Many foreign diplomats were shocked and worried by Mr. Biden’s debate performance, when the US President seemed to have let his opponent Donald Trump dominate.
“It was difficult to watch this performance” is how many foreign diplomats told CNN on the debate on the evening of June 27 between US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the two leading candidates in this year’s US presidential election. The general feeling among many European, Middle Eastern and Asian diplomats is that Mr. Biden had “a bad night”.
During the 90 minutes of debate, Mr. Biden spoke with a weak, hoarse voice, seemed a bit hesitant and often stuttered. Some of his statements were confused and unclear.
He seemed to struggle to counter former President Trump and failed to take a strong stance on issues such as abortion, which are strong Democratic points. While answering a question about abortion, he suddenly switched to the topic of immigration.
“It’s sad to see Biden getting older. We’ve seen it. What he says is hard to understand, even though my English is quite good,” said a European diplomat.
US President Joe Biden at CNN studios in Atlanta, Georgia, June 27. Image: AFP
“Trump ate him alive,” an Arab diplomat shared.
An Asian diplomat told CNN that “I was shocked. I couldn’t believe my eyes” when witnessing President Biden’s debate performance.
A Polish diplomat did not hesitate to call Mr. Biden’s performance “horror”.
Biden’s poor performance in the debate has made headlines across Europe, with many expressing concern that it could pave the way for Trump to return to the White House and continue his “America First” policies that have alarmed many European countries.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump debated on June 27. Video: CNN, CBS News
Former President Trump has re-expressed his skepticism of NATO, something that many US allies were very worried about during his first term. At the debate, Mr. Trump also asked questions about continued aid to Ukraine.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian politician, said he found the former US president’s statements about the war in Ukraine “worrying”.
“We are very worried because we do not know what Ukraine will be like during Trump’s term,” Goncharenko said. “It could be very good, but it could also be very bad. We cannot know in advance, and that is what worries us.”