Observers abroad watched the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election on Thursday night on CNN — an international network — and concluded that former President Donald Trump is likely to return to office in 2025.
Reuters reported (via the Jerusalem Post):
While the first US presidential debate of the 2024 race dwelled little on foreign policy, analysts say Joe Biden’s shaky performance will have America’s allies steeling for Donald Trump’s return.
…
Several Australian officials and experts attended a workshop titled “Trump 2.0” in Sydney as the debate aired.
…
“The mood has changed considerably after the debate, and the general view is that if you weren’t preparing for a Trump 2.0, then that is the smart play and the smart move now.”
In Israel — a country with more at stake in the U.S. elections than perhaps any other except Ukraine — the left-wing Ha’aretz called the debate a “sad night for America.”
Many Israeli outlets noted Trump’s comments on the ongoing war with Hamas — including his statements that Israel should be allowed to “finish the job,” that Hamas never would have attacked on October 7 if he were still in office, and that Biden had become a “bad Palestinian.”
But what grabbed top headlines was the statement by New York Times columnist Tom Friedman — a close Biden ally — that Biden should step aside after his disastrous performance.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.