"The president appeared meandering, confused, and extremely frailWeak and easily damaged. . Biden's performance was at times almost physically uncomfortable to watch and will greatly amplify the calls for him to step aside." Such is this morning's verdict from one of America's most respected political commentators.

A head-to-head presidential debate has never happened so early in a campaign.¹ It made 5 November seem very soon indeed.²

This election is of world-shaking importance. The USA is the richest and most powerful country on Earth. Its president is the unofficial Leader of the Free WorldTermed coined by former US President George Bush to describe his country. During the Cold War, the "Free World" was used to refer to the West, as opposed to the Soviet Bloc., wielding awesome power. And this time, many believe the future of American democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people. is at stake.

In the blue corner is current president Biden, a moderate DemocratA member of the Democratic party, the left-leaning US political party. who has spent the past three and a half years focused on infrastructureThe basic systems and services that a country needs to keep it going. and economic reforms. Aged 81, he is the oldest president in US history.³

In the red corner stands the Republican PartyAlso known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum.'s Trump, the right-wing populist who served as president between 2016 and 2020. The 78-year old Trump's first term ended in calamity after a far-rightA range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents. mob invaded the US CapitolThe building in Washington DC where the US Congress meets. It was named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome. to stop Biden being called president.⁴ 

Both present a very different vision of America. Biden promises more of the same. He would increase green energy production to make the US more self-sufficient. He would make abortion a federalIn the USA laws are made both by individual states and the federal government, which governs all states together. right. And he would maintain America's position on the world stage.

Trump has promised mass deportations and a new Muslim banA serious of executive orders made in the USA during Donald Trump's time as president, banning travel from several countries with a high Muslim population. . He would fire government officials who obstruct him. He will apply tariffsA form of tax on imports. Each product will have a different tariff - for some EU dairy products, such as French cheese, tariffs in the UK will be more than 30%. to foreign goods, targeting in particular those from China. And he would ramp up oil drilling.

The result of the election will have effects all over the world. Trump is idolised by far-right politicians everywhere. His victory would embolden them. 

He plans to exit the Paris Climate AccordsThe Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, signed in 2015., which might lead other right-wing governments to do the same. 

It would also affect Western security. The US leads Nato, a defence alliance of democratic countries. In his first term Trump claimed Nato was too expensive. A second term Trump might abolish it altogether, leaving European countries undefended against Russia. 

Was there a winner?

Yes: Trump was simply stronger, bigger, louder, more brutal. American voters are yearning for a tough leader to lead them out of their current woes. This will shift the dial in his favour.

No: Americans have already made up their minds. Trump as always came across as angry and crazy. Biden as always came across as frail, but reasonable and decent. This will not change any minds.

Or... The real winner was Xi Jinping. China wants to take over America's leadership of the world. An American stumbling into chaos under a felon or a geriatric would be the perfect opportunity.