“Inflation is killing our country,” declared Donald Trump, 78, extremely at ease, repeating an argument that he knows resonates with Americans and assuring that his rival was doing a “bad job,” despite robust growth and employment.
Joe Biden, often with a hoarse voice in front of CNN cameras, attacked a subject that he knows is delicate, accusing him of his “terrible” action against the right to abortion. He also accused Donald Trump of “lying” by asserting that illegal immigration was causing crime to soar, before going on to more personal ground.
Everything about the presidential election in the United States
“Repeat offender”
The Democrat thus recalled that his opponent was a “repeat criminal”, after having been found guilty in a case of concealed payments to a former porn actress, and judged that he had the “moral sense of a depraved person”, repeatedly calling him a “crybaby”. “I did nothing wrong”, replied the former president, charged in several other cases, affirming that the judicial system was “rigged”.
The Republican, who never conceded defeat in 2020, did not commit to unconditionally recognizing the verdict of the polls in November, assuring that he would accept it if the election was “fair and equitable”.
The war in Ukraine would never have happened if the United States had a leader
Donald Trump, without going as far as the insults with which he peppers his campaign speeches, affirmed that his rival was “not cut out” to be president. “He has become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian. A weak (Palestinian),” he said, referring to Joe Biden’s policy in the face of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “The war in Ukraine would never have happened if the United States had a leader,” he also assured.
Donald Trump challenged Joe Biden to submit to a “cognitive test”, boasting that he himself had taken two and that he had “shine”, before praising his golf performances while his rival wore a mocking smile.
The former real estate developer also made numerous false statements and exaggerations, without intervention from the two CNN journalists. Who essentially ensured that everyone’s speaking time was respected, cutting off the microphone as soon as it was up, which prevented untimely interruptions.
Extreme political polarization
Unless there is any surprise, this debate should not move the lines much, in a country where political polarization is extreme. But the stakes are no less enormous: if one of the two candidates manages to attract a few independent voters, this could be enough to give him the advantage in November, as the election promises to be close.
For this, Joe Biden must in particular reassure about his vitality and his health, and in this regard, his performance this Thursday is likely to be seen as a missed opportunity, even if he gained in ease over the course of the debate.
