“Is he OK?” viewers ask as President Joe Biden takes the stage with a “hoarse” voice to begin the debate with Trump

Viewers are struggling to understand President Joe Biden as he faces former President Donald Trump in the first presidential debate ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Today’s event marks the first time in history that a sitting U.S. president has faced a former U.S. president – and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

The first thing that many viewers seemed to notice was the volume of the candidates’ voices – especially President Biden’s.

“We have put things right again,” Biden said in a hoarse voice at the start of Trump’s presidency the conversationand added that under Trump’s watch, “it was simply chaos.”

“Biden is ancient lol. Is he okay?? lol,” a viewer named J (@jaypthomas) immediately commented to X.

Some other viewers quickly agreed.

“Biden’s voice is gone,” posted another X-user.

“Is Joe Biden Whisper?” asked a third.

Thursday’s presidential debate is the first in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election and represents a significant departure from the usual debate format.

Unlike all previous presidential debates since 1988, today’s event was not organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates, but by CNN. In addition, each candidate’s microphone will be muted when the other is speaking.

CNN’s Jake The discussion will be moderated by Tapper and Dana Bash, both experienced journalists who have moderated numerous primary and national election debates in the past.

Bash and Tapper have promised to do their best to avoid another “s**tshow,” as Bash famously called the first presidential debate of 2020.

That debate, moderated by then-veteran Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, famously ended in chaos as the candidates constantly interrupted and insulted each other—and the moderator.

VOTERS IN SEARCH

The president’s health has been a hot topic throughout his term in office, and voters are wondering whether the 81-year-old can survive another term in good health.

His health may be contributing to his low approval ratings, which began declining almost immediately after he took office in January 2021, according to an ongoing Reuters-Ipsos poll.

Before the debate, Biden’s approval rating was currently at 36% – his lowest in two years.

Trump also had low approval ratings at the end of his first term – when he left office after the riots at the Capitol on January 6, they were only 34 percent.

The poll showed that the economy has dominated voters’ concerns for weeks, displacing extremism and immigration as the top priority.

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The presidential candidates are expected to address a wide range of policy issues in today’s debate.

Already in the first hour of the conversation, Biden and Trump touched on domestic issues such as the economy, abortion rights and jobs.

They also discussed foreign policy issues related to the ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas.

Biden doubled down on support for Ukrainian and Israeli forces, while Trump claimed the president was not providing enough help to our allies or ourselves.

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