“Funniest Debate Of All Time:” Internet Reacts To Biden-Trump Debate
Social media reacted with disbelief after a 90-minute-long presidential debate that included an argument about golf.
The internet had a lot to laugh about after Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate of 2024. Insults and off-topic tangents from both candidates have become the latest jokes of social media.
The world knew Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate of the year would be far from ordinary. People were watching, and they were ready to share their thoughts online.
On June 27, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump entered the stage without shaking hands: a precursor to a hostile evening.
It was also an unusual evening. The studio was nearly empty: For the first time since 1960, there was no live audience. Neither Biden nor Trump would give an opening statement, and each candidate’s microphone would be muted while the other spoke.
These new ground rules from CNN came in the wake of Biden and Trump’s notoriously unruly debate during the last election cycle.
Though less chaotic than in 2020, the recent debate was more laughable, as well as more disturbing, to many viewers.
The 90-minute broadcast was characterized by Biden mumbling and losing his train of thought, and Trump twisting the truth and pouncing on Biden’s slip-ups.
There was drama. There were personal attacks. There was a squabble about golf and a noticeable shortage of policy talk.
People online had a lot to say.
“Lmaoooo”
The internet just couldn’t take the debate seriously.
Many viral videos highlighted Biden and Trump’s provocative statements, pairing them with funny captions.
Among the social media jokes were compilations of the candidates’ facial expressions, a comparison of the debate to a physical fight between two elderly people, and an edit likening Biden and Trump to Romeo and Juliet.
Many online posts had an air of comedic disbelief, as if to say, “There’s no way this is real politics.”
The slew of humorous posts suggests that Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate was not taken seriously. Social media reactions that seriously addressed the merit of either candidate were overshadowed by the viral jokes.
While Biden and Trump touched on issues such as the economy and abortion, policy was overshadowed by drama. Trump’s comment about Biden’s incoherency became one of the most widely circulated moments from the debate.
Mockery
Of all the debate-related TikTok videos, one of the most popular was an imitation by Austin Nasso, a comedian known for posting impressions of politicians and other well-known figures.
In a 40-second-long video, Nasso impersonated both candidates, appearing half-asleep when acting as Biden and obnoxious when acting as Trump.
Although Nasso’s video was a play on the debate’s most ridiculous moments, many viewers saw some truth in the fiction. One commenter wrote, “You’re telling me this isn’t the debate?”
Real audio from Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate also made for widespread jokes on social media.
In a viral video posted by Shepmates, a pair of twins lip-synced to soundbites of the candidates arguing.
The audio came from one of the most absurd parts of the debate: Biden and Trump’s back-and-forth about their golfing abilities.
The video’s caption, earning many laughing emojis in the comments section, read: “When mum asks who the better golfer is.”
Sarcasm
A three-part video series by Brian Xu, “things younger than Biden and Trump,” received over 33 million views and five million likes.
Biden and Trump, 81 and 78 years old respectively, are among the oldest national leaders in the world.
Xu, a data scientist and part-time content creator, said the online reaction to Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate centered around the candidates’ ages. This inspired Xu to contextualize how long the candidates have been alive.
“I’m not really trying to be political in one way or the other,” Xu said about his videos. “I was just trying to present a perspective on how old the candidates are.”
Xu’s list of things younger than Biden and Trump included color TV, Walmart, the American states of Alaska and Hawaii, Bill Clinton (elected president more than 30 years ago) — and over 95% of people in the US.
One commenter said it is “a big oof on our whole government system” that Clinton is younger than the current candidates.
Xu said he noticed that many commenters on his videos agreed that Biden and Trump are too old for office.
“The reactions were slightly amusing, but also slightly concerning,” Xu said.
Similarly, a seemingly sarcastic video shows musician Zachariah Smith walking down some stairs then taking a sip of water. Large text on the screen reads: “I am starting to think America should not elect a president in 2024. We need to be single for a few years, find ourselves and heal.”
Smith’s video is less than five seconds long and has close to 800,000 likes.
“This country is in shambles”
Across multiple platforms, creators shared their raw responses to the debate.
One of these videos was the live reaction of Grace Weinstein, host and producer of the politics and culture show “WTF, America.”
“We’re arguing about golf,” the TikTok video began. “This country is in shambles, and we’re arguing about golf.”
Weinstein’s video expressed disbelief at the irrelevant arguments. She pointed out that more important topics were neglected, such as the candidates’ policy ideas.
“That will go down in history as one of the most confusing, and stressful, and upsetting hours of my life,” the video ended.
To illustrate the absurdity of Biden and Trump’s first 2024 debate, social media has also turned to past politics as context.
Several videos juxtaposed the recent presidential debate with the first 2012 debate between former President Barack Obama and then-candidate Mitt Romney.
2012 was a show of respect. Obama and Romney shook hands, and Romney congratulated Obama on his anniversary.
Fast forward to the hostile scene in 2024: Biden and Trump barely looked at each other as they entered the stage. Heated exchanges, such as “I didn’t have sex with a pornstar” and “He should apologize to me right now,” shocked viewers.
Bona Bones, a professional stop-motion animator, saw a parallel between current politics and “Dinosaurs,” a 1990s TV series known for its dystopian themes and social commentary.
Bones’s TikTok video featured a disastrous political debate scene between two dinosaurs (both of whom were comedically unfit as candidates).
“What an appalling display,” announced the moderator when the dinosaurs‘ debate turned to a frenzy. “The voters of this nation are presented with a choice between a monstrous, bloodthirsty psychopath and a self-confessed brain-dead ignoramus.”
Many social media users recognized the “psychopath” and “ignoramus” dinosaur candidates as mirror images of Trump and Biden.
Bones said their TikTok video seemed to resonate with how young Americans feel about the 2024 election.
“We’ve literally become the dystopian reality we joked about,” a commenter wrote in response to Bones’s video.
The TV show “mirrored what’s happening right now in a strange way,” Bones said. “A lot of people are just feeling like these cannot seriously be the best options we have.”
Moreover, as the “Dinosaurs” moderator asked at the end of the debate, “What will future generations think of us, that we cannot present the public with better alternatives than these?”
Post-debate blues
The weeks following the debate have done little to put voters at ease.
Biden made concerning fumbles during his first solo news conference of the year, including when he accidentally referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia’s “President Putin.”
And on July 13, during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania, Trump was almost assassinated.
Social media commentary surrounding Biden and Trump’s first presidential debate boils down to several common points:
Both Biden and Trump (but especially Biden) are too old to be in charge of the country. A lot of people don’t like either candidate. The debate failed to address substantive issues. And golf talk has no place in politics.
Most social media posts that emerged from the debate ridiculed both candidates and resonated across the entire political spectrum — from Democrats to Republicans, and independents to people who are just fed up with American politics.
As for posts that rallied for one candidate or the other, they raised serious concerns.
Some social media users questioned whether Biden is fit to lead the country, citing doubts about his cognitive capacity. Others reminded the internet that the Republican alternative was convicted of 34 felony counts, as well as charged with trying to overturn his loss of the 2020 election.
But there is widespread agreement that Trump won the first debate, at least in terms of performance.
After watching Biden struggle to keep up with Trump on the debate stage, many voters and some Democratic politicians have said Biden should end his presidential campaign.
Still, Biden said he plans to stay in the race. He is scheduled to face Trump again on September 10.
“It’s kind of scary going into the next debate,” Bones said. “I think it’s going to be a really defining moment for [Biden’s] validity as a candidate.”
Until September, the internet will wait patiently for the next meme-worthy political clash.
Since this article was written, Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. Vice President Kamala Harris will likely take his place as the Democratic nominee.
