But that dam wouldn’t hold after Biden cited Trump’s own words calling the Jan. 6 rioters “patriots” and saying he would be ready with pardons in hand if he wins back the White House.

“He didn’t do a damn thing and these people should be in jail,” Biden said of those who breached the U.S. Capitol. “And he wants to let them all out.”

Trump then called some of the people convicted “so innocent,” attempting to minimize his own conduct on that day. And when Biden asked Trump directly to denounce those involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Trump looked straight into the camera and refused.

More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses, more than 850 have pleaded guilty to crimes, including assaulting police officers, and about 200 have been convicted through trials, according to an Associated Press tally.

Biden also used the exchange to label Trump a convicted felon.

It amounted to Biden’s strongest moment and exposed one of Trump’s most enduring weaknesses.

—DEMOCRATS WILL RUN AWAY FROM THIS DEBATE

Flash polls and focus-group snap reactions help shape the post-debate narrative, but it will take at least a week for more precise polling to truly measure the impact of the clash.

Democrats will attempt to turn the page from it as quickly as possible. But some are already panicking out loud.

“I wish Biden would reflect on this debate performance and then announce his decision to withdraw from the race,” wrote Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist on social media, calling for a fresh nominee at an open Democratic National Convention in August.

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