How the international media reacted to the presidential debate

According to Chinese broadcaster CGTN, the English-language service of state broadcaster China Global Television Network, “Biden started hesitantly and Trump responded steadfastly in a tentative confrontation.” Accusations of lies and accusations that each was the worst U.S. president ever were rife, the network said.

The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, said the two men “presented radically different visions of America’s place in the world” and that it was a “high-stakes debate.” Before the debate began, China’s state-backed tabloid Global Times said the debate was expected to resemble “a reality TV show.”

The Times of India began its article on Democrats’ concerns about Biden’s performance with the headline: “We’re screwed: Democrats are completely freaked out over Joe Biden’s debate performance.” Biden “delivered a shaky, halting performance,” it said, while “Trump hit him with a series of often false attacks.”

Elsewhere, India Today said Biden “stuttered and hesitated” on several occasions, while describing Trump’s performance as “forceful and aggressive”.

In the UK, the Guardian highlighted the problems with Biden and Trump during the debate, headlined its article: “Biden struggles to find lines as Trump lies in first presidential debate.” Many of Trump’s answers to simple questions had little to do with the topic at hand, the paper said, and he made frequent false statements that were not fact-checked by moderators. Biden, meanwhile, “often struggled to finalize his thoughts.”

The Times of London said Biden’s re-election campaign was “in crisis” after the debate and that the current president’s answers to questions were “meandering and confused,” while Trump’s were “more assured and disciplined.”

Meanwhile, the BBC suggested Biden had struggled to cope with Trump’s attacks, titling its live blog of the debate: “Biden stumbles in first presidential debate as Trump avoids key questions.” Biden struggled repeatedly and Trump repeated lies, it said, adding that the debate was “marred by personal attacks.”

German broadcaster ZDF described the debate as “more civilized” but “more charged” than in 2020, adding that Trump got off to a better start but Biden caught up later, according to a CNBC translation . At first, Biden didn’t seem very nimble and hesitated, she said, but added that his tone was “somewhat surprisingly” as aggressive and cutting as Trump’s.

On individual issues, Biden had “clear words” for Trump on abortion, but things got “uncomfortable” for him on immigration — while Trump tried to dodge questions about the January 2021 Capitol riot.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper headlined one article “Joe Biden’s bad night,” saying that while his answers were more consistent than Trump’s, Biden’s verbal hesitations raised concerns. In another article, the newspaper summed up the debate: “Biden disgraces himself, Trump throws away his chance, but the real losers in the first televised debate of the US election campaign are the Americans.”

The French English-language news agency France 24 headlined the debate: “Biden stumbles, Trump lies.” Biden’s performance was “uneven,” while Trump “launched a series of attacks that included many lies.”

Also in France, Le Monde described Biden as “hesitating” and Trump as “energetic.” Biden “stopped at times” but repeatedly tried to confront Trump, whom he called “explosive.” Overall, he called the debate “fiery.”

CNBC has reached out to Donald Trump’s office and the Democratic Party for comment on the global response to the debate.