Foreign diplomats surprised/Biden's dismal debate performance

2024-06-30 16:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Foreign diplomats surprised/Biden's dismal debate performance

President Joe Biden. Image taken from Google

The first debate between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden reverberated around the world, with foreign diplomats expressing shock and concern as they raised questions about the implications for an election that could upend the foreign policy status quo if Trump would be resolved again.

The overwhelming feeling among diplomats from Europe, the Middle East and Asia CNN spoke to was that it was "a bad night for Biden," as one European diplomat put it.

"It's a sad reality that Biden is old and he's getting old. We saw it. I had trouble understanding what he was saying," said a second European diplomat.

"Trump ate him alive," said an Arab diplomat.

"I was shocked. I couldn't believe my eyes,” one Asian diplomat said of Biden's performance.

Biden's debate failure was front-page news across Europe, with left- and right-leaning newspapers opposing the president.

The president's debate performance also built on heightened concerns about the policies Trump is likely to implement if he wins in November. Trump on Thursday once again displayed his isolationist tendencies and his NATO-skeptic worldview that often alarmed US allies during his first presidential term. In the debate, Trump questioned the continued funding of Ukraine's war against Russia and falsely claimed that the US had given more aid to Ukraine than all other European countries combined.

Trump even revealed that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about his "dream" of invading Ukraine. He also attacked Biden for withdrawing from Afghanistan and argued that it was the reason why Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022.

A Ukrainian politician told CNN that Trump's statements about the war in Ukraine were "disturbing."

Biden's appearance Thursday did not prompt diplomats CNN spoke to to question his ability to serve as commander-in-chief at this time, proving he has a good team. But some diplomats raised questions about how the Democratic Party will handle the issue.

After the debate, it wasn't just Democrats who raised the question of replacing Biden, but foreign diplomats were also asking whether Democrats should move to a plan B.

Other diplomats also noted that Trump's comments on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war were likely to hurt him among Arab-American voters.