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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Moira Donegan

This debate was a disastrous opening performance for Biden

‘Biden’s showing at the first presidential debate has placed his campaign’s least favorite issue – the president’s stamina and acuity – back at the center of the electoral contest.’
‘Biden’s showing at the first presidential debate has placed his campaign’s least favorite issue – the president’s stamina and acuity – back at the center of the electoral contest.’ Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/UPI/Rex/Shutterstock

The Biden campaign is probably hoping that you did not watch the first presidential debate. Over the course of 90 minutes in Atlanta, the president was only sometimes coherent, delivering meandering statements that were often inaudible, frequently veering off topic, and often running out of his allotted time mid-sentence, so that his message remained unclear or outright incomprehensible to viewers.

It was a disastrous opening performance for a president whose greatest electoral vulnerability is his age and perceptions about his fitness for the demands of his office. Biden’s showing at the first presidential debate has placed his campaign’s least favorite issue – the president’s stamina and acuity – back at the center of the electoral contest.

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