With the US elections round the corner in November, the pre-election televised debate between the incumbent President Joe Biden, who seeks a second term and the challenger former president Donald Trump (who lost in 2020) had over 50 million viewers glued to their screens for a good 90 minutes.
Election Ritual
This US election ritual is followed by hours of micro analyses by media pundits and discussed globally because it gives insights to the future president’s policies, world-view and outlook. The key issue in this debate turned out to be all about current President Biden’s performance, his age, fitness, especially his cognitive health. This is not a new concern as the 81 years old President has in the past four years while making key speeches and during press conferences, suddenly lost his train of thought, sounded confused, made all kinds of gaffes, slipped and had to be helped off the podium a number of times.
“To Be, Or Not To Be”
So, what will he be like in the next four years till aged 86? Can he lead the US, manage a polarised society and the many international adversaries? So, by this yardstick, even though expectations of a physically stellar performance were not high, President Biden failed miserably. Beginning with a slow gait to the podium, his speech was mumbled, he looked blank at several points, he was unclear. Many a time he mixed numbers talking of thousands instead of hundreds of thousands or talking of trillions instead of billions that he meant to cite, when talking of jobs, taxes and the economy.
‘Beat Medicare’
The biggest muddle was when he was incoherent on healthcare, losing his train of thought to say nonsensically “We finally beat Medicare” which is a government scheme for elderly healthcare. Trump on the other hand appeared sprightly, took on point for point as the two talked of the virtues of their own government’s policies in contrast to that of the other.
Pro-Israel Stand
Trump showed how he handled inflation despite the Covid-19 pandemic, cut taxes substantially and jobs increased during his presidency. Both candidates have similar support to Israel’s policies, though again Biden could barely explain his position and there was insufficient discussion on foreign policy.
Trump Skirted Biden’s Questions On Key Issues
On the issue of abortion where the Conservatives under Trump had overturned a Supreme Court decision (Roe versus Wade) and made abortion illegal, Biden held his own- something supported by many women electorates. Trump evaded the questions Biden posed on the multiple cases and even convictions of felony faced by Trump. The charge that Trump supporters stormed the US Congress after he lost the last elections on January 6, 2021 still sticks to the former president in liberal circles.
Making Migration A Case
On the burning issue of migration, Trump appeared to convince the undecided voters with his rhetoric that the rise in illegal migrants from South America into the US would be more strictly handled by him. Trump has been able to play on the fears in the US about the rise in crime, and some underlying criticism of the Biden administration’s weak handling of this issue.
Crises Galore For Campaign Managers
A point that Biden could not explain during the debate with either clarity or force of words. But Trump’s repartees in response to Biden’s confusion became the takeaway from this debate. Biden’s poor performance has put the Democratic Party’s managers in a tizzy of worry. This is because the Biden campaign has already been dominated by concerns about his age, his cognitive health and the cost-of-living crises that worries the average voter.
Public opinion polls show Biden trailing Trump in most of the national and swing states- that will determine the outcome of the US elections.
Concerns Around Biden Candidacy
Post this debate, many democrats are voicing concerns and arguing that another candidate should replace Biden if the Democrats want a victory. The clamour for such a replacement is growing but also being denied by top Democrat Party movers and shakers like Barack Obama, who say this one debate has not hit the chance of Biden’s victory. They take the view that this administration has done a lot for ordinary people.
Black Voters, Minorities Hold Biden’s WH Keys
At the same time Trump is a polarising figure. He has a large conservative and Christian support base in middle America. Biden and the democrats have traditionally had the support of Black voters and the large number of minorities.
This time round however, it will be quite a task to get these often-reluctant communities to come out and cast their vote. College students have been on the streets for months opposing US military support to Israel in the murderous killings in Gaza.
Moreover, many Muslim voters are alienated by Biden’s support to the Zionist Israeli state in what they see as complicity in a genocide. Then there is the third candidate from the most well-known American family of the Kennedys- Robert Kennedy Junior who could cut the liberal votes of the democrats, though traditionally the American election is a two-party affair.
Official Candidacy Announcement
The calendar for the countdown to election day in the US is rather tight. August 19 will see the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which will officially announce the Democratic Party’s official candidate voted in by all the delegates to this Convention. The Republican Party that has no differences on Trump’s candidature will be in mid-July. This will formally begin the election campaign.
Next Debate
The CNN TV news network that hosted this first debate has announced a second one for August. But the question is if Biden’s minders and managers of the Democratic Party will expose Biden again considering this first debate was a public relations catastrophe.
They prefer Biden to speak only before teleprompters in a very controlled atmosphere to a madly cheering committed audience. They might refuse another debate, even though presidential debates have been a hallmark of American democracy, and undecided voters base their choice on this conversation, besides a review of the past few years.
All in all, this US presidential debate and its aftermath is providing both concerns and entertainment to the millions around the globe who along with the American voters are also watching the full display of a very transparent democratic system at play.
