Joe Biden debates Donald Trump: 'A horror story of a night'

By Michael Baggs (with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel)

The News Agents were watching the first US presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

In brief...

• The debate highlighted concerns about President Biden's health, with The New Agents describing the debate as "painful".
• Trump, while not acting presidential and lying frequently, landed his points effectively, contrasting sharply with Biden's struggling demeanor.
• The debate reinforced the dilemma for American voters, with Emily Maitlis highlighting the choice between "the man you fear" (Trump) and "the man you pity" (Biden), with key figures in the US already questioning Biden's capability to continue his campaign.

The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a difficult watch for many viewers.

Trump accused President Biden of wanting to kill babies, Biden attacked Trump about his recent criminal conviction on felony charges, to which Trump hit back on Hunter Biden's recent conviction, and suggest Biden himself could face charges – although did not specify for what.

But the main talking point of the night was one the Democrats were keen to avoid – the president’s health.

He stumbled over his words during the debate, and made confusing statements over US government policies.

The News Agents were watching. Here's what they have to say

Jon Sopel describes the debate as a "horror story of a night" for Joe Biden.

"It was really really painful. And I say this as someone who's been so resistant to this narrative that Biden is too old to do the job," adds Emily Maitlis.

Jon says he felt the same from the moment Biden "shuffled" onto the stage and began speaking in a "raspy" voice.

"He was often staring out into the middle distance, somewhere far away. His jaw was slack, and you thought: 'is he really there for this debate' – and sometimes he wasn't."

Maitlis believes the president was too focused on trying to remember what he had been briefed on in the days leading up to the debate.

"He had been holed up for three or four days with advisors, and he looked like a man who was glued to his listicles," she says.

"But the trouble was, he got the first point out, and then he forgot two, three and four. All you got was a man who was desperately trying to remember a crib sheet."

The official line from the party is that Biden bas been suffering from a cold, but Maitlis says Democrats cannot keep responding with excuses when faced with the president's missteps.

Sopel believes the one thing Biden needed to do was to shut down rumours he's not capable of doing the job for another four years, while Trump just needed to be his belligerent, antagonistic self to appease Republican voters.

"I'm afraid that if Biden had to dispel that, it was a failure," he says.

American voters face a 'choice of awfulness'

Trump didn't act presidential, Maitlis says, but adds that he knows how to work television appearances with ease.

"As a result, he looked quite mature. He lied through his teeth, and we mustn't forget that, because Trump lying is so countered in, that we don't even think it's worth pointing out, it's not news-making."

She criticises the lack of pushback on his lies - not even by Biden.

Sopel says he saw a side of Trump not seen in previous appearances.

"He landed his blows, he moved on," he says. "Trump knew where he wanted to hit."

"Trump did what he needed to do, Biden didn't".

"To have gone through all your talking points with a convicted felon, and to still emerge with people feeling sorry for you, I think probably tells you about the level of panic there now will be among Democrats," says Maitlis.

Sopel believes the American people now face a choice of "awfulness" when they vote in November, highlighted when the two began arguing about golf, comparing it to "two old men in a daycare centre who hate each other" fighting over the TV remote control.

Maitlis says Americans face a pick between "the man you fear, and the man you pity".

"Biden looked like everyone's grandpa, not the president".

What happens next?

A second debate is currently scheduled to take place in September, but immediately after the first debate, key voices in the US were questioning if it was instead time for the Democrats to look for a new candidate to replace Biden.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was among those voices, although said he was focused on “substance and facts” over Biden’s performance on the night. Andrew Yang, who challenged for candidacy in 2020 also also called for him to be replaced on social media.

David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 campaign admitted Biden and Trump appeared "30 years apart" during the debate, despite there being a mere three-year age gap between the two.

"That is being echoed everywhere, across America," Sopel adds.

Replacing Biden seems unlikely for now, however, with just five months before US voters head to the ballot boxes.

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents podcast now.

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