Two days after his debate against President Joe Biden, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump listed a series of choices for voters to make in November.
Biden’s performance Thursday night drew much criticism from pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle, and Trump joined in Saturday on social media.
“As every American saw firsthand, this election is a choice between STRENGTH or WEAKNESS, COMPETENCE or INCOMPETENCE, peace and prosperity or war and no war—and it’s a choice between a president who puts AMERICA FIRST or a trainwreck who puts AMERICA LAST!” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social.
Trump’s framing of the election as a choice somewhat resembles former President Barack Obama’s response to Biden’s performance. Obama acknowledged that “bad debate nights happen” before pivoting to offer a dichotomy, albeit quite different from the one his successor posed.
“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama said. “Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”
Trump’s view of November’s contest comes on the heels of a rally he held Friday in southeastern Virginia, where he declared “a big victory” following the previous night’s debate against Biden, “who is looking to destroy our country.”
Biden held his own rally Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina, telling attendees, “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” Biden said. “I know. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. But I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth.”
Trump faced his share of criticism for his debate performance, although it did not come close to that of his opponent. Firehouse Strategies founding partner Alex Conant gave the former president an “A-” because “he mostly let Biden self-implode,” but other debate graders were not so kind.
“It was boring,” said Democratic strategist Sasha Tirador, who gave Trump an “F.” “Neither guy moved the needle. We had a very low-energy President Biden and a very incoherent ex-President Trump.”
Another Democratic strategist, Brad Bannon, also gave Trump an “F” because “he lied from beginning to end.”
While Trump, 78, did not earn glowing reviews, it has not stopped him from going on the offensive against the 81-year-old president.
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“Joe Biden’s problem is not his age, it’s not his anything, really,” Trump said Friday. “He has no problem other than his competence. He’s grossly incompetent.”
Trump and Biden are scheduled to meet on the debate stage again on Sept. 10, almost two months before their general election rematch.
