Biden draws questionable conclusion after TV duel
Media, political experts, and even Democrats have delivered partially devastating verdicts on Joe Biden's performance in the TV debate. The incumbent US President has his own take on the verbal back-and-forth with Trump.
US President Joe Biden drew a positive conclusion from the first television debate with his rival Donald Trump before the Presidential election in November. "I think we held our own," he told reporters as he visited a waffle restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, after the debate on Thursday evening (local time). In the TV duel on CNN, Biden and the former President Trump had fiercely attacked each other.
According to a CNN survey, 67% of viewers saw Trump as the winner of the duel. Disappointed reactions came even from the ranks of Biden's Democrats. Kate Bedingfield, Biden's former communications director, spoke of a "really disappointing" performance by the 81-year-old.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged in interviews that Biden had a "slow start" in the debate, but then made a "strong finish."
The TV debate took place more than four months before the Presidential election and therefore at an unusual early date. Ex-President Trump is expected to be officially renominated as the Republican candidate by his party at a convention in late July, while Biden is expected to be nominated by the Democrats in August for a second term. The polls suggest that, as in 2020, the race between the two could be very close.
Despite the largely negative feedback from Democrats and a majority of viewers declaring Donald Trump the winner in the CNN survey, US President Joe Biden remains optimistic about their performance in the first presidential debate. Regardless of the early lead, former President Trump is anticipated to secure the Republican nomination for the 2024 US presidential election, setting up another close race against Biden.
