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The world seems to agree: Biden‘s debate performance was terrible.
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US allies such as Italy, Poland and Germany reacted strongly to Biden, expressing doubts and concerns.
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Media critics and some Democrats are questioning the viability of Biden’s campaign after the debate fiasco.
The world is reacting to Thursday’s debate, and one thing is clear: America’s allies are, at best, collectively eye-to-eye with Biden’s performance.
At worst, they panic.
The first presidential debate of the 2024 race was a rocky one for both Trump and Biden, but there was one consensus: Biden’s performance was an even bigger disaster.
Biden gave long-winded, mumbling answers in a low, husky voice. At times, he would lose the thread of his thought and change the subject mid-sentence. He also gave policy descriptions that were hard to follow.
Trump, by contrast, seemed energetic, focused and relatively disciplined – even if the content of what he said was riddled with inaccuracies, lies and misleading statements.
And the world noticed the difference.
Matteo Renzi, an Italian senator and former prime minister of Italy who was close to Democrats, doubts Biden’s ability to continue governing the country.
He wrote in a post on X, translated from Italian by Reuters: “Joe Biden can’t do it.”
He said Biden had served the US with honour, adding: “He doesn’t deserve an inglorious end, he doesn’t deserve one. Changing horses is a duty for everyone,” Reuters reported.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk echoed those concerns, telling reporters after an EU summit on Friday: “I was afraid of this, in the sense that it was to be expected that it would not be easy for President Biden in a direct confrontation, in a debate,” according to Bloomberg.
He added that Democrats “definitely have a problem,” Bloomberg reported. “These responses are unequivocal.”
Former British ambassador to the US Kim Darroch also did not mince his words, telling Sky News that Biden had delivered a “historically terrible performance”.
“This was just plain bad. So bad at highlighting the concerns that American voters already had about Biden – about his age, about his physical frailty,” Darroch told Sky News, adding that Trump’s performance had been “pretty awful too”.
And some countries are already predicting a tumultuous future.
“This night will not be forgotten,” Norbert Röttgen, a veteran German lawmaker, wrote in a post on X. “The Democrats must now reconsider their choices. And Germany must prepare at full speed for an uncertain future. If we do not take responsibility for European security now, no one will.”
Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat, told Reuters: “Unlike eight years ago, we are much better prepared, as are other European and Asian allies. Yet Mr. Trump is unpredictable.”
Things aren’t looking so good for Biden at home either. US media are denouncing his performance, and some longtime Democratic operatives are beginning to question whether Biden should continue his campaign.
Read the original article on Business Insider
