An attacking Trump capitalised on Biden’s gaffes and indecisiveness to win first debate of 2024 presidential election
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The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump faced each other this Thursday in the first televised debate of the 2024 elections, in which the Republican took advantage of his rival’s mistakes to dominate the exchanges and impose.
The mutual hostility the two politicians claim was evident at the start of the debate, when they did not shake hands when they came out on stage at the CNN studios in Atlanta, where the meeting was held.
Biden from time to time, He seemed to have lost his power of thought. and faltered on several points, which some analysts pointed out “Panic” within the Democratic Party.
Both candidates accused each other of lying on issues ranging from veterans and the border to the state of the US economy and inflation.
Trump avoided answering questions or repeating claims that have been proven false. He repeatedly attacked Biden for his handling of the economy and his foreign policy record. as well as record numbers of immigrant arrivals.
For his part, Biden pointed to Trump’s recent criminal conviction and reiterated that his opponent is “a threat to democracy.”
This is the second time Biden and Trump will compete for the White House after the Republican lost the 2020 election, however Both have not yet been officially nominated by their respective parties.
After Biden’s poor performance, voices were heard from the Democratic side suggesting this The party should consider fielding another candidate in the November electionsSomething that seems highly unlikely at this point.
Unlike previous debates, this debate was held without a live audience and also included muted microphones for the candidates during the speaking time allotted to their opponent, preventing the chaos that characterized the first Trump debate in 2020.
Biden is skeptical and Trump is on the defensive
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As the BBC’s North American editor, Anthony Zurcher, highlighted in particular in the first half of the debate, due to his gaffes and indecisiveness, Biden was on the ropes in several exchanges, including Topics such as the economy, immigration or the war in Ukraine and Gaza were discussed.
According to Zürcher, Some of Biden’s answers were confusing and vague“Which will undoubtedly raise concerns among many Americans that he may be too old to be president.”
His aphonia, This made some of his answers difficult to understand, and those responsible for his expedition attributed this to the cold.
“But like a boxer on the ropes, Biden began landing bigger blows against his opponent in an attempt to turn the tide of the debate,” Zurcher said.
Biden recalled Trump’s conviction over allegations of alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels, saying the former president He had “the morals of a stray cat”.
“I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Trump replied.
Trump too he looked defensive When asked about his response to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Washington Capitol, he avoided answering some questions, repeating incorrect statements in some segments.
But according to Zurcher, On the issue of economy and immigration -The issues that American voters say are most important to them in elections- Trump seemed confident and clear in his attacks on Biden’s record, while the president’s rebuttals were less effective.
“I don’t really know what (Biden) said at the end of that sentence, and I don’t even think he did,” Trump joked at one point.
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According to Zurcher, Trump offered a massive A tight and disciplined performance. “They avoided the kind of interruptions and belligerence that undermined their first debate in 2020 and, whenever possible, returned the discussion to attacks on Biden’s record.”
“He repeatedly made claims that were not supported by facts or were outright lies, but Biden was largely unable to corner him on them.”
For example, when the issue turned to abortion, the former president repeatedly drew attention to what he said was Democratic extremism. He falsely claimed that Democrats support abortions after children are born.
But Biden’s attacks fell short in the areas where he could have scored points.
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The question of age
In recent months, many Americans have expressed concerns about the age and fitness of Joe Biden, who is 81, in the election, and according to Anthony Zurcher, this debate has not allayed those concerns.
“chairman He came into the debate with a low bar to clear and faltered.It was flat. I was mumbling. “It wasn’t clear,” Zurcher said.
“About halfway through the debate, the Biden campaign, in an attempt to explain his hoarse voice, told reporters that the president was battling a cold. That may be true, but it also it seemed like an excuse,
When Biden was asked about the age issue in the debate, he briefly mentioned that during the first part of his career he was one of the youngest politicians elected to the US Senate. He then focused on his financial record.
According to BBC journalist Courtney Subramanian from Atlanta, It is common for a politician to give the answer he wants to a question rather than the question that was asked.“But Biden is concerned about whether he can remain in office for another four years (he will be 86 at the end of his second term).
“The debate was an opportunity to give a clear and forceful answer as to why her age is an advantage and not a weakness and, unfortunately, It was a missed opportunity.Subramanian said.
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