Former US President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden tackled each other in the first presidential debate of the 2024 race on Thursday, with Biden showing signs of mental decline associated with ageing.
Their spat covered issues ranging from reproductive rights to the southern border and inflation.
At one point, after Biden had trailed off as he defended his record on border security, Trump said: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”
During the debate, Biden’s voice was hoarse and raspy from the start and he stumbled over words and had to correct himself with numbers. He was sometimes hard to understand.
On one occasion, the president appeared to lose his train of thought, concluding with the line, “We finally beat Medicare.”
The debate has been generating reactions online with many commenting on the poor choice available to Americans to choose from this election year.
A fellow on X humorously wrote that this year’s election had been narrowed down to a choice between a nursing home patient and a felon.
Watch the moment President Biden froze here.
