The first general election debate of the 2024 season commenced Thursday evening in Atlanta between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but viewers were surprised to hear the president struggle to speak with a hoarse voice and several coughs within the opening minutes of the debate.

Pollster Frank Luntz shared how his “focus group” was surprised by the president’s voice.

“My focus group of undecided voters is surprised and concerned about Biden’s voice. This doesn’t bode well for questions about his health,” Luntz wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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“Biden has one goal tonight. To sound like he has four years of a fight left in him. So far, he’s failing in every way,” media trainer and consultant Beverly Hallberg responded.

Media analyst Joe Concha said that Biden’s voice was “horrible” and made “him sound even older than he is.”

“OMG … Biden can’t even keep a coherent sentence,” broadcaster Dana Loesch reacted.

The Trump campaign reacted to the president’s gravelly voice and slow start at the opening of the debate.

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“WHAT DID THEY DO TO HIM AT CAMP DAVID???” longtime Trump adviser Jason Miller asked in all caps on social media.

“What’s wrong with Joe Biden’s voice?” Trump’s 2024 national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “Hasn’t he been hiding in the woods for a week?????”