- author, Anna Fagie
- role, BBC News, Washington
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off Thursday night in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle.
Voters across the country have expressed concerns about the candidates' ages – Biden is 81 and Trump is 78 – and the debate only exacerbated those fears.
Still, with just weeks to go until the parties' conventions, where they will formally choose their candidates, supporters of both major parties feel they have few options left.
The BBC interviewed Democratic, Republican and independent voters who said they were concerned about Biden's suitability as a presidential candidate.
After Thursday's debate, we asked them whether his widely criticized performance would affect their voting behavior, starting with voters who feel they have no choice but to support the president.
A longtime Democrat, she found the debate difficult to watch and could barely stay through the broadcast, but she plans to vote Democratic in November regardless of how the candidates perform.
I didn't see it all.
I can't stand it. Is this the best our country can do? If Hillary had walked out in a pantsuit I would have been super happy.
I absolutely despise Trump and all that he stands for: his lies, his cheating, and his lack of morality.
Biden is a much better man, but I felt so sorry for him last night and was so disappointed.
I was imagining “Jacked Up Joe” by State of the Union. Nope, all we saw was everything everyone said he had problems with coming out on stage.
I feel bad for him and for America, but we'll just have to get over it.
To be honest, this debate has really made me disengaged. I feel like I can't do anything but vote Democrat, no matter who the nominee is.
Dominique identifies as a Libertarian and voted third party in 2016 and 2020, but is fully supporting the former president this time.
I am a fan of Trump and will enthusiastically vote for him.
I came into this debate thinking the Republicans were headed for failure, and I'm actually surprised that Biden did so badly because I thought he would do better.
I'm reasonably pleased with Trump, he seems a lot more presidential, especially compared to the last debate.
He was really negative last time, and I thought he was on perfect form last night.
The Trump we saw onstage was very different from the Trump we saw in 2016, who would have made more vile attacks on Biden's age.
Biden's body language was very defeated. I think the way Biden handled the age issue was very presidential for Trump.
While I am enthusiastically voting for Trump at this point, I did not vote for him in 2016 or 2020.
[Dominic texted a few minutes later]
In 2016, I might have been considered a Never-Trumper. My opinion of him has completely changed.
Connor is a Democrat who voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to do the same in 2024, but is concerned about the president's age.
I'm worried about Biden's second term.
I have no doubt that the people around Biden are competent and capable of carrying out the requirements of the executive branch, and I have no doubt that Biden has the best interests of this country at heart.
That said, I am now more less confident than ever in Biden's ability to lead this country.
The Biden Administration's efforts to build infrastructure, rally allies, amnesty marijuana offenders, invest in clean energy and future-proof technology, and lower prescription drug prices are all monumental actions. I think this first term has been a great success. That's why it pains me to say that Biden may not be the best leader for these policies or this moment.
I don’t think these things will convince me to vote for Trump.
I cannot support a candidate who has so dramatically undermined faith in our nation's electoral system, even though all his advisors tell him he is wrong.
Or a candidate who clearly lacks moral integrity, judging by his court-confirmed extramarital affairs and countless other scandals, or who promotes the worst kinds of hatred and politicization in all aspects of society and government, or who you have never heard speak intelligently or in depth about any subject.
Crystal is an ardent supporter of Trump, having voted for the former president twice before and planning to vote again in November.
Trump came across as very calm and presidential, while Biden came across as very weak.
I really didn't think it was a good idea for Biden to even be in this debate. In fact, he didn't look mentally sound to me. He looked really weak and lethargic.
It was a tough 90 minutes to watch this debate between Biden and Trump.
The fentanyl crisis, border security, and of course the economy are my biggest concerns, and I feel like Biden hasn't addressed those issues at all.
Like Trump, I am against abortion and abortion pills, and I like that he is pro-life and supports conservative Christian values.
I think the country respects him, and I really think he's going to win after this debate.
The debate strengthened my belief that he can and will win.
While Shanna plans to support Biden in the next election, she isn't happy with the current state of the country.
I was very frustrated watching the debate. I felt that their answers were not true answers to any of the questions. It was exhausting to watch.
I don't think either performance was better than the other. Biden looked tired and weak. He had a cold and even though he had good things to say, he couldn't express them or make them understood. I remember Kennedy looking healthy and winning against Nixon in the first TV debate.
Trump was aggressive and off topic, and while he looked physically strong, content-wise I don't think he was very good.
I don't want Trump to be president, so I'm still going to vote for Biden. I'd be happy if both parties would reconsider their nominees. I know that's the idea being floated now, but that would be better for us.
Before Biden announced he was running for reelection, I was hoping he would step aside and someone else would run, but I would rather have a Democrat as president than Trump.
Eric is an independent voter who voted third party in 2020, but is undecided about what he'll do in November.
Trump is an old psychopath liar who is only running to avoid going to prison and will literally say anything to protect himself.
Biden is older, less healthy and has lost touch with his base.
Personally, I think President Biden is better able to listen to different points of view. I was impressed that when the moderator asked a question, Trump would talk about the topic he wanted to talk about.
It's up in the air at this point, but we'll wait and see what happens – a lot can change between now and November.
Personally, I don't see any compelling reasons to vote for either of the guys above, but I do see compelling reasons to vote against the guy above.
I want to see candidates that I can vote for, not vote against, and I want people who are more interested in getting the job done than they are in getting re-elected.
Neither Trump nor Biden are young, and it's unclear whether either of them can hold onto the presidency for four years.
The fact that they were both on stage discussing a golf match tells us they have other interests than running the country.
