Just hours before his ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos is set to air, President Joe Biden delivered a rally performance in Madison, Wisconsin that is being seen very positively after his damaging debate last week.

Even The New York Times, which one critic reported has published 192 pieces on Biden’s debate performance as of 8 AM this morning, described the President’s performance in Wisconsin as “forceful,” while still attacking him:

“The big question for Biden is why he waited a week and a day after his awful debate performance to deliver this kind of forceful rebuttal to calls that he step aside. Instead, he let it fester for days as angry Democrats built momentum for the idea he should quit the race,” wrote The Times’ Reid J. Epstein, who did not not report that The Times is being seen by many as among the most vociferous proponents of Biden exiting the race.

The Times’ Rebecca Davis O’Brien offered a more positive take on the President’s performance: “Biden’s speech was short, but animated and defiant, with jokes and one-liners that drew laughter from the crowd.”

READ MORE: ‘Toxic’: Experts Mock Trump’s Sudden and Strident Project 2025 Denial

At Friday’s event, voters and the President sounded extremely enthusiastic, with rally goers chanting, “Let’s Go Joe!” and Biden defiantly shouting, “I’m staying in the race! I’ll beat Donald Trump!”

🚨 BREAKING: President Biden is in it to win it!

President Biden: You voted for me to be your nominee, and despite that some folks don’t seem to care who you voted for, guess what, they’re trying to push me out of the race. Let me say this as clearly as I can, I’m staying in the… pic.twitter.com/eQvLe65lLy

— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) July 5, 2024

Indeed, Friday afternoon, Lincoln Project co-founder Mike Madrid, who has been a Latino GOP political consultant for at least three decades, wrote: “This split between the talking heads and media pundits and the voter base reaction feels a lot like what was happening with Republicans in 2016.”

“People don’t like being told what to do anymore,” he said. “The DC folks are really missing it. The ground is shifting.”

“Regardless of what happens in the next hours, days, weeks and months something has fundamentally shifted with the media in the past week,” Madrid added. “There’s outrage. Democrats can probably heal that but not sure the punditry class and cable shows can.”

The well-known journalist, journalism professor, and former TV critic Jeff Jarvis wrote: “Joe in Madison is powerful, strong, charismatic, energetic, able.”

Declaring his support for President Biden, Jarvis added, “I am enthusiastic about him. Do not disenfranchise me. Do not try to cancel my vote. Fuck you, New York Times, Washington Post, Economist and all you baying institutions, each too old.”

Attorney Bernie Wong was just one of many social media users Friday who declared Biden was “on fire” in Wisconsin.

“At Wisconsin, Joe Biden is delivering a standard political speech. At 81, and he’s on fire. Citing facts, his attacks are sharp.”

READ MORE: In First Post-Debate Interview Biden Calls Trump a ‘Felon’ and Strongly Defends His Record

CNN reports anecdotally one rally attendee told them Biden’s speech “changed his calculus” and he will support the President’s re-election bid.

WATCH: After the president’s strong speech in WI, voters are affirming their support for Team Biden-Harris.

Voters know @JoeBiden, they know his record, and they know he is the best AND ONLY person to beat Donald trump. pic.twitter.com/8BgbHm0NgH

— Julia Hamelburg (@juliahamelburg) July 5, 2024

Biden owned up to his poor performance eight days ago, admitting it wasn’t his “best performance.” As the crowd chanted and cheered, he smiled as he appeared to enjoy their support.

“I am running and I’m going to win again!”

Biden on the debate: “Can’t say it was my best performance. Ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation … well here’s my answer: I’m gonna run and I’m gonna win again.” pic.twitter.com/bCBpxmQGCo

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024

He also took several swings at Donald Trump;

Biden: “By the way, if you wondered whether Trump has it all together, did you ever hear how explained the 4th of July? … He said, ‘George Washington’s army won the revolution by taking control of the airports from the British.’ Talk about me misspeaking!” pic.twitter.com/w1HyXFvIMG

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024

Biden: “Trump is a convicted felon … another jury found Trump sexually assaulted a woman in a public place, and he’s been fined $90m for defaming her … he owes more than $400m in fines after being convicted of business fraud … he’s a one-man crime wave.” pic.twitter.com/4dgjmKl5Jf

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024

Biden: “After what Trump did on January 6, why would anyone ever let him be near the Oval Office again?” pic.twitter.com/fFKDcHxDcD

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024

Joking that “I know I look 40,” Biden asked the crowd point-blank if they think he’s “too old.”

“What do you think? You think I’m too old to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land? You think I’m too old to ban assault weapons again? To protect social security and Medicare?” Biden said to a raucous crowd, Politico reported. “You think I’m too old to beat Donald Trump? I can hardly wait.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Total Collapse’: Trump Campaign Mocks ‘Every Democrat’ Calling on Biden to Quit

Political strategists and journalists are responding to Donald Trump’s sudden, strident, and illogical denial that he has any knowledge of Project 2025, the far-right Heritage Foundation’s 920-page action plan to entirely remake the executive branch of the federal government, creating an all-powerful president in charge of a Christian nationalist authoritarian America. A Trump campaign official reportedly said the criminally convicted ex-president’s denial Friday was “a direct response” to “the Biden campaign running ads on Project 2025.”

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, a self-avowed Christian nationalist who’s been described as a “cowboy Catholic” and a culture warrior, has been making the cable news rounds recently, promoting Project 2025. Late last month he gave a lengthy interview to MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend, declaring Heritage’s goal is to institutionalize “Trumpism” as a new version of conservatism.

Heritage Foundation President @KevinRobertsTX: “The work of the Heritage Foundation and #Project2025 is to ‘institutionalize Trumpism as a new version of conservatism'”
…then, Symone Sanders, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez push back hard on the plan and this guy. pic.twitter.com/2F9qzDDJXK

— Resolute Square (@ResoluteSquare) June 23, 2024

On Tuesday, Roberts went all-in on celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court’s declaration that presidents have “absolute” immunity for “official” acts.

READ MORE: In First Post-Debate Interview Biden Calls Trump a ‘Felon’ and Strongly Defends His Record

He then issued remarks some have called “threatening violence“: “we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

Roberts’ comments made headlines, apparently so much so that Trump late Friday morning moved to wholly distance himself from the multimillion dollar far right wing project that is authored in part by, according to an NCRM review, at least 18 former Trump officials, and, as of February, had 100 right-wing partners.

Insisting he both knows “nothing” about Project 2025 and has “nothing” to do with it, while insisting he “disagrees” with some of it but wishes them luck, Trump declared: “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery notes, “All three of the guys behind Project 2025 worked in the White House for Trump when he was president.”

READ MORE: ‘Total Collapse’: Trump Campaign Mocks ‘Every Democrat’ Calling on Biden to Quit

CNN’s Alayna Treene reports: “A senior Trump adviser noted [Trump’s] post is a direct response the Biden campaign running ads on Project 2025 & tying it to the Trump campaign.”

“Project 2025’s agenda would radically reshape the federal government & includes many objectives Trump himself has floated,” she adds.

Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin responded, “Trump is lying because he knows his agenda is toxic with voters.”

Another Democratic strategist, Max Burns, calls Trump’s denial a “great sign that Democrats should be doubling down on highlighting the extreme far-right plans contained in Project 2025. The @GOP is obviously seeing some internal polling showing how unpopular it is. Now is the time to make sure every single American knows Project 2025.”

Attorney and MeidasTouch.com editor in chief Ron Filipowski observes, “Trump’s move today claiming to disavow Project 2025 is just like how he bragged about overturning Roe then tried to distance himself from extreme laws implemented by many states after he saw the polling. Same drill. Wasn’t me!”

The Biden campaign blasted Trump:

“FACT CHECK:

—His Super PAC is running ads promoting Project 2025, calling it “Trump’s Project 2025”
—His top aide and former bag boy John McEntee is the guy behind Project 2025
—His press secretary is starring in recruitment ads for Project 2025
—Trump himself said he “needs” the Heritage Foundation, the organization behind Project 2025, to enact his MAGA agenda”

Wonkette managing editor Evan Hurst added, “Trump and his campaign are terrified that people are learning about #Project2025.”

READ MORE: ‘Crowned Trump King’: SCOTUS Immunity Decision ‘Death Knell for Democracy’ Experts Warn

It’s been called by observers “the extreme right-wing agenda for the next Republican administration,” “the Next Republican Revolution,” and “the scary extremist plan for the next Republican presidential administration.”

Project 2025 is the 920-page blueprint which would entirely remake the executive branch of the federal government and have chilling effects on every American. The Heritage Foundation is behind the multi-million dollar Trump-aligned action plan. Its president, Christian nationalist Kevin Roberts, recently made headlines with his warning for Democrats: “we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Some saw that as a threat of violence.

Donald Trump on Friday, appearing to try to distance himself from Roberts’ remarks and some of its growingly public, extremist plans, declared he knows “nothing” about Project 2025 and has nothing to do with it.

“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them,” the convicted felon ex-president running for president for a third time announced on his Truth Social platform.

The word “Trump” appears on 194 of the published document’s 920 pages, and according to that document 18 former Trump officials are involved with the project, including some well-known names.

READ MORE: In First Post-Debate Interview Biden Calls Trump a ‘Felon’ and Strongly Defends His Record

Peter Navarro, the Project 2025 report states, “holds a PhD in economics from Harvard and was one of only three senior White House officials to serve with Donald Trump from the 2016 campaign to the end of the President’s first term.” His name appears multiple times in the document, and he penned a 30 portion on “free trade.”

Ken Cuccinelli was unlawfully appointed as senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and unlawfully appointed as the acting Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In the Project 2025 document Cuccinelli penned a nearly 40-page report on how the administration should approach the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS): “Our primary recommendation is that the President pursue legislation to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”

Stephen Moore, according to his biography published in the U.S. Congress’s website, “served as a senior economic advisor to the Donald Trump for President campaign in 2016. He helped write the Trump tax plan and worked on energy and budget issues for candidate Trump. In 2020 Moore served as a member of President Trump’s Coivd-19 Economic Recovery Task Force.”

Christopher Miller “served in several positions during the Trump Administration, including as Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense, Director of the National Counter-terrorism Center, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Threats at the National Security Council.”

READ MORE: ‘Total Collapse’: Trump Campaign Mocks ‘Every Democrat’ Calling on Biden to Quit

He penned a 40-page report on the U.S. Dept. of Defense, in which he complains about “the Biden Administration’s profoundly unserious equity agenda and vaccine mandates” while calling for the Commander-in-Chief to use the U.S. military to provide “necessary support to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) border protection operations.”

Other names appear in the project, including Roger Severino, the current Vice President of Domestic Policy at The Heritage Foundation who served as Trump’s religious right activist director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

And still other familiar names with ties to Trump, including Hans A. von Spakovsky and Russ Vought.

Mother Jones’ Washington Bureau Chief David Corn responded to Trump’s post on Project 2025: “This is BS. Christian nationalist Russell Vought, who is one of the Trump allies in charge of the GOP platform effort, is a coordinator of Project 2025. Trump is gaslighting once again.”

The Biden campaign jumped on Trump’s feigned remarks, posting this video from October 2017 of Trump declaring he “needs” The Heritage Foundation’s help.

Watch below or at this link.

Here is Trump saying he “needs” the Heritage Foundation, the organization behind Project 2025, in order to “achieve” his extreme MAGA agenda https://t.co/AyuAbyz7aU pic.twitter.com/Sr72hdOKXC

— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) July 5, 2024

READ MORE: Karine Jean-Pierre Responds to Reporter Asking if President Has Alzheimer’s or Dementia