China’s official state media arms and users on the regime-censored social media site Weibo mocked President Joe Biden’s lackluster performance during Thursday night’s presidential debate, one user joking that he or she was concerned Biden may suddenly die.
Communist China closely moderates the entry of international news into the country and censors all commentary on Weibo that defies the official stances of the Party on various issues. Multiple reports state that Beijing allowed hearty discussions on Weibo regarding the debate. State media outlets offered detailed summaries of the discussion between Biden and former President Donald Trump, including informing Chinese readers that Biden had “trouble delivering complete thoughts” and sharing direct quotes, such as when Biden declared that he had “beat Medicare.”
Biden and Trump met in Atlanta for a debate hosted by CNN on Thursday night. Most mainstream media coverage of the debate in the United States emphasized Biden’s apparent missteps, including various incoherent responses to Trump and a failure to convince the public that, despite being an octogenarian, he has the vigor and mental capacity to continue governing the country. While some Biden supporters attempted to defend him, claiming the president was suffering from a cold, chatter on the American left focused on Friday morning on the potential that the Democrat Party would try to replace Biden as the presidential candidate just five months before the election.