Biden failed to meet low expectations in the debate and handed Trump a path to victory
I watched an octogenarian and a septuagenarian in a fishbowl make their case that the other guy is worse. That was the only aspect of the debate that was a toss-up.
Otherwise, President Joe Biden managed to underwhelm even the low expectations set for him by Republicans.
Biden couldn’t even defend his golf game much less his presidential record. He was a diminished, elderly man who stumbled over his words, confused the issues, and couldn’t respond to former President Donald Trump with any effectiveness.
The president’s performance was riddled with broken, disconnected sentiments.
Here’s an easy example:
Biden: And I’m going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the – the total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers.”
Co moderator Jake Tapper: President Trump?
Trump: I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.
Biden was incoherent and couldn't rebut Trump's claims
This isn’t a case of cherry picking a few stumbling moments. “Excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with – look, if – we finally beat Medicare,” blurted Biden.
Even Trump wasn’t completely sure what to do with Biden’s confusion, so he simply agreed with him. “Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death,” Trump said.
With a defenseless Biden, Trump was free to say whatever he wanted. “So, I want absolutely immaculate clean water and I want absolutely clean air, and we had it. We had H2O. We had the best numbers ever.” If the president of the United States prepares for a week, he should be able to quickly dispute Trump’s bold claim about his environmental track record.
If I were in charge of the Biden-Trump debate, I'd make it a reality show competition
Here’s how Biden responded:
"I don’t know where the hell he has been. The idea that, (co-moderator) Dana (Bash), he said is true. I’ve passed the most extensive, it was the extensive climate change legislation in history, in history. We find ourselves – and by the way, Black colleges, I came up with $50 billion for HBCUs, historic Black universities and colleges, because they don’t have the kind of contributors that they have to build these laboratories and the like. Any Black student is capable in college in doing any white student can do. They just have the money. But now, they’ll be able to get those jobs in high tech."
I can’t express Biden’s incoherence any better than his own words. Only the most strident partisans can excuse such a missed opportunity. Not only did Biden repeatedly fail to refute Trump’s grandiose claims throughout the night, but most of his responses were also garbled and broken.
Americans didn't learn anything from the debate
For once Trump wasn’t the story.
He was normal … at least as normal as Trump can be. Most of his commentary was par for the course. He called Biden names and brutalized the president over immigration, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and inflation. With Biden unable to land any real punches, Trump made the case that American life during his presidency was better than it has been under Biden’s term.
After the debate, I asked my wife what she thought about the exchange between the candidates. “It’s like watching our boys fighting without a point,” she said. “I didn’t learn anything other than Trump thinks Biden is the worst, and Biden thinks Trump is a liar.” Her reaction was mostly disappointment that these are the two contenders to lead America.
Republicans deserve version of Trump we saw during the debate. Too bad it won't last.
The debate won’t change the minds of partisan hardliners. The majority of America has already made its choice. Those voters will spin everything that happens in a manner favorable to the chosen candidate. This is a close election that will be decided on the margins. At a minimum, Biden needed to calm concerns about his age and cognitive capacity with that cohort of voters.
He failed miserably.
Biden set up Trump for a win in November
Biden looked hollow. His stare was blank. He earned a passing grade delivering a prepared speech in the State of the Union. During the debate, Biden simply couldn’t process Trump’s comments and respond with any real effectiveness.
While I am a conservative, I can admit that Trump is a deeply flawed candidate with a serious case of narcissism and real legal baggage. After the debate, I’m more concerned that Biden isn’t fit to hold office now, much less run for it again.
That’s all Trump needs to win.
In 2020, Trump lost because independent-minded voters wouldn’t hold their nose and vote for him again. They had enough of the chaos and cult of personality. Biden ran on an anti-Trump referendum, and it worked. Now Biden is under water on the issues which matter to Americans most, he can’t hide during the campaign, and questions about his age and capacity are worsening.
The nose clips might be coming out for swing voters, but Trump certainly smells victory after the debate.
USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney who worked for conservative Republicans. He and his wife Justine are raising three boys in Nolensville, Tenn. Direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X, formerly known as Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Biden-Trump debate taught Americans nothing except about hard truths
