Joe Biden won the U.S. presidency in 2020 primarily because he was not Donald Trump. That may not be enough this time

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Joe Biden gambled heavily that an early debate with his challenger — the earliest in presidential debate history — would move the campaign needle in his favour. He lost big time. In the first 10 minutes, his raspy, often hesitant and sometimes befuddled replies to questions created immediate panic in the ranks of senior Democrat supporters and glee among Republicans. His closing two-minute remarks were described as “perhaps the worst in the history of presidential debates.” As the Wall Street Journal observed, “he failed to speak clearly, did so in a weak voice, and sometimes could not complete a coherent sentence.” The image of his wife Jill helping him step down carefully from the podium to meet the moderators added an exclamation point to his sad performance.

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With his customary bluster, Donald Trump handled the debate with aplomb. He may not have won on substance. Biden did better on some policy issues. But Trump was more restrained, even disciplined, than usual and showed greater vigour throughout in sharp contrast to the performance of the sitting president. The Biden campaign’s plan to provoke Trump into zany eruptions did not work.

Trump side-stepped questions he chose not to answer, e.g. on climate change and child care. Biden stepped on his own lines on abortion and the economy.

Biden had prepared for the debate for a full week, assisted by 16 advisers, and that may have contributed to some of his confusion. Former Clinton adviser James Carville quipped, “Biden does not have........

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