I'm sure that in '23, Poops McBiden absolutely believed the fix was in--- Trump was not getting reelected, probably not even running; his career in ruins, popularity destroyed, businesses lost, financial ruin, maybe in prison or even dead.
Then all of that failed and it became a matter of pride, of simply not being beaten by Trump. But that debate came, Joe had to actually for once in years actually walk out onto a stage and perform on his own.
Biden really wanted another shot, he knew that if he could just get one more shot at it, he'd beat Trump this time around.