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The Chinese internet is having a field day over Biden's bad debate performance
By Matthew Loh,
2 days ago
US President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' week in Woodside, California on November 15, 2023.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Biden's debate performance on Thursday is earning him little praise in the US.
Both Trump and Biden are disliked in China, but people focused especially on the latter's demeanor.
On Weibo, he's being mocked for "looking like a robot" after people said he was barely blinking.
As the first presidential debate of 2024 wrapped up on Thursday evening, China started dunking President Joe Biden for his oratory style.
Neither presidential candidate is popular in China. Former President Donald Trump is often the subject of memes claiming he's secretly a Communist Party member trying to destroy the US from within.
But Biden has been taking the brunt of the jokes on Weibo, China's version of X. Minutes after the debate closed, a topic saying he was "looking like a robot and barely blinking" began picking up steam.
It didn't matter what either man said about the economy, veterans' affairs, or foreign policy — Chinese people just cared about how they looked and sounded.
"In today's first TV debate, Trump won," wrote the popular blogger Housha Moonlight. "It doesn't matter what the debate was about. The key is that with wit and flexibility, Trump successfully highlighted the old and dying appearance of the sleeping king."
"I'm worried that Deng Deng will die suddenly during this debate," another poster wrote , referring to a nickname for Biden.
To be sure, Weibo is a heavily moderated platform, but it can be useful for observing narratives and language that survive the scrutiny of censors.
A common criticism in China toward US democracy is how old its leaders are. Biden is 81 this year, while Trump is 78. Xi Jinping, the leader of China, is 71.
Indeed, the debate on Thursday prompted hundreds of posts and comments remarking on the ages of both candidates.
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