Joe Biden and Donald Trump met for their first debate of the year on Thursday.
It was a high-stakes gamble for the president, who has consistently trailed the former president in both national and swing state polls.
It went horribly.
Biden started off especially weak
From the very beginning of the debate, there was an unmistakable frailty to Biden’s demeanor. According to NBC, he has a cold.
Responding to the CNN moderator Jake Tapper’s first question, which was about the economy, Biden appeared out of breath. He hastily began reciting facts while slurring and occasionally omitting words.
At times, Biden uttered nonsensical phrases.
On another question about the war in Gaza, Biden flubbed, saying, “We are the biggest producer of support for Israel of anyone in the world.”
During another question about the national debt, Biden inexplicably concluded by saying “We finally beat Medicare.”
President Biden seems to stumble while answering a question about drug prices, going silent before saying, “We finally beat Medicare.”
Donald Trump: “He’s right, he did beat Medicare, he beat it to death.” pic.twitter.com/JxyJXW6atJ
— The Recount (@therecount) June 28, 2024
“Well, he’s right,” Trump responded. “He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
Trump, for his part, effectively capitalized on Biden’s weak performance, maintaining a calm demeanor and staying disciplined while occasionally making jabs at the president.
“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” said Trump. “I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
Biden grew more energetic over time — but his responses remained muddled
Over the course of the debate, Biden’s voice grew slightly less hoarse. But the incoherence in many of his responses remained.
Many Republican elected officials went into tonight claiming that Biden would be on drugs, anticipating that the president would deliver a relatively strong performance.
They ended up being wrong — but in a way that worked to their benefit.
There’s another debate on September 10. Biden will have to think hard about whether to do it.
Both Biden and Trump have agreed to another debate on September 10.
If you’re a Biden ally, there’s a few different ways to look at that: It could be an opportunity to reset what is obviously a very bad impression that was set tonight, or it could be yet another forum for Biden to show weakness.
Thursday’s debate was the earliest general election debate on record: though both men are the presumptive nominees of their respective parties, they have yet to be officially nominated.
There are several other Democrats who have long been seen as potential Biden alternatives, should he choose to drop out.
But it’s unclear if the president would opt to do so, or whether he’ll face such calls from within his party.
There’s also the potential for a chaotic convention in August if the party has to choose a new nominee, given nthe ideological divisions within the party.