HONG KONG – The the first presidential debate between the president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump It offered little reassurance to worried US allies.
The two candidates have different views on this how tackle difficulties of a world consumed by numerous warsincreasing geopolitical tensions and Doubts about America’s commitment to its long-term partners.
That contrast played out at times on Thursday night’s show, but it was Biden’s performance that dominated the headlines.
The debate was watched around the world — by allies worried about their future U.S. ties, as well as by autocratic governments eager to challenge the U.S.-led global order — and neither candidate was impressed.
“Personal attacks, foggy memory, mocking each other… this debate was very entertaining for many Chinese,” said Hu Xijin, a nationalist Chinese commentator. Type in X.
“Objectively speaking, the poor performance of these two old men was a negative advertisement for Western democracy.”
But the focus was mostly on Biden, who was already underperforming brought calls from within his own party to prevent him from moving forward with his campaign.
The prospect of Trump returning to the White House worries many of the United States’ allies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, whose ties to Washington have often strained during his presidency.
The verdict of the liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz was that “the right Biden, the pathological Trump” offered a “sad night for America”.
The German magazine “Der Spiegel” wrote the headline “President has an accident”. British tabloid The Sun posted just one word at the top of its website on Friday: “JOE-MATOSED.”
Robinder Sachdev, president of the Delhi-based Imagindia Institute and founder of the non-profit organization, said Biden lost his chance to convince not only the American voters but also the audience watching in India “with his low voice, his bluster and his haste”. -Indian Political Action Committee, told NBC News.
Kim Darroch, who was Britain’s ambassador to the US during Trump’s presidency, said of Biden that it was “very hard to see him winning” and that he should stand aside after a “historically poor performance”.
“Every response from Trump, if you listen carefully, is a mixture of wild exaggeration and total fantasy. And this is a politics-free zone,” Darroch told Sky News. “So his performance is also pretty terrible, but it was so fluid and confident nonsense without stumbling, I lost my mind nonsense.”
Policy clashes
During his presidency, Biden has sought to promote US global leadership and strengthen ties with allies around the world, particularly in response to growing challenges. Demon and Russia.
Trump expressed his admiration for autocratic leaders like the Chinese president Xi JinpingPresident of Russia Vladimir Putin and the leader of North Korea Kim Jong UnThe US prefers a more withdrawn role while focusing on its domestic problems.
In Thursday’s debate, Biden criticized his opponent’s approach to Putin, and Trump said the president’s policy on Israel meant he was actually “a very bad Palestinian” because the foreign policy debate was centered on wars in the United States. Ukraine and middle east.
Trump argued that the world has become a more dangerous place since Biden took office.
Putin has said that he will end the war against Ukraine only if Russia keeps all the Ukrainian territories it has already acquired and the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky Stops pressure on Ukraine to join NATO, the US-led military alliance.
Trump said he would not accept those terms, but “this is a war that should never have started.”
“Before I take office on January 20, as president-elect, I will resolve this war between Putin and Zelensky,” Trump said without explaining how.
He also criticized the $175 billion in U.S. military aid to Ukraine since the February 2022 Russian invasion, including $60 billion in arms and other aid this spring. It is very important to win over Putin.
Trump argued that European countries should provide more security because they are physically closer to the conflict.
Biden said Putin was clearly trying to rebuild the Soviet empire and that Trump would be foolish to rein in support for Ukraine because it could be the start of Putin’s territorial ambitions.
“He wants all of Ukraine. This is what he wants,” Biden said. “So you think he’s going to stop there? Do you think he will stop if he takes over Ukraine? What do you think is happening to Poland?”
Poland is a member of NATO, whose 32 member states have pledged to defend each other in the event of an attack. Trump has threatened to withdraw from the 75-year-old alliance if these countries do not spend more on defense.
“We pay everyone’s bills,” he said.
The Kremlin said that Putin did not get up to watch the discussions at midnight and had no comment. “We never interfere in US election campaigns,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said An assessment not shared by Western intelligence agencies.
Both candidates expressed strong support for Israel. As with Ukraine, Trump has said Israel “would never have been invaded” if he were president, a claim that cannot be proven or disproved.
He also said that Biden did not support Israel enough, “he became like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian.”
Biden, who ceasefire plan Dwelling on the devastating effects of the battle, the left lost support Gaza Strip.
He backs down against the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim Biden, who said the United States is keeping weapons, said the United States provides Israel with “all the weapons they need and when they need them.”
The only exception is the 2,000-pound bombs, which Biden said “do not work very well in populated areas” and “kill a lot of innocent people.”
He also said he coordinated Israel’s defense during Iran’s missile strikes in April.
“We saved Israel,” Biden said.
Both candidates said that if the other won the election, it would lead to World War III.
“His military policy is crazy,” Trump said of Biden, adding that the Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars “will never end with him.”
World leaders like Xi, Putin and Kim “don’t respect him, they don’t fear him,” he said.
“You want to go to war,” Biden replied, “so Putin can go ahead and take Kiev.”
He added: “Then you have war.”
Biden also defended America’s global image, saying it is the “envy of the world” and not a “failed country” as Trump has claimed.
For the rest of the world on Friday, it was up for much debate.