Democratic US President Joe Biden delivered a shaky performance at a debate on Thursday as his Republican rival Donald Trump attacked him with a series of often false attacks, while the two most senior presidential candidates ever traded deeply personal insults ahead of the November election.
The two men traded criticism on abortion, immigration, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, their handling of the economy and even their golf games, as they both sought to shake up a battle that has been close to evenly matched for months, according to opinion polls.
A hoarse-sounding Biden stumbled over his words several times during the first half hour of the debate, but he found his balance halfway through when he attacked Trump over his conviction for covering up hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, calling him a “thug.”
