In a heated debate with Donald Trump on Thursday, Joe Biden struggled to alleviate concerns about his age and fitness for a second term in the White House. The debate, marked by personal insults, saw a bombastic Trump criticizing Biden’s handling of the economy and international affairs.
Biden, 81, attempted to respond but his delivery faltered, marked by rapid, raspy speech and moments of hesitation. His performance, despite a week of preparation, has raised new worries within the Democratic Party as polls indicate Trump is either tied or ahead for the upcoming November election. This historic first debate between a sitting and former president saw both accusing each other of being the worst in history.
The two septuagenarians, both of whom were the oldest to be elected president, even traded childish barbs over their golf games. They did not shake hands at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta, where the debate was held without a live audience and with muted microphones when the other spoke.
Biden, reportedly suffering from a cold, used rehearsed lines to attack Trump, emphasizing that Trump could be the first convicted felon in the White House. “You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden stated. Trump, capitalizing on his rally experience, loudly criticized Biden’s record, stating, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
In the aftermath, Vice President Kamala Harris defended Biden’s record on CNN, acknowledging a “slow start” but a “strong finish.” However, former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield called the evening “really disappointing.”
A CNN poll showed that 67 percent of viewers believed Trump won the debate. With Democrats set to formally nominate Biden in August, options to change course appear limited unless Biden withdraws.
Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, noted that Biden’s performance would cause significant concern among his supporters. At a watch party in San Francisco, voter Hazel Reitz expressed her continued support for Biden but lamented, “I can’t understand a word that he says. Isn’t it sad?”
The debate was devoid of new policy proposals, focusing instead on personal attacks. Biden condemned Trump’s alleged disparagement of fallen soldiers and defended his late son Beau. Trump, in turn, denied these remarks and questioned Biden’s coherence.
On foreign policy, Trump accused Biden of inadequate support for Israel and criticized his Afghanistan withdrawal, linking it to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden highlighted that he has kept American soldiers out of harm’s way overseas, a first among recent presidents.
Abortion and immigration also featured prominently, with Biden criticizing Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade. Trump’s stance on immigration was also a point of contention.
Absent from the debate stage was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who did not meet CNN’s polling threshold. Instead, he answered questions via a livestream.
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