Who won the presidential debate between Trump and Biden?

Biden’s former communications director Kate Bedingfield appeared on CNN immediately after the debate and made it clear: “There is no doubt about it, this was not a good debate for Joe Biden.”

She said his biggest problem was proving he had the energy and stamina needed, and he didn’t do that.

As the debate continued, Biden, like a boxer on the ropes, began to violently strike his opponent in an attempt to change the momentum. Some of these punches landed, provoking angry reactions from the former president.

However, the fact that CNN’s anchors first addressed the most important issues for voters, the economy and immigration – polls show that Americans trust Donald Trump the most on these issues – only made the problem worse for the president.

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don’t think he knew,” Trump joked after another response from Biden. That sentence perhaps summed up the evening.

The former president delivered a largely disciplined, agile performance, avoiding the kind of interruptions and aggressiveness that undermined his first debate performance in 2020 and steering the discussion back to attacks on Biden’s record whenever possible.

He repeatedly made claims that were not supported by facts and stated outright untruths, but Biden had little success in stopping him.

When it came to abortion, for example, the former president repeatedly drew attention to what he called Democratic extremism, falsely claiming that Democrats support abortions after babies are born.

The issue of abortion has proven to be a weakness for Trump and Republicans in general since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, which protected the constitutional right to abortion. But Biden’s attacks on an area where he could have scored points have fizzled.

“What you did was terrible,” the president said.

In an appearance shortly after the debate ended, Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that the president had a “slow start” but said he finished strong. That’s an overly optimistic interpretation, but it’s true that Mr. Biden regained strength as the debate progressed.

In a memorable sentence, Biden referred to the conviction of Donald Trump for an alleged romantic relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels and said the former president had “the morals of a street cat.”

“I have not had sex with a porn star,” Trump replied sharply.

Trump also appeared on the defensive when discussing his response to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He first tried to turn a question about his responsibility for the Capitol insurrection into a condemnation of Biden’s record, but this time the president did not let him off the hook.

“He encouraged these people to go to Capitol Hill. He sat there for three hours while his staff begged him to do something,” Biden said. “He didn’t do a damn thing.”

The former president also repeatedly avoided the question of whether he would accept the result of the 2024 elections.

This was the earliest debate in modern US history, in part because the Biden team wanted it that way. One reason is that they wanted to focus on Trump earlier in the campaign, hoping that American voters would be reminded of the chaotic nature of his presidency.

But after this debate, more people will be talking about Mr Biden’s performance than about the former president’s.

Another reason Biden’s team sought an early debate may be that it would give their candidate more time to recover from a poor performance, which could ultimately provide them with some comfort after Thursday night.

The Democrats will hold their convention in August, where they can present Americans with a more concrete vision of a second Biden term. And another debate is planned for September, which – if it takes place – will be even fresher in Americans’ minds when they go to the polls in November.

But many Democrats may be wondering if a second chance against Trump on the debate stage would turn out differently for their husband. And some may be thinking at this point about how they could get another presidential candidate.

Biden’s campaign has nearly two months to calm the waters. It would take an open revolt for the Democrats to abandon their candidate – who won so many delegates in the primaries that the party became the presidential nominee. So far, at least, no prominent Democratic politician has publicly stepped out of line, although some have reportedly raised the alarm in anonymous conversations with journalists.

When asked by the BBC whether it was possible to open the party convention to other candidates or to replace the president, deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said that they would “not honor that fact and give an appropriate response.”

“President Biden will be the Democratic nominee, and President Biden will win this election,” he added.

If Biden’s campaign team can mobilize its troops in the coming days, the first claim could be true. Donald Trump himself has proven that politicians can overcome tremendous adversity and persevere.

After today’s debate, however, many Democrats may have serious doubts about his prospects for November.