The most discussed topic following the first 2024 presidential debate on Thursday was not the return of former President Donald Trump to the debate stage, but rather the questionable-at-best performance of President Joe Biden. But it seems that attention, or lack thereof, has not been well received by Trump.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]The presumptive Republican nominee spoke out on Saturday, posting on Truth Social, his very own social media platform owned by the Trump Media & Technology Group. He shared his takeaways of his debate against Biden, which lasted for 90 minutes and was moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
“As I walked off the stage on Thursday night, at the end of the highly anticipated ‘Debate,’ anchors, political reporters and all screamed that I had had the greatest debate performance in the long and storied history of Presidential Debates. They all said, effectively, ‘Trump was fantastic!'” the former President wrote.
He continued, adding: “This theme was universal, even at CNN & MSDNC [referring to MSNBC], but by Friday evening it was all about the poor performance of Crooked Joe, and not so much about how well I did. Oh well, that’s the way it is but, importantly, the result is the same!!!”
We have been unable to find a record of any political anchors or reporters publicly saying that Trump had the “greatest debate performance in the long and storied history of Presidential Debates.” However, one portion of this post rings true: much of the coverage of the debate has focused on Biden’s performance. Beyond that, the debate analysis has been focused on what the President should do now, and what Democrats are thinking in the aftermath.
The internet discourse especially strayed away from policy, and focused on the age of the two presumptive presidential candidates—Trump is 78 and Biden is 81—as well as the absurdity of some of their debate moments. On X (formerly Twitter) users clung on to an argument between Biden and Trump that revolved around their golf skills.
Elsewhere, there were some politics-oriented debate moments from Trump that garnered attention. For one, he warned that migrants were taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” from Americans, angering critics. In response, one such critic, Omarosa Manigault Newman—who worked in the White House during the Trump Administration—said “the Black and Hispanic community are not monolithic.” Multiple Black representatives posted on X, fighting back against the term. He also garnered ire online from reproductive rights advocates after falsely claiming the Biden Administration would “take the life of the baby in the ninth month, and even after birth.”
Read More: These Are the Biggest Moments in the First Presidential Debate
As for what comes next for Trump, he will officially receive the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee from July 15 to July 18, where he is also set to announce his running mate.
Trump is also facing his sentencing for 34 counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up hush-money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. His sentencing is set for July 11, for which he will have to attend court in New York.
