Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, took to social media Saturday to frame the upcoming election as a choice between two starkly different alternatives. Two days after his debate against President Joe Biden, Trump criticized the Democrat’s performance, saying it was a demonstration of weakness, incompetence, and a lack of priorities.
Trump’s post compared Biden unfavorably to himself, stating that the election was a choice between a president who puts America first and one who puts America last. The former president’s framing of the election as a choice between strength and weakness was echoed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, who argued that the election was a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary people and someone who only cares about themselves.
Trump’s comments came after a rally he held in southeastern Virginia, where he declared a “big victory” following the previous night’s debate. Biden, meanwhile, held a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, and jokingly acknowledged that he may not be as sharp as he used to be, saying “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”
Despite Trump’s criticism of Biden’s debate performance, it was not without its own set of critics. Some debate graders gave Trump poor marks, citing his incoherence and dishonesty. Democratic strategists Sasha Tirador and Brad Bannon both gave Trump an F, with Tirador describing the debate as “boring” and Bannon saying Trump “lied from beginning to end.”
Trump, 78, has not let the criticism hold him back, and he has continued to go on the offensive against Biden, 81. The two are scheduled to meet again on the debate stage on September 10.
