In a highly anticipated showdown in US electoral history, sitting President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump went head-to-head in a CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta. Immigration, jobs, inflation, and age were expected to dominate the discussion, but Biden’s ability to compete in the upcoming election quickly became the focal point. His performance left Democrats worried, with some even questioning his viability as a candidate. Here’s a comprehensive look at the 90-minute debate.
The high-stakes face-off, crucial for shaping the rest of the campaign, saw President Biden struggling visibly. At one point, he froze while answering a question about the economy, stumbling through key exchanges over job creation figures, drug cost caps, and insulin prices – key aspects of his re-election campaign. Trump’s supporters seized on Biden’s shaky performance, declaring Trump the debate’s clear winner. In a bid to mitigate the damage, Biden’s team attributed his struggles to a cold.
Biden “just didn’t have the spark that we needed tonight,” admitted Rosemarie DeAngelus, a Democrat from South Portland, Maine, during a watch party. She noted that Trump displayed “more spunk or more vigour,” despite her belief that he was not truthful.
Despite his moments of silence and struggle, Biden didn’t shy away from attacking Trump. He labelled Trump as “an alley cat with no morals,” “a whiner” over election rigging claims, “having slept with a sex worker,” and “a sucker” for attacking his son, Hunter Biden.
Trump capitalised on Biden’s missteps, taking jabs during exchanges on immigration. “I really don’t know what he said on this, and I don’t think he knows what he said either,” Trump quipped. However, Trump’s aggressive approach didn’t mask the factual errors in his arguments. His performance included controversial moments and missteps, diverting from opioid addiction to immigration and unrelated international issues.
Trump made several false claims, including taking credit for a Medicare insulin price cap not attributed to him, and repeating conspiracy theories about the January 6 Capitol rioters being invited by police. He also dodged questions about his alleged affair with a porn star and whether he would accept the election results, adding to the debate’s contentious atmosphere.
“Donald Trump spent the night talking about himself, his lies, his legal woes, his affairs with a porn star, and his golf championships at his own club,” Biden retorted.
The debate, devoid of handshakes, made clear the animosity between the two. Personal attacks were frequent, with Biden calling Trump “a convicted felon” and Trump responding that Biden didn’t even understand his own statements. “You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden hissed, while Trump countered with, “You’re the sucker, you’re the loser.”
The chaotic energy of their 2020 debate was absent, thanks to CNN’s strategy to prevent a shouting match. Robert Rowland, a communications professor at Kansas University, noted that the debate rules might have benefited Trump by preventing him from overpowering Biden’s answers. Without a studio audience, both candidates could focus more on the issues, though the absence of real-time fact checks allowed both to make misleading or false statements on various topics.
