The second the Trump-Biden debate ended on CNN, Thursday, June 27, the news channel’s commentators took over. The general feeling was dismay, with a clear diagnosis delivered by political specialist John King: ” a desaster “ for Joe Biden. The political veteran has never received so many messages of dismay during a presidential campaign debate. On the CNN set, no journalist tried to defend the Democratic president. All were thinking about how to replace an over-aged candidate, who was supported in his candidacy by his wife, Jill, and his entourage at the White House.
The written press shares this state of mind. “Biden’s age issue overshadows any political debate”comments on Wall Street Journalwho believes that “Biden’s raspy voice and sometimes hard-to-follow responses did little to assuage voters’ concerns about his age and may have even made the situation worse. He looked 81 years old and seemed to have difficulty pronouncing certain words, while switching from one topic to another.The tabloids of the conservative Murdoch group are jubilant: “Good evening and goodbye”title it New York Postwhich shows a photo of the president’s wife, « Jill, [qui] takes Joe off stage after calamitous debate against Trump, as Democrats panic ».
The consternation is even greater in the Democratic camp. THE New York Times immediately begins to draw political consequences from this. “President Biden hoped to give new momentum to his re-election campaign by agreeing to debate two months before his official nomination. Instead, his halting and disjointed performance Thursday night caused a wave of panic among Democrats and reignited debate over whether or not he should be the nominee.analyzes journalist Peter Baker.
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A point of view very shared in the editorial staff. “Thirty minutes into the presidential debate, I heard from three veterans of the Democratic presidential campaign, and they all had the same reaction to President Biden’s performance: It’s a disaster.”reveals Patrick Healy, deputy editor in chief, responsible for the debate pages of the New York Times.
“A bit incoherent”
“He stumbled over the facts and at times seemed to lose his train of thought and become a little incoherent. And yet, despite his terrible speech, Biden at least told voters the truth.”comments the editorialist of New York TimesDavid Firestone, who concludes, lapidarily: “Biden has done nothing to change the minds of voters who believe he is no longer up to the task, and his performance Thursday night could mean that many Americans will not pay attention to whether his ideas and actions were the right ones.”
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