By: Ellie Zhang 1

The presidential debate between the two rivals, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, was held on June 27, 2024 at 9 p.m. E.T. in Atlanta, Georgia. As Biden is 81 years old (the oldest U.S. president so far), voters are concerned about his ability to govern the country, which gives an advantage to Trump. Their ages are 3 years and 7 months apart, but during their debate, the gap of their performances seemed much larger.

The two had their own issues: Biden had struggled to make rebuttals many times, and Trump had given false information.

Biden is very old, so it was normal for him to take long pauses and stutter throughout, but it will most likely affect his votes in November. A defense for Biden spoke to BBC News. Kamala Harris, Vice President of the U.S. said, “it was a slow start, but there was a strong finish.”

Trump, on the other hand, claimed that under his leadership, the US economy thrived the most. Biden retaliated with one of the biggest things—Trump’s crime earlier in the year, making him the first ever president to face criminal charges.

The Thursday debate was the earliest debate in modern US history, which was something the Biden team wanted. It was meant to point out Trump’s issues–but it turned the opposite way and focused on Biden.

BBC News’ editor, Sarah Smith said, “Joe Biden had one job – to persuade Americans he wasn’t too old. He failed that test.”

The debate will have a major effect on the votes in November.