in the New York Times on Friday morning called for Biden to step down.

Biden’s biggest cheerleaders on MSNBC even began to play out scenarios for his replacement, while CNN’s Van Jones, who worked in the Obama-Biden administration, summed up things thusly: “He didn’t do well at all,” Jones said.

“There’s time for this party to figure out a different way forward.”

There’s time, sure, but we’re talking about doing what’s never been done before: Replacing a sitting president with just 129 days to go before the election.

And then there’s the pesky issue that Biden may not agree to humiliate himself and be the guy who quit so close to an election against an opponent he already beat nearly four years ago.

But let’s say the party’s power brokers, such as Barack Obama, convinced Biden to step aside. Who takes his place? The bench isn’t exactly what one would characterize as deep.

‘Is he okay?’ viewers wonder as President Joe Biden takes the stage with a ‘hoarse’ voice to begin debate with Trump

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To that end, here are your Top-3 possibilities:

Kamala Harris: Currently polling as the least popular vice president since polling began, Harris nevertheless is an obvious heir apparent to Biden, as is usually the case with VPs.

But this is a potential candidate who Democrats rejected en masse in the 2020 primaries. She didn’t even make it to Iowa.

She was polling 5th in her home state of California when she dropped out in December 2019.

Simply put, she has a likability and authenticity problem. And when looking at her record, she has failed miserably in her role as border czar, something Trump would undoubtedly exploit.

Michelle Obama: The former First Lady is still popular, especially among Democrats. She has instant brand name, yes, but what do we really know about her?

Most importantly, what exactly does she bring to the table when getting past the sizzle?

Mrs. Obama hasn’t worked in nearly 20 years, when she served as vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago.

So what exactly does she know about economic affairs or fighting crime or immigration or foreign policy?

It may look good on paper, but it’s hard to see her being seen as stronger than Trump on any of these issues.

Gavin Newsom: The California governor has nice hair and a glowing smile, but he’s also unpopular in the deep blue California for good reason.

Newsom is currently at 44 percent approval in the Golden State. When he was first elected in 2018, he won with 62% of the vote, so he’s in sharp decline.

It’s impossible to ignore that California currently has the highest tax rate in the country. The highest homeless rate in the country.

The highest poverty rate in the country. And because of skyrocketing crime, more residents are leaving the state than any other in the country.

If Newsom’s slogan is “I’ll do for America what I did to California,” that’s something a majority of Americans will surely reject.

It’s panic time for the Democratic Party. Because as it stands now, the unthinkable for them looks like it’s happening:

Four more years of Donald Trump.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom is the leading name of Democrats who can swoop in to snatch the nomination from BidenCredit: Reuters