The first debate is a complete disaster for Joe Biden

• Joe Biden and Donald Trump met for their first debate of 2024 on Thursday.
• It's been a total disaster for Biden, owing to his visibly frail performance.
• Trump has been able to capitalize on it, appearing relatively calm and in command.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump met for their first debate of the year on Thursday.

It was a high-stakes gamble for Biden — and it's gone horribly.

From the very beginning of the debate, there was an unmistakable frailty to the president's demeanor.

Responding to the CNN moderator Jake Tapper's first question, Biden appeared out of breath, hastily reciting facts while slurring and occasionally omitting words.

At times, Biden uttered nonsensical phrases.

On another question about the war in Gaza, Biden flubbed, saying, "We are the biggest producer of support for Israel of anyone in the world."

During another question about the national debt, Biden inexplicably concluded by saying "We finally beat Medicare."

"Well, he's right," Trump responded. "He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death."

Trump, for his part, effectively capitalized on Biden's weak performance, maintaining a calm demeanor and staying disciplined while occasionally making jabs at the president.

"I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence," said Trump. "I don't think he knows what he said either."

Thursday's debate was the earliest general election debate on record: though both men are the presumptive nominees of their respective parties, they have yet to be officially nominated.

There were some key differences between this debate and previous ones, including the two debates that featured Biden and Trump in 2020: there was no studio audience, mics were cut when the others were speaking, and there will be two commercial breaks.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.