The presumptive GOP nominee claimed that too much emphasis was placed on the Democrat’s performance at the debate.
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump expressed his frustration that the US public failed to appreciate his “fantastic” success in debating President Joe Biden, as media coverage focused on Biden’s poor performance.
Thursday’s night debate, moderated by CNN, was widely perceived as a disaster for the incumbent. Numerous US media outlets highlighted concerns regarding Biden’s age and characterized his remarks as frequently “incoherent” and “fumbling,” noting that the 81-year-old president struggled to respond to his opponent’s attacks or effectively leverage his stances on issues like abortion. His subpar performance reportedly prompted many Democrats and party donors to explore alternatives for the presumptive Democratic nomination.
Commenting on the encounter on Saturday, Trump stated that in the aftermath of the debate, “anchors, political reporters, and all screamed that I had had the greatest debate performance in the long and storied history of Presidential Debates.” “They all said, effectively, ‘Trump was fantastic!’” the former president wrote on his own network, Truth Social.
According to Trump, while this theme initially held “universal” weight in the media, “by Friday evening it was all about the poor performance of Crooked Joe, and not so much about how well I did.” Nevertheless, the ex-president acknowledged that “importantly, the result is the same.”
While Biden faced criticism for incoherence and mixing up words, Trump also received his share of criticism, with some outlets accusing him of manipulating half-truths, misrepresenting statements, or outright lying.
A CNN flash poll revealed that 67% of viewers believed Trump delivered the superior performance. Meanwhile, a CBS News poll conducted after the debate indicated that 72% of Americans believe Biden lacks the mental and cognitive fitness to serve as president, with nearly half of his own party expressing the view that he shouldn’t be the nominee.