Watch: Biden, 81, Stumbles During US Presidential Debate; Trump Mocks Him For Rambling Answers

US President Joe Biden on Thursday stumbled over his words during the first debate of the 2024 election season, facing criticism from Republican rival Donald Trump over his handling of tax policy and healthcare funding.

Biden, 81, launched into the debate with a raspy voice and delivered disjointed, rambling answers, reigniting concerns about his age. He appeared uncertain while addressing the issue of national debt, initially confusing “billionaires” with “trillionaires” before correcting himself.

‘Don’t know what he said’

Biden’s attempt to advocate for tax reform to bolster healthcare funding faltered as he struggled to complete his sentences. “We finally beat Medicare,” he stated, likely referring to the administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trump, 78, capitalised on Biden’s verbal missteps, retorting, “He’s right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death,” highlighting what he perceived as Biden’s lack of coherence on key policy issues. In another instance where Biden appears to be commenting on US immigration policy, Trump responded by saying, ‘I really don’t know what he said at the end of the sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.’

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The debate in Atlanta marked the first face-off between the two presidential candidates, each grappling to assert their leadership credentials amid a sharply divided electorate. Some Democrats also expressed confusion and concern as they watched the first minutes of the event, POLITICO reported. A former Biden White House official called it “terrible,” adding that they have had to ask themselves over and over “What did he just say? This is crazy.”

During the pair’s first debate of the election campaign, Trump challenged Biden to undergo a cognitive test, saying he did not believe his Democratic rival for the White House in 2024 could pass one. “I took two tests, cognitive tests. I aced them, both of them, as you know, we made it public. He took none. I’d like to see him take one, just one, a real easy one, like go through the first five questions. He couldn’t do it,” Trump said.

(With agency inputs)