Janice R. Andrews
In the 1,344 days since the last debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, a lot has happened. Trump’s followers attacked the US Capitol after he refused to acknowledge that Biden had won the presidency. Inflation spiked to 9.1% and then dropped to little over 3%, the COVID-19 epidemic arrived and faded, and important geopolitical events such as Israel’s invasion of Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine occurred. In the meanwhile, Trump turned 78, Biden became 81, and there were several criminal accusations against him. The campaign appears to have resumed where it left off, notwithstanding these disruptions. The Democratic nominee, Biden, and the Republican nominee, Trump, are now tied in the polls.
The rematch that took place at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters on Thursday night was a pivotal moment in the 2024 presidential contest. A live, broadcast debate is still one of the few events that has the power to affect voter decisions in this day and age of political echo chambers and social media silos. So how did Biden and Trump fare? These are three lessons to be learned from the first presidential debate of the year.
1. Biden Failed to Prove That His Age Is Inconsequential
The real discussion is giving way to media manipulation during presidential debates. They provide candidates with prominent chances to grab the national attention and turn it to their advantage. The goal of Biden’s high-stakes and high-reward appearance under the bright TV lights on Thursday night was to reassure worried Americans that he is still eligible to serve another term. Biden is requesting to remain in the White House until he is 86 years old, eight years longer than Ronald Reagan, who departed office shortly before turning 78. Biden is now the oldest president in American history.
Even Biden’s allies acknowledged his struggles. The president, who was said to be battling a cold, sounded raspy and appeared uncomfortable. Sometimes he lost his stream of thought and stumbled over words. Biden stammered through a statement on Medicare and healthcare at one point, which prompted Trump to joke, “I don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence.” I doubt that he is aware either.
As the discussion went on, Biden narrowed his focus and attacked Trump with precision; yet, the winner of these debates is sometimes determined by who makes the most memorable moments rather than who earns the most points. The Democratic Party may become even more concerned about Biden’s chances in November as a result of his clumsy performance.
2. It Was Difficult to Follow Up with Trump’s False Claims Due to the New Format
When asked how he would reassure voters about his age, Biden compared himself to Trump, calling the latter “a lot less competent.” There are other ways to judge a president, as Biden correctly pointed out, but Trump was his typical noisy self. Trump also didn’t have a very strong discussion on the merits. He made a startling admission halfway through: “I didn’t have sex with a porn star.” This was a first for a presidential contender.
Trump’s approach was to overdo it with platitudes and exaggerated statements. He declared his tax reduction to be “the largest in history,” his economy to be “the greatest in our country’s history,” and his environmental statistics to be “the best.” But a lot of what Trump said was false. By exposing Trump’s falsehoods on Ukraine, veterans’ benefits, and the Charlottesville violence, Biden attempted to fact-check him in real-time.
But Biden lacked the tact to switch from dispelling myths to assertively and promoting his candidacy. It didn’t help that the debate had a novel structure, with one candidate’s microphone muffled when the other was speaking. Instead of correcting the record, the moderators let Trump get away with it by emphasizing style over substance.
3. A Disclosing Discussion on Abortion
The discussion did cover several important topics, most notably abortion, despite the mayhem. Frustrated by Republican defeats in places with strong pro-choice abortion laws, Trump stressed that, should he be returned, he would not obstruct access to the abortion pill, backed exceptions for rape, incest, and motherhood, and presented his involvement in reversing Roe v. Wade as a national benefit.
In an attempt to rally Democratic voters, Biden wasn’t persuaded. He promised to reinstate Roe v. Wade if reelected, equating returning abortion rights to the states with returning civil rights to the states. He posed a challenge to Trump, claiming he would veto any limiting restriction approved by MAGA Republicans.
This conversation demonstrated Biden’s advantage on several points, even if the evening was difficult all around. It is still unclear if his early debate technique would be successful in helping people forget his less impressive performance components and instead recall these memorable moments.
The first major confrontation between Trump and Biden in the 2024 contest revealed Biden’s challenges with age stereotypes, the challenge of refuting Trump’s onslaught of inaccurate statements, and an insightful discussion on abortion. These factors prepared the public for a divisive and intensely observed campaign season.
