How Trump and Biden Showed Their Worst Sides In A Disappointing Presidential Debate
Earlier this morning, June 28, 2024, President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump were on stage in Atlanta for the first presidential debate ahead of the November polls.
It was a much-anticipated debate, not just by American voters, but across the world as people looked forward to getting a sense of how fit both men are to govern what is arguably the most powerful country on earth.
Political analysts and commentators have described the night largely as a disappointment, with the Democratic Party, according to several sources, more concerned now than ever about the candidacy of Biden.
Biden, 81 years old, is seeking reelection as President of the United States, but his ability to stay coherent through much of the 90-minute debate might have poked large holes in his capacity to defeat Trump for the second time in four years.
Trump, although a convicted felon after he was found guilty of 34 charges stemming from the $130,000 ‘hush money’ scandal, appeared more focused and alert throughout the debate but often dodged questions and preferred to go personal on Biden.
How Bad Was Joe Biden?
Kate Bedingfield, a former communications director for Biden, right after the debate declared it a bad one for her former boss.
“There’s no two ways about it, that was not a good debate for Joe Biden,” she said on CNN.
The incoherency of Biden, the mumbling of words, and losing his line of thought mid-sentence sent panic within the Democratic Party.
For instance, at one point when answering a question on the US national debt, President Biden completely lost his train of thought.
Take a look at his response:
“We’d be able to right wipe out his debt. We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do – childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the – with – with – with the COVID. Excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with – look, if.
Biden
He ended the sentence with “we finally beat Medicare.”
An attack-ready Trump couldn’t let that slip by.
“Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death,” the former President responded.
It could be said that although Biden struggled through much of the night, he stayed on the questions being asked and stuck with his allocated time.
But he didn’t fail to throw personal attacks on Trump as well.
Attacking Trump’s past, Biden accused him of having the morals of an alley cat.
“The crimes that you are still charged with. And think of all the civil penalties you have. How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things, of having sex with a porn star on the night – and while your wife was pregnant?”
Biden
How Good Was Trump?
If good were to be a measure of finishing his sentences and sounding coherent and audible, Trump had a fair outing in the debate.
But there were concerns that the former President made false claims and his responses were riddled with exaggerations.
For instance, Trump claimed that “the European nations together have spent $100 billion, or maybe more than that, less than us,” on aids to Ukraine.
However, data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany shows that the European Union and individual countries have spent $190 billion on Ukraine in military, financial, and humanitarian assistance, compared with about $106 billion committed by the US.
Trump did not also fail in his usual debating style of deflecting from the questions being asked and going personal on his opponent.
“He’s not equipped to be president. You know it and I know it,” adding that it’s ridiculous to have a debate trying to justify Biden’s presidency.
“He’s without question the worst president – the worst presidency in the history of our country. We shouldn’t be having a debate about it. There’s nothing to debate,”
Trump
Although both candidates answered questions bordering on abortion, climate change, border security, the economy, and US foreign policy, many Americans might be a little disappointed in the lack of a deep dive to provide actionable answers that’ll solve the country’s problems.
Vice President Kamala Harris, whose name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Biden, while agreeing when she appeared on CNN hours after the debate that the President had a slow start, said she’s solidly behind the President and urged the American people to evaluate his years of performance, not judge him by a 1 hour 30 minute debate.
“I wouldn’t spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes,” Harris told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “when I have been watching the last three and a half years of performance.”
While Harris made it clear she is solidly behind Biden and unmoved by his debate stage performance, getting Biden to back down from clinging to the ticket in the upcoming convention wouldn’t be easy.
“Let’s keep going,” Biden told supporters moments after the debate, showing no signs of backing out of the race.
Lauren Hitt, Biden’s campaign spokesperson, was even more specific.
“Of course, he’s not dropping out.”
