Maybe Trump shouldn't have set the bar so low for Joe Biden's DNC speech

One of the biggest bits of drama in the otherwise tightly scripted Democratic National Convention was whether the new nominee, Joe Biden, would fumble his big acceptance speech with an embarrassing gaffe or a "senior moment." And why would people think that? Well, President Trump and his campaign have been predicting as much for weeks. They even spent a lot of money on an online ad this week claiming Biden is in "cognitive decline."The DNC appeared unsure, too, prefacing his speech with repeated mentions of Biden's history of stuttering — including a story about his mother threatening to assault a teacher-nun who mocked her son's stutter in class and this moving video from a young Brayden Harrington.But Biden rose to the occasion. And his speech looked even better, it was widely noted, because Trump and his allies had set such a low bar for him to clear.> No one helped Biden tonight more than Trump and his campaign, who spent the last few months setting the expectations so stupidly low by painting Biden as a bumbling idiot suffering from dementia.> > — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 21, 2020> Probably not an awesome idea to make the bar so low it’s “can Joe Biden talk without drooling”> > — The Calamari Comeback Kid (@TylerDinucci) August 21, 2020> Republicans set the bar so low that if Biden was able to just say his name, it'd have been a success. Instead, he gave the best speech of his entire career. The GOP will have no - and I mean *no* - strategy moving forward.> > — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) August 21, 2020Some people were still not impressed that Biden could read a speech without stumping, but that isn't all he did, of course.> As expected, Joe Biden cleared the absurdly low bar that Trump set for him. But he’s done a whole lot more here. He’s made a case for character and renewal, earnest hope and unity, when that is so needed. How refreshing to hear a man vow to serve those who won’t vote for him.> > — Aaron Astor (@AstorAaron) August 21, 2020Maybe the Trump team will learn the art of expectations-setting before the debates. But for now, Biden can finally say: Thanks, Trump.More stories from theweek.com Small-time scams are dissolving America from the inside Kushner reportedly plans Middle East trip to build on Israel-UAE deal The blocks behind Elizabeth Warren during her DNC speech held a secret message for sharp-eyed viewers