Donald Trump and Joe Biden in a TV debate on US television

Donald Trump and Joe Biden in a TV debate on US television. 4 min Biden against Trump Harsh tones at first TV debate Status: June 28, 2024 9:13 a.m. US President Biden and former US President Trump exchange blows in first TV duel Kerstin Klein, ARD Washington, tagesschau, June 28, 2024 9:00 a.m. Biden: Trump encouraged people to storm the CapitolThe storming of the Capitol after the last election was also discussed. Biden sharply criticized his predecessor: "He encouraged these people." Trump sat in the White House for three hours and did not intervene while his supporters smashed windows, occupied the parliament building and raged brutally. Instead, Trump called these people "patriots" and wanted to exempt them from their sentences. Trump explained that he had called on his supporters to act "peacefully and patriotically." He then attacked the then Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. He falsely claimed that Pelosi had turned down his offer to send "10,000 soldiers or the National Guard" to the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pelosi had no authority over the National Guard. When the Capitol was attacked, she and the then Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, instead requested military assistance, including from the National Guard. The ex-president did not clearly answer whether Trump would accept the outcome of the upcoming election. The moderators repeatedly asked, but the Republican turned away and only answered the question on the third attempt - and even then only evasively: "If it is a fair, legal and good election, then definitely." Donald Trump Trump: There would have been no Russian invasion under me Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump claimed that it had not happened under his presidency. Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine when he saw how incompetent the US had been in its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Trump said. If he is elected, he will end the war in Ukraine before his formal inauguration. He left open how exactly he intends to do that. The Republican also criticized Biden's economic policy: "Inflation is killing our country. It is absolutely killing us." Biden has done a bad job. The Democrat explained that when he took office in January 2021, he took over an economy that was "in free fall." In fact, the inflation rate has fallen significantly and the situation on the labor market is also good. However, many citizens are still frustrated because prices are still high in some cases. US media: Biden's performance causes panic among DemocratsIn addition to the substantive issues, observers' attention was focused on the performance of the opponents. And the 81-year-old incumbent president performed disastrously in some cases: Biden stuttered, lost his thread at times, and spoke with a weak voice. His weak performance even overshadowed Trump's performance, which was peppered with mistakes and obvious lies.A quick poll by US broadcaster CNN clearly saw Trump as the winner of the duel. According to the poll, 67 percent of respondents voted for the 78-year-old, while only 33 percent saw Biden as the winner. Biden said after the performance that he thought he did "well." "I have a sore throat," he added.US commentators were appalled by Biden's debate performance. "Biden's answers were in many cases out of context," said political journalist Abby Phillip. According to US media, the eagerly awaited TV duel caused panic in the Democratic Party. The Washington Post wrote that Biden's campaign team had internally admitted that the US president had struggled on the TV stage and that his appearance had damaged his candidacy. "A catastrophe," a Democratic MP told CNN - but, like many critics from the party, wanted to remain anonymous.Transatlantic Commissioner believes candidate change is possibleThe Federal Government's Transatlantic Commissioner still believes a change in the Democratic candidate is possible. "Whether the Democrats will really go into the November election with Joe Biden is something the Democrats have to decide at their party conference in mid-August," FDP politician Michael Link told the Tagesspiegel. The Democrats have to consider who has the best chance of winning against former President Donald Trump. "The elections in the USA will be won in the middle," emphasized Link. "The Democrats need a candidate who can win in this middle, who gives them hope and vision and who can overcome the polarization of American society."