Watch: Trump jabs Biden in first US presidential debate

The first presidential debate between President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, has sparked concerns among Democrats about Biden’s ability to lead the country for another term.

The 90-minute debate, which took place on Thursday, saw Biden struggling to articulate his thoughts, stumbling over words, and trailing off during his responses.

One of the most notable moments came when Biden paused while discussing Medicare, migrants, and tax reform, seemingly losing his train of thought. “I’m going to continue to move until we get to total ban — on the total initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more border patrol and more asylum officers,” Biden said, leaving many in the audience and watching at home confused.

Trump was quick to capitalize on Biden’s stumble, saying, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.” The comment sparked a wave of criticism from Democrats, who had hoped the debate would dispel concerns about Biden’s age and ability to lead.

This was the kill shot pic.twitter.com/kEYrVCTHNu

— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 28, 2024

Instead, the debate seemed to reinforce those concerns. Biden’s voice was hoarse, which White House officials attributed to a cold, and he hurried through some of his talking points, stumbling over answers and trailing off during others. The performance was so poor that a Democratic strategist who worked on Biden’s 2020 campaign called it a “disaster”.

“There is no way to spin this. His performance was disqualifying,” a top Democratic fundraiser told Reuters after the event. The sentiment was echoed by many in the Democratic Party, who are now questioning whether Biden is the right candidate to lead the party in the 2024 election.

The debate has sparked a wider conversation about the role of age in politics and whether Biden, at 81, is too old to serve another term as president. While Biden’s supporters argue that his experience and leadership abilities make him the best candidate for the job, others are beginning to question whether his age is impacting his ability to perform the duties of the office.