The Boston Globe gave it an “F”. Very bad grade therefore for Joe Biden after the first debate of the campaign for the White House against Donald Trump. “No one who supported Biden would have imagined he would do so poorly. There was the squeaky voice, the whispers. The ramblings.”the newspaper comments. “If any undecided voters were watching, they knew within the first ten minutes that Biden looked older than his age and was struggling to keep up with the lies Trump was spouting.”add the Globemuch more generous with Trump who received a “B”.
“His mission in this debate was to appear strong and energetic, without coming across as an idiot or America’s first dictator. He achieved it”analyzes the daily, which notes that the 45th American president did not attack the moderators or interrupt his opponent. Perhaps because the rules of the debate, issued by the broadcaster CNNinvolved cutting the microphone of someone who wasn’t speaking in a studio without an audience.
“We are fucked.”confided to CNN a Democrat mobilized on the campaign. “Biden looks and sounds horrible. He is inconsistent”, complained another. The president also lost his train of thought during a response early in the debate. “I don’t know what he meant but I don’t think he knows either.”, said Donald Trump. One of the columnists of Fox News found that “Trump could have emphasized Biden’s acuity issues. He didn’t. He was gracious throughout the debate.”.
A journalist from New York Times, accustomed to following the Democrat at rallies, points out that Biden’s performance was “worse than usual”. Possible over-preparation is one explanation put forward. The White House has also suggested that the president was suffering from a cold.
Next debate on September 10
The two men, who did not shake hands upon arriving on set, were questioned about the economy, abortion, immigration, Ukraine, Israel and the environment. Trump regularly lied, exaggerated or distorted reality, using, as is his wont, the formula “the most… in all history” or calling Democrats “radicals” on the subject of abortion, accusing them of wanting to perform abortions until the ninth month of pregnancy.
Most of the media fact checks following the live debate concerned him. He also
dodged, note NBC News, questions about his role in January 6, 2021 or his reaction in the event of defeat next November.
The exchanges were not always courteous. “You are a crybaby”Biden launched. “We have been living in hell for three and a half years”Trump said, attacking the president’s recently convicted son, Hunter Biden. “Let’s not be children”pleaded Trump. “You are a child”Biden retorted. They also bickered about their golfing skills.
In the Washington Post, A reporter deplored the quality of the debate, particularly when Joe Biden reminded Donald Trump that he was a “convicted criminal” in the Stormy Daniels case. “Can we talk about the state of American politics? A presidential candidate is indeed a convicted felon and just said “I didn’t sleep with a porn star” in a prime-time presidential debate.wrote the journalist.
The next debate is scheduled for September 10.
