US President Joe Biden.
Photo: REUTERS.
The main fear of pro-American leaders in Europe now is the possible victory of Donald Trump in the November elections. And this fear has multiplied after the debate with Joe Biden, which only his wife Jill dared to describe as successful for the American president. Trump repeated on air the thesis on the Ukrainian conflict, which irritates Europeans: it is the EU that should pay for the “pleasure” of keeping Kiev afloat. But, in general, Ukraine cannot win.
We compile the reaction of the Old World press to the debate.
FRANCE: “IMPOSITION OF BEING PRESIDENT FOR ANOTHER 4 YEARS”
“The 81-year-old president has missed a crucial opportunity to reassure millions of Americans about his vitality and health. The leader of the Democratic Party seemed confused, spoke unintelligibly and was lost in his thoughts,” notes BFM.TV.
Le Monde reviews the Democrat’s “vocal abilities”: “To assess to what extent the personal meeting of the two candidates was a disaster for the Democratic president, let’s start with their voices. Donald Trump “sounded” confident. Joe Biden’s voice was weak, the owner of the White House swallowed his consonants, his speech became a murmur. “The president has a cold,” said Biden’s advisers, but they did not sound convincing.
Donald Trump.
Photo: REUTERS.
“There were moments when Biden remained for several seconds with his mouth open, his face frozen and his expression blank,” says Le Parisien as a matter of course. And Le Figaro concludes: “The president’s actions confirmed the general impression: he is not fit to hold office for another four years,” concludes Le Figaro.
SPAIN: “THE CONSCIENCE IS OBVIOUSLY CONFUSED”
“Panic” is now the main word when talking about the Democrats’ reaction to Biden’s speech, writes El País.
“Many even dared to ask for a change of captain, because four months before the vote they consider him lost in this configuration.” The paper quotes the speaker’s delirious claim: “He was clearly confused when he said, ‘We’ve finally defeated Medicare,’ even though he meant defeating Covid.”
“Biden’s performance was historic, in the sense that it will go down in history as terrible,” says the El Mundo columnist. “All the White House’s attempts to demonstrate that the president of the United States is as clear and precise as clockwork went down the drain in an hour and a half of debate.”
GERMANY: “ANCIENT WAX FIGURE”
Der Spiegel also draws sad conclusions for the Democrats: “About two-thirds of Americans believe that Joe Biden, 81, is too old for a second term. When millions of voters watched their president on television, their fears were confirmed. It was a disaster. Now not even the most devoted friends know how to protect him.”
“Tonight was designed to destroy Trump and demonstrate Biden’s “viability.” Everything happened the other way around. Biden looked like an ancient wax figure compared to Trump. And he certainly hit the president’s sore spot when he smugly remarked, “I don’t know what Biden said at the end. I don’t think he himself knows what he said,” stated the Die Zeit editorial.
“According to a CNN poll, Donald Trump won the debate: 67% to 33%,” summarizes Bild. -Biden made strange faces when Trump spoke, sometimes it seemed like he closed his eyes. And it even suppresses yawning.”
According to polls, only a third of Americans believe that Biden seemed more convincing in the first round of debates.
Photo: REUTERS.
GREAT BRITAIN: ‘JILL’S SCENE LOOKED CREEPY’
The Daily Mail describes the Biden scenes that unfolded after the debate: “Biden struggled to leave the stage, holding onto his wife Jill’s hand as he cautiously descended the small steps.
Jill later congratulated him in a chilling scene reminiscent of a mother breastfeeding a baby: “You answered all the questions correctly, Joe, you did a great job!”
After expending what little mental energy he had on the presentation, Biden got hungry and went to eat some fast food at Waffle House. But irritated visitors caught up with us. “Some are worried that you are not suitable for this job… Aren’t you worried about this yourself?” – a restaurant customer asked the president. Biden avoided answering and simply said: “Well… it’s hard to argue with a liar.”
Finally, The Guardian cites American journalist Jake Sherman, who interviewed Democratic congressmen after the debate.
“They don’t think the debate is bad; In his opinion, the debate is more than bad. They say Biden didn’t even reach the lowest bar. He couldn’t even formulate what his policy was. “This is an incredibly serious problem for Democrats.”
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