President Joe Biden’s performance during Thursday’s presidential debate has left some foreign officials and diplomats concerned and alarmed, according to Politico.
Biden faced off against former president Donald Trump on Thursday but appeared visibly tired and struggled through certain segments, prompting some of even his strongest supporters to call for a new candidate in the 2024 race. Though some U.S.-allied dignitaries and officials took issue with some of Trump’s claims during the debate, it was Biden’s display that raised concerns that he may no longer be up to the task as commander in chief, several officials told Politico on Friday.
“Internationally this isn’t a great look for America, at the risk of stating the obvious,” a European official told Politico.
HARD TO WATCH: Biden malfunctions for 30 seconds straight pic.twitter.com/tV4ybG9Kvp
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“Enormous lies by Trump,” a Western diplomat told Politico. “On the other hand, at least we understood what he says. Maybe we are witnessing a turning point” for Biden.
Foreign policy issues are not typically a big-ticket item during debates and not among voters’ top concerns, but major international developments were highlighted during the first half of the debate. Trump criticized Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and his handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars, while Biden claimed that Trump would pull the U.S. out of the NATO alliance and allow Russia to attack other regions in Europe.
International officials told Politico they hoped Biden would bring a stronger show of strength to the debate and were left disappointed.
“The debate on foreign policy is shallow. Biden cannot present his case, and Trump is overstating it,” a second European diplomat told Politico.
“It’s no secret that Biden is old, and he’s showing his age,” another European official told Politico.
“You’re the sucker, you’re the loser!” Biden’s temper flares up at Trump pic.twitter.com/ufZelOVRLD
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Officials told Politico that although they felt Trump misstated facts, he presented much stronger and more energetic than Biden did. “Frankly, he looks more and more like a guy we can do business with,” an African diplomat told Politico.
Some European media outlets similarly honed in on Biden’s “near catastrophic” performance during the debate. Italian outlet Corriere della Serra described Biden as “confused” with a “hoarse voice,” while Finland’s Yle called his performance a “disaster.” Poland’s Onet claimed that the debate was “sad to watch” as Trump “put [Biden] on his back.”
“His performance was an unmitigated disaster—perhaps the worst of any presidential candidate in modern history,” a story from British outlet The Economist reads, claiming that Trump was “meandering” but appeared “more coherent” than Biden. “The president… stammered indecipherably, struggled to complete his lines of attack and proved his doubters completely correct.”
Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate again in September, although either candidate could decide to cancel before that date. The Democratic National Convention is expected to nominate Biden in July, but several high-level Democratic commentators are urging the president to pass the baton to another candidate following Thursday’s debate.
“It’s important to manage one’s ride into the sunset,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in a statement on Friday.
The Biden-Harris campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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