Although the first US presidential debate of the 2024 race barely touched on foreign policy, President Joe Biden’s shaky performance has America’s allies bracing for the potential return of Donald Trump, analysts suggest. Biden’s voice was occasionally scratchy and difficult to understand; he stumbled over his words, gave inconsistent answers, misreferenced price cuts on insulin, and got sidetracked with unrelated comments when discussing Medicare and tax reform.
Despite the best efforts of Biden’s staff to steady him, the vice president stumbled. He had difficulty connecting with viewers on issues that mattered to him and appeared distracted by the camera and his image, often staring down and unblinking for long periods. Several lawmakers and observers interviewed by POLITICO said the debate confirmed that Biden was ill-equipped to be president.
He also struggled to engage in a political fight, with Trump repeatedly attacking him over his personal life and accusing him of having “the morals of an alley cat,” referencing the lawsuits that accused Trump of molesting women and having sex with a porn star. When pressed by Trump about his administration’s role in the Jan. 6 riots in Charlottesville, Biden was unable to make a case that the president should be ashamed for the way his administration handled the protests.
Biden’s campaign officials tried to put on a brave face after the debate and said that voters should focus on the substance of the discussion. However, they could not change public perceptions that the 76-year-old was too old to serve as president. His supporters had hoped the debate would erase those concerns, but that did not happen.
Many strategists say that despite the setbacks, Democrats are unlikely to call for Biden to drop out of the race. They may engage in the sort of “coulda, shoulda, might have” speculation about how to manage a weak presidential nominee, but with the next debate not until September, it’s too early to change the narrative by calling for Biden to quit. That’s especially true given that the Democratic Party is desperate for a strong candidate in a general election where Trump’s popularity is soaring.
