First TV duel - Trump has the "morals of a street dog", says Biden - but he stumbles
US-President Joe Biden put in a shaky performance during the first TV debate against his challenger Donald Trump, raising doubts about his fitness for the office. The television debate on Thursday evening (local time) served as a crucible for the 81-year-old Democrat. Throughout the 90-minute back-and-forth, Biden frequently stumbled, speaking unclear, softly, and with a rough voice. It was often difficult to follow the most powerful man in the world. Biden went hard on his opponent Trump, but appeared powerless and defensive. Trump, as usual, attacked Biden with aggressive rhetoric and repeated old accusations and lies. However, these fell flat due to Biden's weak performance.
Fiery Test in Atlanta
Biden is campaigning for a second term in the presidential election in early November. The 78-year-old Trump is running for the Republicans once more for the White House. According to polls, the two are neck and neck. A hot phase in the US election campaign was kicked off by the debate, which was produced by CNN in the US state of Georgia. Biden and Trump were prohibited from using cheat sheets during the face-off and had to speak freely. The debate took place without a studio audience. The microphone of the presidential candidate who was not speaking was muted.
Biden had intensely prepared for the debate and had no public engagements in the week leading up to it. According to US media, he had a cold, but a Corona test was reportedly negative. During the spectacle, Biden and Trump were grilled by the moderators on a range of topics. The two politicians had to address economic policy, abortion, migration, and had to comment on international crises such as the Russian aggression in Ukraine or the Middle East conflict.
Biden stumbles
Biden attacked Trump in the debate with unusually harsh words – called him a "clown" and a "loser." The 81-year-old accused the Republican of having the "moral integrity of a gutter rat." However, these attacks hardly landed, as Biden frequently tripped up. Even US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke of a "rocky start" after the debate. A quick CNN poll showed Trump as the clear winner of the debate. According to the poll, 67 percent of respondents voted for Trump, while only 33 percent saw Biden as the winner.
US media quoted unnamed Democratic Party officials who expressed concern after Biden's performance. The question arose as to whether Biden was really the right candidate for the White House, they said. Democrats reportedly expressed confusion over why Biden, who was expected to excel on issues like abortion, which is traditionally a winning issue for the Democrats, couldn't capitalize on it.
Biden expressed hope for a return to the nationwide right to abortion – the Supreme Court of the country had overturned this right two years ago. Abortions are necessary in some cases, he emphasized. Then he seemed to imply and said: "There are many young women who are raped by their in-laws, by their husbands, brothers, and sisters." Often he seemed to be staring into space during the back-and-forth and had his mouth open.
Trump relies on common rhetoric
Trump went after Biden harshly and said he was not suitable for the office of the U.S. President. In a bizarre moment, the two discussed their abilities on the golf course and challenged each other to a duel. Trump spread false information again and made, for example, incorrect statements about certain economic data during his tenure in comparison to Biden's. He refused to commit to accepting the outcome of the November election.
Trump lost the presidential election in 2020 to Biden, but he still refuses to acknowledge the defeat. The Republican started a campaign against the election outcome and tried to reverse it with all means. This culminated in the violent attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Biden regularly accuses his opponent of being a threat to democracy.
In the heated US election campaign, CNN hosted a debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in Georgia, which served as a critical test for Biden's second term bid. Despite his intense preparation and lack of public engagements leading up to it, Biden stumbleed during the debate, frequently speaking unclear and softly, and struggling to follow his own points.
The following day, a CNN poll showed Trump as the clear winner of the debate, with 67% of respondents voting for him, whereas only 33% saw Biden as the winner. This unexpected result sparked concern within the Democratic Party, with unnamed officials questioning whether Biden was the right candidate for the White House, especially given his inability to capitalize on traditionally winning issues like abortion.
