A raspy and sometimes halting US President Joe Biden tried to confront former US president Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election, but his uneven performance crystallized concerns that, at 81, he is too old to lead.
It sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat to consider stepping aside as the party’s nominee.
Biden repeatedly tore into Trump, bringing up everything from the former president’s weight and his recent felony conviction to accusations that he insulted World War I veterans.
Photo: Reuters
However, Biden’s delivery from the beginning of the debate drew the most attention afterward.
Trump’s allies declared victory, while prominent Democrats publicly questioned whether Biden could move forward.
“I think the panic had set in,” said David Axelrod, a longtime adviser to former US president Barack Obama on CNN, immediately after the debate. “And I think you’re going to hear discussions that, I don’t know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
Photo: AFP
“He did not do well at all,” Van Jones, another Democratic strategist, said on CNN.
Rosemarie DeAngelis, a Democrat who watched the debate at a party in South Portland, Maine, said she felt that Biden gave the right answers to Trump, but “didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight.”
“That’s going to be the challenge going forward. This is only June, this is the first, but can he sustain?” she said. “That is going to be the challenge.”
US Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking on CNN afterward, sought to defend the president’s performance while acknowledging the criticism.
“There was a slow start, but there was a strong finish,” she said.
Asked about his performance in the debate, Biden told reporters early yesterday: “I think we did well,” but said he has a “sore throat.”
Pressed about Democratic concerns with his showing that he should consider stepping aside, Biden said: “No, it’s hard to debate a liar.”
Biden repeatedly lost his train of thought in the debate. He began with a hoarse voice as he tried to defend his economic record and criticize Trump.
Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.
“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said, as his time ran out on his answer.
He also fumbled on abortion rights, one of the most important issues for Democrats in this year’s election.
He was unable to explain Roe v Wade, a US Supreme Court ruling on abortion that was overturned two years ago.
When asked if he supports some restrictions on abortion, Biden said he “supports Roe v Wade, which had three trimesters. The first time is between a woman and a doctor. Second time is between a doctor and an extreme situation. A third time is between the doctor, I mean, between the women and the state.”
He added that he thought doctors, not politicians, should make decisions about “women’s health.”
Meanwhile, Trump said that he would accept the results of the election if the vote was “fair” and “legal.”
Asked about his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, amid the riot at the Capitol, Trump touted his administration.
“On Jan. 6, we were respected all over the world, all over the world we were respected. And then he comes in and we’re now laughed at,” he said.
Trump defended people convicted and imprisoned for their role in the events at the Capitol, saying to Biden: “What they’ve done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
Biden mentioned Trump’s conviction in a New York trial, saying: “You have the morals of an alley cat,” and referencing the allegations in the case that Trump had sex with a porn actress.
“I did not have sex with a porn star,” Trump said.
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