Late in Thursday’s debate, President Biden, 81, and former President Donald J. Trump, 78, had been requested the looming query: How might they assuage voters’ considerations about their potential to deal with the presidency as they proceed to age?
Neither man’s reply could have been sufficient to push apart these qualms.
Mr. Biden, who has confronted the extra nagging questions on his psychological and bodily acuity, addressed the priority briefly earlier than shifting matters.
“I spent half my profession being criticized being the youngest individual in politics,” he stated, a standard reframe making reference to his youth — 30 years previous — when he first turned a senator. “And now I’m the oldest. This man is three years youthful, and so much much less competent.”
Mr. Biden then spent the remainder of his reply selling his administration’s accomplishments, meandering by way of an anecdote about visiting South Korea to encourage semiconductor manufacturing in america.
Mr. Trump stated he had aced cognitive checks and questioned Mr. Biden’s potential to do the identical. “We knock on wooden wherever we could have wooden that I’m in superb well being,” he stated.
Then he bragged about his golf scores, prompting one of many oddest exchanges of the night time.
“He challenged me to a golf match,” Mr. Trump stated of his opponent. “He can’t hit a ball 50 yards.”
Mr. Biden replied, “I’d be joyful to have a driving contest with him,” saying that his golf handicap when he was vp was six strokes over par. “I’m joyful to play golf with you, should you carry your individual bag. Assume you are able to do it?”
“That’s the most important lie, that he’s a six handicap, of all,” Mr. Trump stated, prompting Mr. Biden to start to elucidate that he was an eight handicap.
“Let’s not act like youngsters,” Mr. Trump added.
