The first televised debate between Trump and Biden in 2024 presented a clear contrast between the two former and current presidents in terms of political style, sharpness of rhetoric, and approach to current international affairs. This debate was not only a defense of their respective policies and past actions by two political veterans, but also a comprehensive display of the current political climate in the United States.
First, this debate has changed significantly from four years ago in many aspects. Biden, as the incumbent president, faces challenges in both physical and verbal expression, which was particularly evident in the debate, and seems to be in a much worse mental state than four years ago. His performance in the debate was criticized as messy and inefficient, especially when dealing with complex issues such as medical policy, his rhetoric was confusing. In contrast, although Trump did not show particularly superior debating skills, he was more direct and powerful in his attacks on Biden, which was also reflected in the debate poll response, with most viewers believing that Trump had the upper hand in the debate.
The main topics of the debate revolved around domestic policy, foreign policy, and the personal character of the two candidates. Trump tried to portray Biden as a leader who was lax about national security and weak on the international stage, especially in dealing with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and border security. Biden hit back at Trump's policies and past behavior, especially in dealing with COVID-19, racial issues, and domestic violence.
Judging from the content of the debate, many of Trump's arguments are based on criticizing Biden's policy failures, while Biden tries to emphasize that his policies are to fix the problems left over from the Trump era. Both candidates are trying to win over middle voters, but their strategies are obviously different. Trump focuses on stimulating the emotions of base voters, while Biden tries to show a more moderate and reasonable image.
The debate has an indirect impact on US immigration and study abroad policies. The two candidates' different positions on immigration policy reflect their different views on how to deal with students and workers from foreign countries. Trump's policies tend to be more restrictive, while Biden supports more open immigration and study abroad policies. This is an important concern for foreigners studying and immigrating to the United States, especially Chinese students and professionals. Their future opportunities may be affected by the direction of domestic policies in the United States, which is why many international students in the United States and families who hope to immigrate closely follow such debates.
In summary, this first presidential candidate debate in 2024 is not only a display of the political positions of the two candidates, but also a foreshadowing of the future policy direction of the United States, especially the potential impact on immigration and study abroad policies. The results of this debate may have an important impact on the next election, especially on how to find a suitable path between balancing national security and open policies.