Trump-Biden Debate: How the Global Media Reacts

American voters endured the first of three debates between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

This chaotic event also caused a huge reaction from the world audience.

The press and commentators around the world have criticized the tone and tactics of the debate.

As The Times in Britain writes, “the most obvious loser in the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is the United States.”

The article went even further, stating that the event “was not a debate in any sense,” but rather “a malicious and sometimes incomprehensible discussion between two angry and expressive old men.” out of disgust “.

The Guardian describes this as a “national humiliation.”

“The rest of the world, and historians of the future, will probably watch this debate and cry,” the newspaper wrote, adding that Mr. Biden was the only one who looked. ” the ‘president’ was on stage and said that if Trump were re-elected in November, “this dark, horrible and disturbing dream will be the first line of America’s obituary.”

The Financial Times highlighted how the president lied about electoral fraud and urged his supporters to carefully monitor polling stations. “Pointing at the group we want to target ‘is the political way of speaking in that language, but often with very clever connotations. Mr Trump is brash,” the article wrote.

The newspaper also noted that post-event rapid polls said Biden was in the lead. “But no one interested in American democracy can feel anything but nausea.”

“Chaotic, childish, tired”: this is how the French daily Libération described Tuesday’s debate. Le Monde agreed, calling it a “terrible storm”, and said the president had sought to “lose control of the enemy” with constant interruptions and mocking Biden’s response.

Le Figaro said that Biden had “consistently refused to play the opponent’s game.” As Trump tried to face his challenger face to face, point him out and speak to him directly, the Democratic candidate spoke more to the viewer and looked directly at the camera.

“Despite Trump’s inconclusive performance, Trump’s voters do not seem to have any doubts about his candidate. On the other hand, Biden’s supporters confirm that Democrats can beat formidable opponents, and even put him on the defensive,” he wrote the newspaper.

Der Spiegel’s analysis of the debate is titled “A televised duel is like a car accident.”

In an article entitled “Fight and Act”, Süddeutsche Zeitung commented:

“Both Trump and Biden can go home, feel good, because in terms of their stage performance, they both did the right thing. Donald Trump played Donald Trump, Joe Biden played Joe Biden, and the fans should have liked it.”

Die Welt says the debate has revealed very little about politics. “More importantly, it shows that the United States has incredible behavior and a lack of autonomy, but that is not really information,” Die Welt wrote.

By contrast, Biden is not a candidate for emotion, but “at least someone with a normal sense and a stable personality” who “will bring something normal to the White House.” .

“Never before has American politics been so degraded,” wrote the US correspondent for La Repubblica, describing the debate as “chaotic, noisy and based on mutual contempt.”

Meanwhile, Il Corriere della Sera said that President Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacy was “a message to black Americans.”

One Russian television station described it as “an hour and a half of exchanging insults”, while another said “there was no constructive dialogue.”

“The opponents were constantly interrupting each other and instead of a balanced discussion, they chose to insult each other,” said the pro-Kremlin television station NTV.

Biden’s description of President Trump as “Putin’s puppy” also sparked a lot of comments on Russian social media. “The two old men are looking to see which one of them is more worthy of becoming president of the United States, but without Putin, their rating cannot be increased,” said one Twitter user.

China’s official media websites have largely ignored the American controversy, although some have written about how both candidates used China to attack their opponents.

The Global Times called this “the most chaotic presidential debate of all time” and noted that Trump had “targeted China by blaming [nước này] on the raging Covid-19 epidemic and the US economic disaster. “

The global editor-in-chief of the Ho Tich Tien Times wrote on Twitter that the debate reflected “the divisions and concerns of American society and the gradual loss of advantage of the American political system.”

The Hindi news channel AajTak argued that the two candidates “slander and accuse each other,” while the Times Now host said the debate “was spoiled by personal defamation and political mockery.”

But the most powerful commentary from The Times of India, India’s best-selling English newspaper, compared the debate to a “fight in the mud.”

“The United States has defamed itself to the world for 100 minutes,” the article wrote.