Donald J. Trump appeared to gain an edge during his first debate with President Biden on Thursday, thanks to a restrictive set of rules that barred the kind of interruptions that tripped up the former president four years ago and, in turn, shined a spotlight on the incumbent’s frequent stumbles.
Each candidate agreed to a set of rules that allowed CNN, the debate’s host, to mute his microphone when it was not his turn to speak. Mr. Biden’s team requested that rule to guard against Mr. Trump’s affinity for talking over his debate opponents.
But Mr. Trump was clearly prepared to operate within those guardrails.
As Mr. Biden fielded the opening question, Mr. Trump remained silent behind his lectern for the full two minutes of his opponent’s answer. When it was his turn to respond, Mr. Trump spoke in a steady and deliberately measured voice.
A few minutes later, Mr. Trump’s restraint was apparent when Mr. Biden jabbed at him over the number of troops who died on his watch.
“The truth is, I’m the only president this century that doesn’t have any — this decade — that doesn’t have any troops dying anywhere in the world like he did,” Mr. Biden said.
Instead of shouting or interrupting, Mr. Trump puckered his lips and waited until Mr. Biden finished.
“Am I allowed to respond to him? Mr. Trump asked the moderators.
Jake Tapper, a CNN anchor and debate moderator, said he would be able to do so during a follow-up.
With the former president restricted from interrupting, Mr. Biden’s stumbles were on particularly vivid display.
Making his case for a tax increase on the wealthiest Americans, Mr. Biden trailed off and appeared to lose his train of thought.
“We’d be able wipe out his debt,” Mr. Biden said, describing how tax increases on the wealthy would increase federal revenue. “We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do — child care, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the uh, Covid, excuse me, with dealing with everything we’ve had to do with, uh — look, if — we finally beat Medicare.”
Mr. Trump waited patiently for his mic to be turned on, and then pounced.
“Well, he’s right he did beat Medicare — he beat it to death,” Mr. Trump said. “So he was right in the way he finished that sentence. And it’s a shame.”
