In a heated debate on Thursday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump exchanged fierce personal attacks, raising concerns about Biden’s fitness for a second term. The debate, held at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, was the first ever between a sitting president and a former president.
Biden, 81, struggled with his delivery, often speaking rapidly in a raspy voice and stumbling over his words, despite spending the week in seclusion to prepare. His performance has sparked new concerns within the Democratic Party as polls show Trump, 78, either tied or ahead in the race for the November election.
Trump, known for his bombastic style, attacked Biden on his economic and foreign policy records, claiming the United States is no longer respected globally. “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump quipped about Biden’s remarks.
Biden, who reportedly had a cold, used rehearsed lines to counter Trump, reminding viewers that Trump could become the first convicted felon in the White House. “You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said.
The debate saw neither candidate offering new policies, focusing instead on attacking each other’s records. Biden criticized Trump for allegedly calling fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers,” and noted 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 asserted. Trump denied the remarks and questioned Biden’s coherence.
On foreign policy, Trump blamed Biden for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and accused him of not supporting Israel strongly enough. Biden highlighted that he was the first recent president without soldiers at risk overseas.
Vice President Kamala Harris defended Biden in a live CNN interview, acknowledging a slow start but praising his finish. Former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield described the evening as “really disappointing.”
A CNN poll indicated that 67 percent of viewers thought Trump won the debate, further worrying Biden’s supporters. Julian Zelizer, a Princeton historian, noted the debate reinforced concerns about Biden’s vigor. At a watch party in San Francisco, voter Hazel Reitz expressed continued support for Biden despite difficulty understanding him.
The debate also touched on abortion and immigration, with Biden criticizing Trump’s Supreme Court appointments that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Notably absent from the debate stage was Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who failed to meet CNN’s polling threshold and spent the debate answering questions on a livestream instead.
