“I never had sex with a porn star,” Trump defended himself. “Your son is also a criminal.”
After the debate, both campaigns declared themselves winners, as they should do regardless of what happened that night. On Trump’s side, they talked about the forcefulness with which his candidate depicted the “nightmare” that the United States has become. In Biden’s corner they applauded that the president defended his achievements and public policies.
But debates are largely a game of perception, and in that arena President Biden fell short. Even his farewell message lacked coherence. Trump delivered a rant, but not much more is expected of him.
The Spin Room of an American debate is a political fan’s dream. A catwalk of high-level figures who go out on a red carpet, literally, to defend the position and performance of their candidate.
The Republicans had a quieter night, because beyond praising Trump’s performance, they spent the night talking about Biden’s image. The most histrionic, by far, was South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham.
“Tonight, rather than worrying about the election, which has already taken a big turn in Trump’s favor, I’m thinking about the next four months,” he said. “The bad guys also watched the debate tonight and saw where there is weakness.”
(PHOTO: Gonzalo Soto)
On the Democratic side, lawmakers came to the president’s defense, particularly Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“The important thing tonight is to evaluate the substance,” Warnock stressed. “That is where President Biden is the clear winner.”
“I have no doubt that on the merits President Biden should be re-elected,” Newsom added. “The rest is not important.”
Their attempts to divert attention from Biden’s performance tonight were in vain. Democrats sounded the alarm a month and a half before the convention that will officially nominate their candidate. Some looked to Newsom as a replacement, others to Warnock, whoever.
A very long summer awaits Democrats.
