Presidential debate highlights: ‘Deep panic’ among Democrats after Biden’s performance as Trump spouts lies

Democrats watched in dismay on Thursday night as Joe Biden struggled in the first television debate of the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump.

The president, hoarse and raspy, appeared low in energy during the CNN debate in Atlanta, Georgia, with the White House later saying he had a cold.

Looking his age and generally out-of-sorts, Biden mispoke at one stage and declared “we finally beat Medicare”, to which his Republican opponent responded, “I really don’t know what he said”.

The president did later rally to rebuke Trump over his sordid personal history and alleged “suckers and losers” remark regarding the military.

The businessman, meanwhile repeated lies and falsehoods throughout, often failing to answer questions and having to be pressed three times on whether he would accept the election results.

Social media went into meltdown over the spectacle of the two elderly candidates battling it out while Democrats were left in a state of “deep panic” from early on.

In post-debate analysis, CNN pundits discussed the possibility of his stepping down as the party’s candidate.

The Trump campaign swiftly declared victory and a snap poll on CNN revealed that two-thirds of voters who watched agreed.

The president started the debate sounding hoarse and looking every day of his 81 years, writes Andrew Feinberg from backstage at the first presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia.

Biden started the debate sounding hoarse, and looking every day of his 81 years, writes Andrew Feinberg from behind-the-scenes at the first presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia

“Sleepy” Joe Biden just gave the Democratic Party a wake-up call. The concerns about the incumbent president’s age and mental fitness are not going away anytime