Writer and liberal political commentator Joe Klein declared President Joe Biden's first debate with former President Donald Trump a "horror."
In a withering review of the Thursday night match-up — headlined "Wipeout" — the "Primary Colors" author called Biden's performance "worse than disastrous. It was sad, it was humiliating."
"His voice was weak, his answers garbled and incomprehensible — certainly to anyone who doesn't spend their life following politics," Klein wrote. "If he had effective moments, and there might have been a few, they were lost in the overall horror."
Klein added the president "looked like a hospice patient who got lost on his way to the bathroom."
"That was probably the biggest thing: He looked and sounded awful," he wrote.
"In past debates, Biden maintained eye contact with the camera when [former President Donald] Trump spoke; he seemed focused and strong." Klein wrote.
"This time, he rarely made eye contact; he looked down, mouth slack. He gave the impression of a very old man."