The major failure of President Joe Biden’s debate performance against former President Donald Trump on Thursday is quite basic — namely, that Biden’s frailty was on sustained display in a manner that no aides could hide or whitewash. And it was a frailty so stark that it has made even some of Biden’s most ardent opponents uncomfortable.

Trump was reliably erratic but appeared far more lucid, cogent, and easier to understand than his Democratic opponent. Yes, Trump often ignored the question he was asked, instead inventing questions of his own to then answer. Yes, he offered a number of falsehoods and absurd embellishments.