A BBC reporter on air last night described the debate as "almost Shakespearean" and a German commentator on World Service just called it "a very dirty discussion between two very aggressive men."
The rest of the world is watching and clearly doesn't know what to make of this.
Let's look at a few of today's front pages/reactions around the world.
Der Spiegel in Germany: "Was war das denn jetzt?" (basically, "what the hell was that?")
Spain's El País: "Chaos and personal attacks mark the first debate between Trump and Biden"
El Universal in Mexico: “Trump-Biden, a debate full of insults and yelling”
Digital front page of the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia: “Hope was mugged in the worst debate in modern American history” and “Trump didnt come to debate. He cane as a chaos agent to taunt and bully”
Le Monde in France: "Trump-Biden face-to-face: a worrying debate for American democracy"
South China Morning Post:
“US presidential debate a ‘live quarrel’, Chinese internet users say”
“‘I would feel desperate if I was an American,’ Weibo user says”
Now accepting submissions - here is the view from Denmark (thank you @JanNWolfe)
São Paulo’s Folha newspaper: “In a chaotic debate, Biden tells Trump to shut up and criticizes Brazil”
Pour one out for the valiant Japanese efforts to do a live translation of what we saw last night for viewers https://t.co/tdGRUwE8Oz
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