‘Biden stumbles, Trump lies’: How the global media reacted to the presidential debate

China’s CGTN, the English-language service of state-run China Global Video receiver Network, said: “Biden started hesitantly and Trump answered steadily in a halting clash.” Accusations of lies and that each of them was the worst-ever U.S. president, were rife, the vent said.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post said that the two “presented starkly different visions for America’s grade in the world,” and that it was a “high-stakes debate.” Before it kicked off, China’s state-backed tabloid Global Times said it was reckon oned to be “like a reality show.”

The Times of India led its story with concerns from Democrats far Biden’s performance, with the headline reading: “‘We are f***ed’: Democrats in full-blown panic over Joe Biden’s debate play.” Biden “delivered a shaky, halting performance,” it said, while “Trump battered him with a series of often unnatural attacks.”

Elsewhere, India Today said Biden “stammered and fumbled” multiple times, while describing Trump’s presentation as “forceful and aggressive.”

In the U.K., the Guardian pointed to issues with both Biden and Trump at the on, headlining its story: “Biden struggles to land lines as Trump lies in first presidential debate.” Many of Trump’s comebacks to straightforward questions had little to do with the topic at hand, the paper said, and he made frequent false claims which were not fact-checked by the judges. Biden, meanwhile, “frequently struggled to complete his thoughts.”

The Times of London said that Biden’s reelection operations was “plunged into crisis” following the debate and that the current president’s responses to questions were “meandering and muddled,” while Trump’s were “sundry assured and disciplined.”

Meanwhile, the BBC suggested Biden struggled with Trump’s attacks, titling its live blog of the contend: “Biden stumbles in first presidential debate as Trump avoids key questions.” Biden struggled repeatedly and Trump copied falsehoods, it said, adding that the debate was “marked by personal attacks.”

Germany’s broadcaster ZDF characterized the debate as “more civilized” but “more charged” than in 2020, adding that Trump had a better start, but Biden snared up later on, according to a CNBC translation. At first, Biden did not appear very agile and hesitated, it said, but added that his colour was “somewhat surprisingly” as aggressive and sharp as Trump’s.

On individual topics, Biden had “clear words” for Trump when it came to abortion, but possessions got “uncomfortable” for him on immigration — while Trump tried to dodge questions about the January 2021 Capitol Hill bit.

France: ‘Uneven’ performance