Poor performance from Biden in first debate

As the countdown to the November 5 presidential election continues in the US, the first live-streamed debate between incumbent Democrat Joe Biden and former Republican Donald Trump took place yesterday. Biden delivered a performance that will likely raise concerns among Democrats that they may not be able to hold onto a second term. Biden, whose performance was marred by stumbles, repeated statements, coughs, misstatements and a long freeze that fueled fitness concerns, said that 15,000 jobs were created during his presidency, when it should have been 15 million. Biden also said that some elderly people should have a $200 cap on out-of-pocket medicines instead of $2,000 a year, and that some wealthy Americans are trillionaires. Taking advantage of his difficulty, Trump attacked his opponent, saying of Biden during a section on immigration, “I really don’t know what he’s saying on this, and I don’t think he knows what he’s saying either.” Trump added, “He’s not equipped to be president.” Sources familiar with the matter said Biden was battling a cold. Trump’s performance wasn’t perfect either. When asked about Americans struggling with opioid addiction, the former president spoke about immigration and Russia’s detention of a Wall Street Journal reporter. He also dodged questions about whether he would respect the election results. According to a CNN poll, 67% of viewers think Trump won the debate.