The 81-year-old president’s verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses renewed concerns that he might not be fit to serve another four-year term. Yesterday, Mr Biden himself acknowledged his poor showing, as his supporters tried to stamp out talk of replacing him.
“I don’t walk as easy as I used to,” he told a rally in North Carolina. “I don’t speak as well as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know what millions of Americans do: when you get knocked down, you get back up.”
Speaking for 18 minutes, Mr Biden often seemed far more animated than during his appearance the night before, as he excoriated Trump for his “lies” and for a campaign based on “revenge and retribution”. “The choice in this election is simple,” Mr Biden said. “Donald Trump will destroy our democracy. I will defend it.”
Democrats had hoped Thursday night’s CNN debate would serve as a launch for the Biden campaign. Instead, it gifted the advantage to his 78-year-old rival, Trump. At one point, after Mr Biden had meandered through an answer about immigration, Trump joked: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence – and I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
Among those watching in horror was the former British ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch, who told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Mr Biden should stand aside. “This was a historically bad performance,” he said. “He was inaudible, incoherent, and lost his train of thought several times.”
この記事は The Independent の June 29, 2024 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は The Independent の June 29, 2024 版に掲載されています。
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