What happened
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump held the first of two scheduled presidential debates Thursday night, arguing over abortion, immigration, the economy and global affairs, and trading personal attacks.
Who said what
Unfortunately for Biden, "presidential debates are often scored on style and impression more than substance," The Associated Press said. Trump was "confident and composed, even as he steamrolled facts," while Biden was "often halting, his voice raspy, even when he had the facts on his side." Trump sometimes "rambled and offered statements that were convoluted, hard to follow and flatly untrue," but "he did so with energy and volume," Peter Baker said at The New York Times. His rival's "halting and disjointed performance" sparked "a wave of panic among Democrats and reopened discussion of whether he should be the nominee."
Biden "experienced the worst opening 15 minutes of a presidential debate ever," University of Michigan debate director Aaron Kall said to The Wall Street Journal.
What next?
Biden "picked up some steam as the debate went on, clearing his throat less and getting in tougher hits on Trump's character and values," David Weigel said at Semafor. But the debate will "largely be judged based off its start and social media clips," Zolan Kanno-Youngs said at The New York Times. In a post-debate snap poll, CNN said, 81% of registered voters who tuned in stated it had "no effect on their choice for president," while 5% — split into "roughly equal shares" of Biden and Trump supporters — said the debate changed their vote.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The great global copper swindleUnder the Radar Rising prices and easy access makes the metal a ‘more attractive target for criminals looking for a quick profit’
-
‘They’re nervous about playing the game’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Netanyahu get a pardon?Today's Big Question Opponents say yes, if he steps down
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
‘It is their greed and the pollution from their products that hurt consumers’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
‘It’s critical that Congress get involved’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
-
The military: When is an order illegal?Feature Trump is making the military’s ‘most senior leaders complicit in his unlawful acts’
-
Ukraine and Rubio rewrite Russia’s peace planFeature The only explanation for this confusing series of events is that ‘rival factions’ within the White House fought over the peace plan ‘and made a mess of it’
