Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Thursday night’s first presidential debate came to a draw but it exacerbated concerns that President Joe Biden might not be up to a second term. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderated the debate which CNN hosted in Atlanta.
Pre-debate drama ensued when journalist Roland Martin alleged that Black media outlets were not being credentialed for the event, leading to the White House stepping in to give them a pre-debate press conference. Out of 800 credentials issued, theGrio was the only Black-owned media outlet that was awarded credentials, likely because they have two journalists April Ryan and Gerren Keith Gaynor who cover the White House.
Local outlets including The Atlanta Black Star and the Atlanta Post were shut out. CNN responded saying that journalists were given until June 7 to request credentials but the outlets say they were never sent the information to do so.
Once the 90-minute debate started, it was obvious that concerns about Biden’s mental fitness and ability to lead for a second term, where he’d be the oldest president in U.S. history at 82, may be warranted.
At times the president seemed confused, appeared to lose his train of thought and gave incomplete answers to questions about Palestine, his commitment to Black Americans and other significant issues.
The debate also showed that Trump, who is 77, never met a lie he didn’t want to tell. He skimmed over his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection and changed topics mid-sentence. Although he appeared better able to process his thoughts and answer questions, when he did, his answers often went off-topic or focused on takes that were easily disproven.
In one truly bizarre exchange, Trump and Biden argued over who had the better golf game, something of great interest to voters. (Sarcasm intended.) Major newspapers, including the New York Times called the debate “fumbling” and refuted Trump’s multiple falsehoods.
Post-debate, calls increased for Biden to step aside and that the Democratic Party find another nominee, just four months before November’s presidential election.
But other pundits, including Jemele Hill, said despite Biden’s poor showing the debates don’t matter all that much.
Hill says turnout will be the most important factor in a win for either candidate.
Still, the debate was hard to watch, at least if you’re supporting Biden. The Daily Show host Jon Stewart jokingly said that Biden has “resting 24th Amendment face.”
“I’m not a political expert,” Stewart said. “But while he was preparing for a week at Camp David, did anyone mention that he would also be on camera?”
And he, like everyone else, wondered just how much gas Biden has left in the tank for a convincing presidential run.
The women of The View weighed in and their response mostly broke down on party lines though even the conservative co-hosts couldn’t bring themselves to advocate for Trump. Sonny Hostin, a staunch liberal, says that Trump should step aside and even Republican Ana Navarro said she’s no Trump supporter no matter how inarticulate Biden sounded.
Biden headed to North Carolina post-debate.
“I don’t know what you did last night but I debated a guy with the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said to a group of enthusiastic supporters who interrupted his speech to chant, “Four more years!”
He then went through a litany of the lies Trump told at the debate and questioned why Trump’s top aides during his presidency have come out against his return to the Oval Office.
“How about the fact that 40 out of his 44 top advisors, including the vice-president, aren’t supporting him, the people who know him best,” Biden said. “Forty of them said I won’t support the man I worked for this time around.”
And for those who were rattled by his debate appearance, Biden said,” I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth!”
See how social media is reacting to the debate below.