In a heated US presidential debate, Biden stumbled against Trump, raising concerns about his age and cognitive abilities. The candidates clashed on topics like immigration and the economy. The episode speculates on voters' reactions and potential impacts on the upcoming election. Analysis also explores the format's influence on candidate behavior and the lack of fact-checking during the debate.
Biden's debate performance raised doubts about his leadership ability and handling of age concerns.
Trump utilized distraction tactics to overshadow key debate points and put Biden at a disadvantage.
Deep dives
Biden's Struggles in the Debate
Joe Biden faced challenges in the presidential debate, particularly regarding his ability to address concerns about age. Biden struggled to deliver a clear message and failed to offer reassurance to voters regarding his biggest vulnerability. His performance raised questions about his capability to lead effectively, leading to concerns within the Democratic Party.
Trump's Impactful Debate Strategy
Donald Trump's debate performance focused on creating distractions and questioning Biden's competence. Trump strategically pivoted from addressing his legal issues to emphasizing the economy and energy independence to deflect criticism. Despite his controversial tactics, Trump's approach put Biden at a disadvantage and overshadowed key substantive points in the debate.
Debate Format's Influence on Candidates
The structured debate format, with muted microphones and absence of an audience, affected the candidates' performances. Trump's civil behavior contrasted with his past disruptions, giving him a perceived advantage. Biden, despite over-preparing, struggled to deliver clear, concise responses and was perceived as hesitant. The format favored Trump's style and highlighted Biden's age-related challenges.
The candidates' age becomes an even greater focus after the first televised debate of the 2024 presidential election campaign. President Biden – sounding hoarse and at times muddling his words – gave a stumbling performance in a 90-minute showdown with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Trump repeated falsehoods – from abortion to taxes and the deficit – and at first avoided answering if he would accept the 2024 election result.
Caitríona Perry is at the CNN Presidential Debate venue in Atlanta with Courtney Subramanian, from the BBC Digital team. They speak to former BBC US correspondent and author Nick Bryant.
TGS is part of the BBC News Podcasts family. The team that makes The Global Story also makes several other podcasts, such as Americast and Ukrainecast, which cover US news and the war in Ukraine. If you enjoy The Global Story, you may well like some of our other pods, too. To find them, simply search on your favourite podcast app.
This episode was made by Peter Goffin and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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