There is nothing on the podium.
I hear this every debate—going back to Bush the first.
The Dem ALWAYS cheats and the Republican always has to struggle.
At some point, Republicans will stop being surprised at how ineffective our folks are at these debates. I don’t know why—the correct answers are not difficult to come up with. With a little practice, he could have put Biden down, once and for all...but he didnt. Just as Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain, Romney, and Trump have failed to do in the past.
Why don’t our guys want to practice? I never understood that. Maybe there is a business opportunity here for someone.
Reagan flopped in his first debate with Mondale in 1984. People were even then starting to wonder about Reagan’s mental state after it. Of course, Reagan pulled it together for the last two debates, and the rest is history.
Point being, first debates rarely go well for sitting Presidents.
OK - but Biden spent a LOT of time staring at that podium - and was holding a pen in his left hand for much of the deal.
Yes there was. There is a video of a female staffer picking it up after Biden walks away. It may just be papers, or it may be a tablet.