In the first presidential debate ever between a president and former president, Trump and Biden accused each other of being history’s worst. Biden, who was said to have a cold, hit Trump with clearly rehearsed lines as he sought to remind millions of television viewers that Trump would be the first convicted felon in the White House.

Vice President Kamala Harris went into damage-control mode, acknowledging concerns about his debate. In a live interview on CNN, she said Biden’s record was “extraordinarily strong” but acknowledged concerns about his debate. A CNN poll found 67% of debate watchers thought Trump had won the event. Democrats are set to name Biden as their candidate in August in Chicago, with little way to change course unless the president himself withdraws.

Biden has sought to counter attacks by Trump who say he is not vigorous enough for the job. However, Julian Zelizer, a historian at Princeton University, said Biden’s supporters would be “extremely concerned.” He said that Biden fueled the basic perception that has continued to overshadow him.

In one of the most personal moments, Biden cited accounts that Trump had described soldiers who died in the Normandy landing as “suckers” and noted his own son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died of cancer.