July 19, 2024 Issue

Joe Biden’s stuttering performance was the talk of the first presidential debate as he faced off against Donald Trump—without a live audience—at CNN studios on June 27. The President was helped off the stage by his wife Jill after clashing with his Republican rival on topics including immigration, abortion rights and the Russia-Ukraine war. Biden’s physical state and raspy voice drew scrutiny from both sides of the aisle, with one CNN panelist later claiming there was “very aggressive panic” among Democrats. Some in the party also cast doubt on whether Biden should be their candidate in November. While Trump appeared to be more alert throughout the night, he made several inaccurate claims, including that the Biden administration supports abortions “after birth.”