Joe Biden’s Tough Night: Round-Up of Historic Debate with Donald Trump
It was one of the biggest debates in US electoral history, featuring the first face-off between a sitting president and a former president on critical issues affecting everyday Americans. Expectations were high, with immigration, jobs, inflation, and age poised to dominate as Joe Biden faced off against his arch-rival, Donald Trump. However, Biden’s performance and his ability to compete in the upcoming election emerged as the primary focus of the entire 90-minute CNN debate in Atlanta, US. His showing has sparked intense discussions among Democrats, many questioning whether he should be replaced.
Joe Biden’s Struggling Performance in High-Stakes Debate
In a pivotal face-off that could sway the rest of the campaign, President Joe Biden appeared to struggle, even freezing several times. The moment his opponents had anticipated came early when Biden appeared to pause for several seconds while addressing a question about the economy. Throughout the debate, he stumbled on key figures, such as the number of new jobs created under his administration and the caps on out-of-pocket drug costs and insulin, which are crucial to his reelection bid.
Trump supporters quickly seized on Biden’s shaky performance, declaring him the decisive winner of the debate. In response, Biden’s team rushed to do damage control, attributing the president’s struggles to a cold.
Biden’s Lackluster Performance Critiqued by Democrats
Biden just didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight,” commented Rosemarie DeAngelus, a Democrat from South Portland, Maine, from her watch party at Broadway Bowl. She noted that Trump showed “more spunk or more vigor,” despite what she perceived as a tendency to tell falsehoods.
Despite moments of awkward silence and struggle, Biden called out Trump, labeling him “an alley cat with no morals,” a “whiner” over the rigged election claim, accusing him of “having slept with a sex worker,” and dismissing him as a “sucker” for attacking his son Hunter Biden.
Biden’s Lackluster Performance Critiqued by Democrats
“Biden just didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight,” commented Rosemarie DeAngelus, a Democrat from South Portland, Maine, from her watch party at Broadway Bowl. She noted that Trump showed “more spunk or more vigor,” despite what she perceived as a tendency to tell falsehoods.
Despite moments of awkward silence and struggle, Biden called out Trump, labeling him “an alley cat with no morals,” a “whiner” over the rigged election claim, accusing him of “having slept with a sex worker,” and dismissing him as a “sucker” for attacking his son Hunter Biden.
“Biden’s Lackluster Performance Critiqued by Democrats”
“Biden just didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight,” commented Rosemarie DeAngelus, a Democrat from South Portland, Maine, from her watch party at Broadway Bowl. She noted that Trump showed “more spunk or more vigor,” despite what she perceived as a tendency to tell falsehoods.
Despite moments of awkward silence and struggle, Biden called out Trump, labeling him “an alley cat with no morals,” a “whiner” over the rigged election claim, accusing him of “having slept with a sex worker,” and dismissing him as a “sucker” for attacking his son Hunter Biden.
Trump Capitalizes on Biden’s Missteps in Contentious Debate
“On the contrary,” Trump seized on Biden’s errors, particularly highlighting an immigration exchange: “I really don’t know what he said on this, and I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump remarked. However, his aggressive stance often overshadowed factual errors he attempted to exploit, aiming to claim victory on contentious issues that have marked his presidency. Throughout the debate, Trump’s performance was marked by controversy and missteps.
He diverged off-topic when questioned about Americans battling opioid addiction, focusing instead on immigration and unrelated international matters. Trump made false assertions, such as taking credit for a Medicare insulin price cap not of his administration’s doing, and reiterated debunked conspiracy theories regarding the January 6 Capitol rioters allegedly being invited in by police. He faced uncomfortable inquiries about his alleged affair with a porn star, a topic central to ongoing legal challenges. Moreover, Trump awkwardly evaded questions about whether he would accept the election results, contributing to the debate’s contentious atmosphere.
