Aftertaste of the Biden-Trump debate: panic among Democrats, the likely name of the new candidate and the main conclusions for Ukraine
1 July 2024 19:12
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
“It’s grim. Democrats are in a panic over Joe Biden’s performance at the debate,” is how Time magazine described the first round. CNN published an article about the shock that occurred in the Democratic Party in the first minutes after the debate. And Biden’s family urges him to keep fighting. Exclusive for
Unexpectedly, the topic of international politics was one of the leading ones during the debate between Joseph Biden and Donald Trump. And while it is not a priority for the American voter, Ukrainians have a lot to analyse after the candidates’ big words. One of the most unexpected statements came from Donald Trump:
“If there was a real president in the United States that Putin respected, he would never have dared to invade Ukraine. I think Biden pushed him to take this step. I’ll tell you what happened. Biden made a terrible decision on Afghanistan. It was the most humiliating moment in the history of our country. And when Putin saw this, he said: I’m going to try to fulfil my dream, it was his dream. I talked to him about it.” – Donald Trump
And a logical question arises: when did Putin tell Trump about his dream of a large-scale invasion? Was it when he was president of the United States or later? American political strategist Jason J. Smart in a commentary
“When Trump was President, there was already a war in Ukraine. And I think maybe Trump knew then that Russia was going to seize more territory in Ukraine. However, it’s hard to know for sure what Trump said” – Jason J. Smart
Trump’s statement about Putin’s known dreams is a sensationalist claim, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said. However, Trump is probably exaggerating a bit. After all, in late 2021 and early 2022, a number of US administration officials, including CIA Director Burns, who visited Moscow, tried to convince their Russian counterparts that there was no need to start a war against Ukraine.
“I doubt that Trump discussed this with Putin a few months before the Russian invasion. There were no physical meetings between the politicians, and all phone calls are recorded. If an influential American politician is secretly talking to the Russian leader, I will tell you that this is a subject of attention for the American intelligence services,” Volodymyr Fesenko
The most important theses of the US presidential candidates about Ukraine
Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko highlighted the most important thesis of the debate. He says Trump gave a concrete answer that he does not support Putin’s so-called peace proposals . He will most likely facilitate the start of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but he is not going to conduct such negotiations on Russia’s terms. And this is fundamentally important, Fesenko added.
In addition to the above-mentioned words of Trump about Ukraine, the following equally important theses were also voiced:
- “I will make sure that the war is resolved between Putin and Zelensky”
- “Europe spends much less on supporting Ukraine than the United States”
- “Ukraine will not win this war. They are running out of people, they are running out of soldiers. They have lost so many people. They lost these majestic cities with golden millennial domes – and all because of him (Biden – ed.).”
Trump also repeated his phrase that he would “settle the war” in Ukraine before he “takes office”. However, it is not clear how he will do this.
Biden, in turn, said nothing new. His position was known in advance. However, the current US President clearly outlined Trump as a threat to the entire world.
- “If you want World War III, let Trump win the election.”
- “Putin is a war criminal. He has killed thousands and thousands of people. And he has made one thing clear: he wants to restore what was part of the Soviet empire, not just part of Ukraine. And do you think he will stop if he takes over Ukraine? What will happen to Poland, Belarus and NATO countries?
- “Trump wants the US to withdraw from NATO. But our strength is in our alliances. We could not have avoided a major war in Europe if it were not for our alliance.”
Gavin Newsom may become a candidate for the US presidency instead of Biden
Polls show that Americans trust Trump more than Biden. Especially in economic matters, says American political strategist Jason J. Smart. At the debate, the former president also showed himself to be unexpectedly balanced and disciplined. And although Biden had worked out two scenarios of Trump’s behaviour, including aggressive ones, in preparation for the debate. Still, Trump puzzled him.
“It’s clear that the Democrats don’t want Biden. And most of the leading US publications have written that it’s time for Biden to go. And I understand that this is real. Before the election, there will likely be another person who will become the Democratic candidate. This is Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. He runs a large state with 44 million people. He has a lot of support and really has a chance to become a candidate. He is also closely connected to the Democratic Party,” Jason J. Smart
I would like to add that in 2024, California’s GDP was USD 4.05 trillion. This means that California is one of the largest economies in the world after India, a country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, which is 36 times larger than California. So a successful case study could help Gavin Newsom gain a lot of favour with Americans.
Summing up the first debate between Trump and Biden, political analysts and experts call it more of a prelude to a full-scale election campaign. The main intrigue was not the content, but the physiognomic assessment. In addition, the two elderly candidates argued about who was better at golf and were busy expressing personal grievances against each other. Both candidates fulfilled one of the main tasks – they made it to the end of the debate.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
