All eyes are on the United States today, Thursday, as the first debate takes place between the Democratic candidate and current president, Joe Biden, and his rival, the Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump. Both men hold a different vision of the United States’ role in the world, in terms of style or substance.
A new poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos showed that American voters see Trump as the best choice for the economy, but they prefer his rival Joe Biden’s approach to preserving democracy. The rare debate of its kind between a current president and a former president highlights the stark contradictions between the two men.
During his presidency between 2017 and 2021, Trump pledged to put “America first” with a combative, and sometimes isolationist, view of the world, while Biden took office in 2021 under the slogan “America is back,” which revived relations with allies. But the two presidents agree on a number of key issues.
Both of them adhered to the necessity of withdrawing American forces from Afghanistan, considering that the longest war the United States had fought was not worth the cost it incurred in blood and treasure. However, each criticized the other on implementation, as did their strong public disagreements on most issues.
Biden led international efforts to support Ukraine after the war with Russia in February 2022. With Biden’s encouragement, the US Congress approved $175 billion in aid to Ukraine, including weapons and budget support. Trump emphasized his ability to end the war quickly, expressing admiration for Putin and being skeptical about aid to Ukraine.
During his presidency, Trump was a strong supporter of Israel, moving the American embassy to occupied Jerusalem. Biden criticizes Trump against the backdrop of withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement that was reached after negotiations during the era of former President Barack Obama. Biden also took tougher measures against China but emphasized the importance of preventing competition from turning into conflict.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that American voters see Trump as the better choice for the economy but prefer Biden’s approach to preserving democracy.