Letters to the Editor | July 1, 2024

Thursday night was the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. If you are a Democrat, a Joe Biden supporter, or a Donald Trump hater the night did not go well. Biden “won” on the substance, but importantly “lost” on the appearance aspects. Performatively, critics and even other Democrats said Biden was not strong. No way to spin this, not a good night for the president or his bid to be re-elected. Trump, as always, lied profusely, and as usual, it may not matter.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore

President Joe Biden worked with Republicans on a bipartisan border agreement that was more conservative than he wanted but he had the wisdom to deal with a crisis and was willing to sign that bill. Donald Trump got wind and demanded that Republican leadership kill the bill because it would undermine his major campaign issue. During the debate, Trump focused on how bad immigrants are for this country and lied about their effect on Social Security. The truth is we need young immigrants to pay into Social Security to fund our seniors. As someone who was born in Mexico City and has given my life to make this a better country, I fear that Trump’s lies will get him into the White House again, if we don’t wake up.

Raymond J. Torres, Philadelphia, raytorres2@verizon.net

I am 82 years old, healthy, active, vigorous, mentally alert, and competent. Among the harm Joe Biden’s debate performance may cause is to tarnish all seniors with the brush of incompetence and irrelevance. I hope he can put the country ahead of his personal pride and step aside quickly so that a more viable candidate can be selected to challenge the real and systemic dangers that Donald Trump poses to the U.S. and the world.

Ben Zuckerman, Philadelphia

Under ordinary circumstances, a presidential candidate who told one lie after another in an internationally televised debate would be seen as a loser in the eyes of the American voter. Yet in his faceoff with President Joe Biden, Donald Trump told us that “everyone” wanted the issue of abortion rights returned to the states, that all jobs that have been created in the current administration have gone to immigrants who are in the country illegally, that President Biden hates the military, that the incumbent wants to quadruple our taxes — and my favorite whopper — that former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi takes full responsibility for Trump’s hoodlums breaking into and ransacking the U.S. Capitol and assaulting law enforcement officers.

A good debater could have powerfully demolished Trump’s lies, but sadly, Biden will be seen by many as the “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” who special counsel Robert Hur concluded he is in his report on the president inadvertently taking documents with him when he left office. The debate debacle that took place before the world may cause many to vote for a dangerous, vengeful criminal who is out only for himself first, last, and always.

Oren Spiegler, Peters Township

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