Post readers not shy with their opinions about Joe Biden's debate performance.

Editor's Note: Post readers weren't shy about expressing their opinions regarding President Joe Biden's performance in last week's presidential debate. Here's a sampling of letters the paper received over the weekend.

Debate showed a fraudulent party

When the curtain went up, it became clear that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party had no clothes. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide saw a deception of epic proportion. The Democratic Party didn't just hoodwink the American people. They also duped our allies. No matter how it is spun, this is a threat to our democracy. In the aftermath of the debate, most Americans were saddened and bewildered. But, many others became infuriated, like me. How could people, fully aware of the president’s shortcomings, have encouraged him to run for another term? Are these the same people who claim to be putting the country’s interests above their own?

Bruce Dresner, Wellington

Palm Beach Post Editorial: Substance vs. sales pitch: What did the Trump vs. Biden presidential debate mean for Florida?

Biden should step down

Wake up and smell the coffee. Joe Biden's pitiful and embarrassing performance should encourage him to step down and allow a formidable nominee to oppose the challenger that the president has called the greatest threat to democracy our nation has faced. If Biden is deeply concerned for the American people, it is his patriotic duty to give us a viable alternative to this danger. To quote John Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for this country.”

Len Axelrod, Boynton Beach

Biden's performance a one-off

The debate was quite painful to watch and America needed President Biden to be the person he was at the State of the Union and be able snap back at Trump. That didn't happen. Perhaps he so over-prepared to remember every fact and statistic that nobody really wanted or needed to hear. It seems as though they exhausted him so and made him so nervous that he shut down. As it stands now, there is no other choice than to support Biden. Donald Trump lied, every word out of his mouth. That is not a choice for president. Biden has a competent staff and appointments that support the the office of the presidency. Does anyone remember that Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer's in his second term? Nobody worried about him running. I would trust Biden over Trump any and every day.

Marcia Halpern, Palm Beach Gardens

The world watched the debate debacle

After watching the presidential debate and reading some of the comments from President Joe Biden's supporters as to how he held his own, I had to laugh and then cry. Not only did a quarter of the nation watch this debacle but the entire world watched an incompetent president. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and God knows how many other countries watched this debate, where the "real" president, Donald J. Trump, showed the entire world why he needs to get back into the White House.

Willy Guardiola, Palm Beach Gardens

Trump abused the debate

The purpose of a presidential debate is to allow each candidate to defend their position on a variety of specific issues important to the nation. Donald Trump appeared to use a debate technique designed to deceive. According to Wikipedia, the “Gish Gallup” technique involves rapid statements that are lies, innuendo, misrepresentations, or off-topic comments designed to derail the opponent. The debater looks confused, trying to decide which falsehood to refute, or following an off-topic misdirection. The perpetrator can then follow up by drawing attention to the confusion he created. This is another fraud committed against the American people.

Trump was recently criminally indicted and convicted by citizens of New York on 34 counts for lying and fraud with the intent of interfering with the election process; not for sex with a porn star. He was also found guilty in civil court for lying and fraud in one case and sexual assault in another. He is still facing charges for interfering with the results of the 2020 election. He is simply not fit to represent this country as president, regardless of his terrible record the last time. On this Independence Day, the Palm Beach Post should follow the lead of the Philadelphia Inquirer and demand that Donald Trump drop out of this race.

Daniel Spotts, Ocean Ridge

Where was Biden's competent staff?

President Biden’s support team failed to protect him before the recent debate. One look at him when he entered the stage revealed that he was ill. His team should never have allowed him to try to debate while he was suffering from what they said was "a bad cold." Biden’s team should have insisted that the debate be postponed. Perhaps they were concerned that Donald Trump’s people would say Biden was afraid to debate. The unfortunate result of allowing the debate to proceed was much worse for the president’s image than any postponement would have been. Comparing Biden’s recent speeches with Trump’s will show just who is really in mental decline, and it is not President Biden.

Richard Gruber, Riviera Beach

Liberal media showed Biden bias

Big scoop: President Biden has difficulty remembering, pronouncing and articulating things. Following his disastrous presidential debate, the mainstream media now acts shocked at what has been apparent for quite some time to moderate and conservative political observers. Televised clips of President Biden's mental gaffes have been displayed for all to see on Fox News for well over a year. Yet, CNN, MSNBC and the New York Times are just now figuring it out? The mainstream media has been complicit in a massive coverup of Biden's health. To paraphrase former President Gerald Ford upon taking the Presidential Oath of Office — "Our long national coverup is over."

Gerald Farmer, Ocean Ridge

Post editorial a bold stand

Congratulations on today's editorial stating that President Joe Biden won the debate. He did, despite his shaky performance. There are now numerous commentators who are urging Biden to drop out of the race. Even the New York Times thinks he should. This is madness. Professor Alan Lichtman — he of the near-perfect and increasingly popular 13-keys system of predicting presidential elections — cites John Kerry and Hillary Clinton as recent examples of candidates who won debates, then lost elections. Barack Obama lost badly in his first debate against Mitt Romney, then won re-election in a landslide. If spineless Democrats dump Biden, the party will tear itself apart choosing a replacement who will then lose the election. Only Biden can beat Trump.

Gordon Brossell, Jupiter

Biden really underperformed

Despite being a proud liberal for 60 years, I was surprised to see you declare President Biden the winner of Thursday’s debate. Just as I’ve always judged Donald Trump to be a lying, greedy, corrupt, dangerous, racist bully based on what I’ve seen and heard him say and do in real time and on tape, I know what I saw, what we all saw of Joe Biden the other night. I love Joe and appreciate all he’s done and will, hopefully, be able to continue to do so. But, he looked and sounded so feeble and sickly, you could barely hear him and understand what he was trying to say many times. Biden's campaign would do best explaining what caused his frightening behavior. Of course, Trump lying and just making things up is an instant loser, leaving all of us with no real winner.

Elin Shusterman, Boynton Beach

Post's Biden backing no surprise

The Palm Beach Post didn't disappoint its liberal readers with the ridiculous letters to the editor and the editorial citing Joe Biden's substance. I guess you guys will go down with the liberal ship.

Donald Coles, Boynton Beach

2024 choice still consequential

The emotional hangover from "The Debate" is lifting and the physical upheavals are subsiding. Agreed, President Biden did not present a confident appearance. We know he can, has and will do better. Educated voters must continue all challenges to suppress the felon and pathological liar, Donald Trump, from regaining the White House. Biden must stay in the race and let the delegates at the coming Democratic Convention decide . We the people will then make the ultimate choice — democracy or oligarchy.

Harriet Pashman, Jupiter

Democrats need a reset, now

To my Democratic friends, I will say to you what I’ve been telling my Republican friends for years: "Don’t tell me I didn’t see what I saw, or I didn’t hear what I heard.” I saw nothing positive from the debate fiasco. At this point President Biden has everything going against him. Staying the course isn't an option. Being the "good guy" and hatred for Donald Trump are not enough to win this election. Once again, the Republicans are playing to win, and the Democrat’s are playing to not lose. Without a major reset, we are in for a world of hurt come November.

Gary Castiglione, Loxahatchee

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: President Biden's debate performance still hot topic for Post readers.