‘Just sad’: How the world’s media covered the US presidential debate

It noted that amidst the heated exchanges, Mr Trump’s assertions went unchallenged while “barbs” flew between the two candidates.

Online, the Post said that Mr Biden’s performance was “halting, meandering — and unnerving for Democrats”.

Matt Viser and Marianne LeVine, its political reporters, wrote: “Neither were entirely successful during the course of 90 minutes, and both seemed to play into the stereotypes that existed before the debate.”

The New York Times: ‘Biden struggles as Trump blusters’

The New York Times painted a picture of Mr Biden’s performance as a struggle to ignite “fresh momentum” in his election bid, characterising it as causing a “wave of panic” among the Democrats.

The Times said that Donald Trump “verbally pummelled” Mr Biden, painting his political opponent as an ineffective leader with a torrent of attacks.