The Biden-Trump debate was covered by the world media

A weak Joe Biden self-destructed in front of the world, while an aggressive Donald Trump lied and garbled his sentences in a presidential debate that was like a reality show, according to international media.

The verdicts of pundits from around the world leading up to Thursday night's televised showdown in Atlanta, Georgia, between the two White House rivals were misleading.

From Beijing to New Delhi and beyond, reviews were stronger for President Biden's performance at the CNN forum, but his Republican challenger did not escape criticism.

Even before last night's debate, the main evening news shows on Russian TV on Thursday were speculating that Mr. Biden would not be able to survive it.

“An hour and a half live on air is a test of mental and physical fitness,” Channel One said, claiming Mr Biden “would have a hard time resisting that”.

Both state-owned Channel One and Rossiya 1 reported a poll showing that about 60% expected Mr. Biden to be given a boost going into the debate.

Afterward, pro-Kremlin commentators portrayed Mr. Biden's performance in the debate as poor.

Rybar military blog described his performance a “total failure”; while the Telegram channel i Russia in Global Affairs Magazine said Mr Biden had failed to prove he was in “the right physical shape” to lead the country and that his performance “appears to have frightened his supporters”.

Rossiya 1 TV said on Friday morning that voters were concerned about Mr Biden's “mental health”.

He also highlighted Trump's attacks on Mr. Biden's handling of the war in Ukraine.

Chinese media were enthralled by the theatrics of last night's debate, and many outlets pointed out that Mr. Biden and Trump did not shake hands at the beginning of the debate and proceeded with the departure harsh personal attacks against each other.

State-owned Global Times describes the debate like a reality show.

CHINESE satirical cartoons often depict a pitched battle, quite literally, between the two candidates, but Chinese audiences enjoyed the weirder aspects of the debate, such as the pair going off-topic in discuss their golf skills.

Overall, the Chinese media wants to paint a picture for the audience of general apathy and disillusionment among American voters towards both candidates.

The Global Times says they were both scrutinized for their age and durability; noting that on the campaign trail, Trump often slurred his sentences and that Mr. Biden often makes verbal mistakes.

Some media outlets target Trump on lying and Mr. Biden mumbling.

China often highlights the growing divisions in American society and often suggests that the US could descend into civil war.

The overall message is that both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden are currently facing difficulties.

After last night's debate, many took to social media to express concerns about America's future, Xinhua says the news agency.

Major Indian media highlighted a “wobbly” performance by Mr Biden and “aggression” by Trump in their coverage of the debate.

Analyzing the “key deals”, a report on Hindustan Times newspaper website described the debate as a “high-stakes clash that will turn the tide for the rest of the campaign”.

He said Mr Biden appeared to be “struggling and even froze a few times”.

Trump showed “more aggressiveness” and “capitalized on Biden's mistakes” such as during a discussion on immigration, he added.

Some media picked up on Trump's claim that Mr. Biden was being “paid off by China.”

“'Manchurian candidate, paid for by China': Trump's big accusation against Biden,” read one headline on the NDTV channel website.

or report on the Firstpost website noted that climate change was a topic where India and China participated in the debate.

The outcome of the US election is not expected to change India-US ties much as Prime Minister Narendra Modi – who has just started a third term in power – shares a good rapport with Biden and Trump.

In Israel, the media agreed that Biden looked weak and theorized how a Trump presidential victory would affect the ongoing war in Gaza.

During the debate, Trump said that if he were president, the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel would not have happened.

The media emphasized Trump's pro-Israeli credentials, while he accused Mr. Biden of weakness: He came across as a Palestinian. But they don't like it. Because he is a very bad Palestinian. He is too weak, Trump said.

Barak Ravid, the diplomatic correspondent for Walla news sitesaid Mr. Biden was “unfocused on the conflict.

“He failed to explain the extent of his support for Israel, and it was possible for Trump to attack him and portray him as someone who is trying to prevent Israel from eliminating Hamas,” Ravid said.

Veteran Ynets defense analyst, Ron Ben-Yishai said: “Trump is now seen as a candidate whose victory in the presidential election is almost certain, and all actors and elements, from Russia and Ukraine to Israel and Saudi Arabia, and also Iran, will from now on behave under this assumption . ”

Ben-Yishai said some elements in Israel are already rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of a second Trump presidency.

Latin American media were captivated by what they called a “tense” presidential debate, highlighting their heated exchanges on immigration, the economy, abortion and global politics.

Many media pundits in the region saw Trump succeeding in raising doubts about Mr. Biden's age by hitting him hard on issues sensitive to American voters, such as inflation and immigration.

“Trump engages Biden in tense debate,” the leader said Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo titled his initial report.

The hesitant and confused performance of Mr. Bidens can fundamentally change the scenario of the elections,” added Folha.

Post on X, outstanding Mexican journalist Leon Krauze drew a similar conclusion, saying Biden “stumbled, lost his thread and was unable to point out his rival's lies.”

Meanwhile, Argentina's La Nacion said that “the democratic president has not been able to remove doubts about his age and health and has raised the alarm in his party”.

Colombian daily El Tiempo saw exchanges between Trump and Biden characterized by “insults, profanity and a few propositions” in which “neither seemed to overcome concerns about their advanced age.”

The debate shows Trump strong and Biden weak,” the Brazilian daily wrote State of S. Paulo summarized an analysis.

“Biden self-destructed in front of the American public and the world… Biden debated desperately badly,” said Brazilian analyst Demetrio Magnoli. G1 News Page.

In Mexico, the media tends to be wary of U.S. politicians' calls for drastic measures to stem the flow of immigrants and illegal drugs, so reporting on the debate based on repeated clashes over immigration, mostly consisting of Trump slamming him which he called Mr. Biden's. failure to secure the border.

Left arm Mexican daily La Jornada highlighted the “clash over migration and the economy” debate.

“During the first presidential debate, former President Donald Trump criticized the immigration policy of the Joe Biden administration and said that immigrants should be deported for alleged crimes committed against Americans.” Mexican daily Reforma told her readers.

In its coverage, Mexican news magazine Proceso focused on Trump claiming the US had become a “rat's nest” because he said Mr Biden's immigration policies had “opened the door to criminals, murderers and rapists”.

Turkish media and social media users criticized Mr. Bidens poor debate performance, which many said caused panic among Democrats.

“Biden had difficulty understanding questions and hesitated when answering.” Hurriyet newspaper said, describing the debate as a “disaster” for Biden.

Academician Hilmi Bolatoglu said in a post on X that Mr. Biden's performance reinforced indications that a new era of Trump is approaching.

The coverage also raised eyebrows about the overall quality of the debate.

“There were a lot of gaffes in the 90-minute debate. Insults and taunts flew, Biden had a few hiccups and Trump gave a lot of misinformation.” Milliyet newspaper said in a report.

Looking at the list of lies and distortions both leaders told, one wonders which of them American voters will choose to wreak havoc on the world, veteran journalist Murat Yetkin said on his YouTube channel.

Many experts in Turkey have long been quiet about Mr. Biden's presidency, accusing him of hypocrisy in the Israel-Gaza war and expressing doubts about his emphasis on defending the liberal international order.