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Former Democratic Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday morning that having to choose between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump is a “frightful thought.”
Biden’s dismal performance during Thursday night’s CNN presidential debate in Atlanta reportedly sparked panic among the Democratic Party. Biden was supposed to come across as youthful and energetic amid mounting concerns about the 81-year-old’s age. Instead, he rambled through his administration’s accomplishments and goals, and, as The Atlantic columnist Mark Leibovich on Friday wrote, “looked old, sounded old, and yes, is in fact very, very old.” A Biden aide, meanwhile, told Newsweek late Thursday night that the president was battling a cold during the debate.
During the debate, Trump dodged many questions and had little to say on which exact policies he would enact if reelected. While there were misleading statements from both sides, the former president made more than Biden. CNN counted over 30 false statements made by Trump while the network said Biden made at least nine false or misleading statements during the debate.
Appearing on CNN’s First of All With Victor Blackwell, Rosselló said about Biden’s debate performance, “Issues and policy should matter…but unfortunately…the main discussion right now was…can President Biden look the part? Can he seem like he’s in control and capable of moving forward with the country? And unfortunately, the debate did not show that.”
He added: “It’s the opportunity to ask ourselves, is this the right path? Should we be choosing a president, not because we think they’re the best option, but because we have fear of what the alternative might be? I think that is a frightful thought and I think we need to evaluate how we move forward into the future.”
Newsweek has reached out to Biden and Trump’s campaigns via email for comment.
Rosselló served as Puerto Rico’s governor from 2017 until 2019 when he resigned following protests to oust him amid a scandal. Private chat messages laced with profane and derogatory statements sent between Rosselló, some government officials and some close associates were leaked to the public, kicking off the protests.
This month, Rosselló published a memoir titled, The Reformer’s Dilemma, which recounts his time in office and explores the challenges associated with reforming the political landscape away from political extremes.
Meanwhile, a CNN poll following the debate found that 67 percent of debate watchers said Trump won the debate, compared to 33 percent that sided with Biden. The poll found that ahead of the debate, 55 percent of respondents believed Trump would better perform in the debate, compared to 45 percent that sided with Biden.
Biden and Trump are expected to face off in a second debate on September 10 as the two remain the presumptive nominees for their respective political parties.