In a highly anticipated debate marked by personal insults and fiery exchanges, President Joe Biden struggled to allay concerns about his age and fitness for a second term in office. The debate, held at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, saw a bombastic Donald Trump attack Biden on his record with the economy and foreign policy, while Biden’s faltering performance raised alarms within the Democratic Party.
The debate, the first between a sitting president and a former president, took place without a live audience, and the candidates did not shake hands as they took their podiums. The microphones were muted while the other spoke, a measure aimed at maintaining order.
Biden, 81, who had spent the week preparing in seclusion and was reportedly suffering from a cold, delivered rehearsed lines in an attempt to remind viewers of Trump’s legal troubles. “You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden told Trump, referencing the former president’s legal issues.
Trump, 78, capitalized on Biden’s delivery issues, saying, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.” A CNN poll conducted after the debate found that 67 percent of viewers believed Trump had won the event.
The debate did not feature new policy proposals, focusing instead on attacks on each other’s records. In one emotional moment, Biden referenced Trump’s alleged derogatory remarks about soldiers who died in the Normandy landings, defending his late son Beau’s military service. “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser,” Biden said.
Trump denied making the remarks and accused Biden of incoherence throughout the debate. On foreign policy, Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which he described as “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
Biden countered by noting he was the first recent president without soldiers at risk overseas, but Trump’s critique of Biden’s foreign policy decisions resonated with some viewers.
The debate also touched on abortion and immigration, with Biden attacking Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs. Wade. “It’s been a terrible thing, what you’ve done,” Biden said.
The event has intensified concerns within the Democratic Party, as polls show Trump is tied or ahead in the race for the November election. Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, commented, “Biden fueled the basic perception that has continued to overshadow him.”
At a watch party in San Francisco, Democrat Hazel Reitz expressed her continued support for Biden but added, “I can’t understand a word that he says. Isn’t it sad?”
With the Democratic National Convention set to formally nominate Biden in August in Chicago, the party faces limited options unless Biden himself withdraws. As the election approaches, Biden’s supporters are grappling with the challenge of countering attacks on his age and energy.
One notable absence from the debate stage was anti-establishment activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who failed to meet CNN’s polling threshold to participate. Instead, Kennedy engaged with supporters via a livestream, taking questions during the 90-minute debate.
