President Biden from the start of Thursdayâ€
“I really donâ€
The two presidents, one current in a blue tie and one former in a red one, stood at podiums placed just eight feet from each other. Their disdain for one another was clear from the start when they did not shake hands, did not make eye contact during a commercial break and exchanged no moments of levity.
The debate included a felon (Trump) and the oldest pairing in history, with an 81-year-old Biden facing off against a 78-year-old Trump. In many ways it was, in the bluntest terms, a debate in which Biden was attempting to seem less old and Trump trying to appear more controlled.
But arguably neither were entirely successful during the course of 90 minutes, and both seemed to play into the stereotypes that existed before the debate.
Biden in particular seemed to struggle, especially early on. His mouth was often agape as he stood listening to Trump speak, and some of his answers appeared to meander off-topic. He took a question about abortion, one of his strengths, and began talking about immigration, one of his weaknesses.
“Everyone saw the same thing and is saying weâ€
Biden began answering another question by talking about the national debt, then turned to the tax system, eventually vowed to strengthen health care — and then apparently was uncertain where to go next.
“Making sure that weâ€
After a few silent seconds, he offered, “We finally beat Medicare.�
It was unclear what he was referring to when CNNâ€
Biden also sought to get under Trumpâ€
Trump, while speaking with confidence and in an authoritative tone, often spread falsehoods and meandered into baseless conspiracies in remarks that at times were hard to follow.
“Iâ€
Trump echoed many of the talking points he has made on the campaign trail, insulting Biden and making several false statements, including on abortion and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The former president falsely stated that every legal scholar “in the world� supported the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
He lapsed into long interludes of hard-to-follow disquisitions that are part of the right-wing ecosystems in which he normally resides, including making unexplained references to Hunter Bidenâ€
During a question to the candidates about helping Americans with addiction, Trump accused Biden of being a “Manchurian candidate� and baselessly claiming, “He gets money from China.�
“Heâ€
Trump, who has been convicted of 34 felony crimes, said, “I did nothing wrongâ€� and vowed to attempt to prosecute Biden for unspecified crimes, saying, “Joe could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out. Heâ€
Biden shot back, “The idea that I did anything wrong is outrageous.�
“How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public? For doing a whole range of things, having sex with a porn star … while your wife is pregnant?� the president said. “You have the morals of an alley cat.�
“I did not have sex with a porn star,� Trump replied.
The CNN moderators chose not to challenge Trumpâ€
He sought to dial down his previous statements that he would unleash a punishing “retribution� against his opponents, saying instead, “My retribution is going to be success.�
He also sought to deflect a question about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, answering by saying that the country was in better condition on that date than it is now. He also falsely claimed that former speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had admitted responsibility for the assault.
With two candidates so well known to the country, Thursdayâ€
The country has changed a lot since then as well, experiencing the attack on the Capitol, largely moving beyond the pandemic and witnessing the fall of Roe v. Wade.
Biden had previously debated as a U.S. senator, a vice president and a presidential candidate, but in those events his physical presentation had not been under such intense scrutiny. As president, his staff has built accommodations — using a shorter stairway for Air Force One, limiting questions from reporters, using a teleprompter even for small gatherings — but on Thursday, none of those were available.
The third debate between these two men, and the first in four years, showcased the differing demeanors of two presidents, both fighting for a second four-year term.
It is often not the practiced lines and the policy positions that become the most memorable moments of a presidential debate. Usually, it is the way the candidates come across, the seeming ease or apparent discomfort, that creates more lasting impressions.
Four years ago, Trump barreled ahead during the debate, paying no attention to the rules and often interrupting his opponent to the point where an exasperated Biden, with a can-you-believe-this-guy look on his face, called out “Donald, would you just be quiet for a minute?â€� Then, “Folks, do you have any idea what this clownâ€
Trump and his supporters spent months before the debate inadvertently lowering expectations for Bidenâ€
Asked about such claims, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling to the debate on Air Force One, “I donâ€
While Trump and his allies suggested that the CNN moderators would not be fair, Trump refrained from attacking them during the debate. The moderators also did not interject during Trump and Bidenâ€
“This guyâ€
Toward the end of the debate, it devolved into the two oldest presidents in history squabbling with each other over who had the better golf game.
Trump bragged about winning a golf championship — “two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships� — which caused Biden to challenge him to a faceoff on the green.
“Look, Iâ€
He said Trump would have to carry his own bag.
“Thatâ€
“I was an eight handicap,� Biden said.
“Iâ€
Then he admonished, “Letâ€
“You are a child,� Biden responded.