Biden's Debate Performance Against Trump Raises Concerns Over Age, Fitness
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Thursday night, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in the first cross-party debate of the 2024 presidential election season.
Details: During the 90-minute debate hosted by CNN (Lean Left bias), the candidates addressed immigration, abortion, inflation, foreign affairs, and more.
For Context: This was the first time Biden and Trump took the debate stage this election cycle. The Democratic Party did not hold primary debates, and Trump declined to participate in the Republican primary debates.
Key Quotes: At times, the candidates traded personal attacks. Biden at one point said Trump has “the morals of an alley cat.” When Biden struggled to finish a sentence at another point, Trump responded, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows either.”
How the Media Covered It: Left-rated outlets pushed back on certain claims made by Trump, but the majority of coverage from outlets across the spectrum focused on Biden's performance, which was widely determined to be weak, with outlets noting his frequent stutters and his hoarse voice. Midway through the debate, outlets began reporting that Biden is currently suffering from a cold, according to the Biden campaign. The Daily Beast (Left bias) stated Biden’s performance “stumbles the Democrats into crisis.” The New York Post (Lean Right bias) deemed the debate “a disaster for Biden.” The Hill (Center bias) reported that Democrats are in “full panic mode” following the debate.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
'Babbling' and 'hoarse': Biden's debate performance sends Democrats into a panic
President Joe Biden was supposed to put the nation’s mind at ease over his physical and mental capacity with his debate showing Thursday night.
But from the onset of the debate, the 81-year-old struggled seemingly even to talk, mostly summoning a weak, raspy voice. In the opening minutes, the president repeatedly tripped over his words, misspoke and lost his train of thought.
In one of the most notable moments, Biden ended a rambling statement that lacked focus by saying, “We finally beat Medicare,” before moderators cut him off and transitioned...
From the Center
Biden Struggles to Allay Concerns Over Age
President Biden, 81 years old, was hoping to convince Americans that concerns about his age are greatly overstated. So far, his performance isn’t succeeding in making a great case. Biden sounds hoarse and at times was hard to understand—“Is Biden sick” was trending online—and he noticeably lost his train of thought while discussing inflation and healthcare. Later, after Biden made comments about the border, Trump retorted: "I really don't know what he said at the end of their sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either."
Opinion polls...
From the Right
Debate viewers criticize Biden’s coughing and hoarse voice
The first general election debate of the 2024 season commenced Thursday evening in Atlanta between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but viewers were surprised to hear the president struggle to speak with a hoarse voice and several coughs within the opening minutes of the debate.
Pollster Frank Luntz shared how his focus group was “surprised” by the president’s voice.
“My focus group of undecided voters is surprised and concerned about Biden’s voice. This doesn’t bode well for questions about his health,” Luntz wrote on X, the platform...
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