Who won the Trump-Biden presidential debate?

Prior to Thursday evening, numerous Americans had raised questions about Joe Biden's age and ability to handle the responsibilities of office. It would be an extreme understatement to suggest that this debate did not ease those concerns.

The president entered the debate with low expectations, but unfortunately, he failed to meet them. He appeared unenergetic, spoke incoherently, and lacked clarity in his arguments.

About halfway through the debate, the Biden team informed journalists that the president was dealing with a cold, which may have been the reason for his hoarse voice. While this could be true, it also came across as a justification.

For an hour and a half, Joe Biden was struggling during the debate. At the beginning, some of his responses didn't make sense. He finished one answer by saying, "We finally defeated Medicare" - a strange mention of the healthcare programme for senior citizens run by the government.

Following the debate, Kate Beddingfield, who used to work as a communications director for Mr. Biden, went on CNN to express her opinion. She stated that there is no doubt about it - the debate did not go well for Joe Biden.

She claimed that his goal was to demonstrate his vitality and endurance, but he was unsuccessful.

As the discussion continued, Mr. Biden began to aggressively respond to his opponent, like a boxer fighting back while on the ropes, in an effort to shift the direction of the debate. Some of his responses seemed to hit their mark, causing the former president to react with anger.

The fact that the initial topics discussed were economy and immigration, which are the top concerns for voters and where Americans tend to trust Donald Trump more, only compounded the issue for the president.

"I have no idea what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don't think he does either," Trump joked after hearing Biden's response. This one-liner surely captured the essence of the evening.

The ex-president showed great control and flexibility in his performance. He didn't interrupt or act aggressively like he did in the last debate in 2020. Instead, he focused on criticizing Mr. Biden's record whenever he could.

He kept stating things without evidence and telling lies, but Mr. Biden struggled to challenge him on these issues.

When discussing abortion, the ex-president frequently redirected the conversation to what he described as extreme views held by Democrats. He falsely asserted that Democrats endorse abortion procedures for babies who have already been born.

The topic of abortion has become a challenge for Trump and the Republican party, especially after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. This decision stripped away the constitutional right to abortion. Despite opportunities for Joe Biden to criticize this issue and gain support, his attempts were not successful.

"It's such a terrible thing, your actions," expressed the president.

During the argument, President Biden skillfully fought back and made former President Trump react with anger.

In a striking statement, Mr. Biden commented on Trump's guilty verdict related to allegations of a romantic relationship with adult film star Stormy Daniels, stating that the former president had the ethical standards of a stray cat.

"I did not engage in sexual activity with a porn star," Trump retorted.

Trump seemed to be struggling when discussing his reaction to the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. He first attempted to divert a question about his accountability for the riot by criticizing Mr. Biden, but this time the president held him accountable.

"He urged those people to go to Capitol Hill. He remained there for three hours despite his aides pleading with him to take action," Mr. Biden stated. "He didn't lift a finger."

This is the first discussion in recent US history, mainly because the Biden team planned it that way. One motive is they aimed to redirect attention to Trump sooner in the election season, wishing that American voters would recall the disorganized state of his time in office.

However, Mr. Biden's performance in this debate seems to have garnered more attention and discussion compared to the former president's.

One more explanation as to why the Biden team may have preferred an early debate is to allow their candidate more time to bounce back from a lackluster showing. Ultimately, this may be the factor that brings them solace following Thursday night.

In August, the Democrats will hold their convention where they can present a carefully planned outline of what a second Biden presidency would look like for the American people. Additionally, there is a debate set for September which, if it takes place, will be more recent in the minds of Americans as they prepare to vote in November.

This might not provide much solace for Democrats, who could be questioning if facing Mr. Trump again in a debate will yield better results for their candidate. And, some Democrats may already be considering alternate nominees for the August convention.