Biden crashes, Trump lies: A campaign-defining presidential debate

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Mary Kate Cary, University of Virginia and Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University

(THE CONVERSATION) With four months to go until Election Day, the earliest-ever general election debate featured two presidents – one current, one former – and a lot of bitter personal attacks. Joe Biden’s universally acknowledged poor performance surprised and even panicked Democrats; Donald Trump gave a more forceful – if not truthful – performance.

The Conversation asked two scholars, Mary Kate Cary and Karrin Vasby Anderson, to watch the debate and analyze a passage or a moment that stood out to them. Anderson is a communications scholar with a specialty in gender and the presidency, as well as political pop culture. Cary teaches political speechwriting and worked as a White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush,...