Jun 28, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Trump says Biden's problem is not age but 'competence' in post-debate rally

Lauren Floyd

Trump at Virginia rally post-debate — Former President Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Chesapeake, Va., on June 28, 2024. Photo: Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images

President Biden's performance during Thursday's presidential debate gave former President Trump a fresh spin on familiar criticism during his first post-debate appearance on Friday.

Why it matters: Biden acknowledged that his debate skills had diminished and referenced his age in a post-debate appearance of his own but not before whispers of "doom" and worry among House Democrats had already spread.

"Joe Biden's problem is not his age," Trump said during his rally in Chesapeake, Va. He later added, "it's his competence."

The former president also called the debate a "victory" for him.

Catch up quick: As critics have highlighted, Trump is not a flawless candidate. He was convicted in a New York criminal trial of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records linked to a $130,000 hush money payment.

His debate performance, however, failed to stir up the kind of gloom that Democrats shared as they began to weigh the possibility of an alternate candidate.
The debate's format, which didn't include fact-checking in real time, also did Biden no favors, Axios' senior media reporter Sara Fischer points out.

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Trump says Biden's problem is not age but 'competence' in post-debate rally

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