On Thursday, June 27, CNN hosted the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. After months of speaking at each other in campaign rallies, Joe Biden and Donald Trump finally had an opportunity to directly engage in discussion. Domestic politics often dominate presidential debates, but with ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East in addition to U.S.-China competition, 2024 could be different.
The morning after the debate, FP’s Ravi Agrawal discussed foreign-policy takeaways with two London-based observers of U.S. politics: Leslie Vinjamuri, the director of the U.S. and Americas program at Chatham House, and Gideon Rachman, the chief foreign affairs commentator at the Financial Times.
Video clips from this event
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The FT’s Gideon Rachman on why he watched Thursday’s presidential debate with horror: Biden seemed “weak and losing his touch.”
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Leslie Vinjamuri explains the “deep fear” that Biden supporters in and outside the United States feel after the debate: “if he can’t deliver … we’re left with [Trump].”
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Rachman argues that the U.S. political system is “not healthy,” whether viewed through the lens of political dynasties or polling showing a loss of faith in democracy.
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How are leaders around the world seeing the U.S. presidential campaign? “Europeans are absolutely terrified,” Vinjamuri says. “They talk about trying to Trump-proof Europe … but really have very few mechanisms to do that.”
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Rachman says that after the debate, new fears of a diminished U.S. president will embolden adversaries abroad.
