A verification code has been emailed to
Log in to share your opinion with MPR News and upload it to your profile.
Thanks for this story! We’ve added it to a list of your favorite stories.
President Biden and former President Donald Trump squared off Thursday night in Atlanta in the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election, kicking off a new presidential race as the showdown remains incredibly close.
The debate began at nine p. heures. ET. and lasted nine minutes, with no audience in the studio and two commercial breaks.
It was presented via CNN, in addition to the discussion committee that hosts them regularly, and moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It was also governed by new rules, including turning off each candidate’s microphone while the other speaks.
Here’s the one:
Gifts from Americans make MPR News available to everyone, barriers or barriers to payment.
By Tamara Keith, NPR
At the start of the debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper described how he and co-moderator Dana Bash would approach their roles: “Our task is to facilitate a debate between the two applicants tonight,” he said. “
Throughout the debate, Bash and Tapper opted not to meet or fact-check, meet deadlines, and move on to another topic. Biden struggled with this format, while Trump filled his conversation time with wide-ranging unrelated comments and accusations. to the query they asked him.
The shouts and insults were followed by a break in which the microphones were silenced and a “thank you, next question”.
Finally, after 90 minutes of debate, Bash responded three times when Trump failed to respond to a question about whether he should settle for the effects of the November election, something he had refused to do four years ago. Trump has never fully committed to settling for the November election. Effects of the 2024 elections.
In the run-up to the debate, CNN political director David Chalian told the AP that fact-checking is not the role of moderators.
“They’re not here to participate in this debate,” Chalian said. “They’re there to facilitate a debate between Trump and Biden. “
By Rachel Treisman, NPR
Toward the end of the debate, Trump warned that he didn’t necessarily want to live up to it, or even run in the presidential race.
Instead of answering the first (of three) questions about whether he would settle for election effects regardless of who won, Trump returned at one point to the subject of Biden.
“I’ll tell you one thing: I wish you a wonderful president, because I wouldn’t be here now,” he said. “I’d be in one of my many places, having fun. “I wouldn’t have been his political opponent, because he accused me, because I’m his opponent. “
He continued on that path, adding at one point: “I wish I hadn’t been here. I don’t mind being here. The only explanation for why I’m here is because he’s so bad as president. “
A few minutes later, Trump – still dodging the electoral factor – redoubled his efforts on this point.
“I wasn’t going to show up until I saw the terrible task I was doing. It’s destroying our country,” he said. I’d be very pleased to be somewhere else, in a great place. “
By Jeongyoon Han, NPR
Age is one of the biggest issues in this campaign, with the oldest president of all time (Biden, 81) facing the second-oldest (Trump, 78).
When asked about his age, Trump boasted that he passed two cognitive tests and won golf tournaments.
“To do that, you have to be very wise and know how to hit the ball from long range,” he said. Trump claimed that Biden “can’t hit a bullet at 50 yards. “
Biden temporarily responded, “Take a look at what it is,” an investigation into Trump’s weight and appearance, and said he would be willing to do so.
Biden said he would be willing to play golf against Trump and boasted of the stunning disadvantage he had in golf when he was vice president.
“I’d be pleased to have a driving contest with him,” Biden said.
By Rachel Treisman, NPR
Responding to one of voters’ top considerations about Trump, Bash asked him to commit tonight “that once all the demanding legal situations have been exhausted, he will settle for the effects of this election, whoever wins, and he will say right now that politicians violence in any form, is the concern justifiable?
Trump did not do just that.
“Well, I shouldn’t have to say that,” he says. But, of course, I think it’s completely unacceptable. And if you saw the messages I made on Twitter at the time, as well as the ones I did in the Rose Garden, you’d say this is one of the most powerful messages you’ve ever done. ” I’ve never seen, other than the speech I gave in front of, I think, the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken to. “
Trump then addressed the question of Jan. 6 and foreign policy, before Bash returned with a sequel: Would he accept the election results, regardless of who won?
“Just to end what I said, if I may say so, Russia took a lot of land from Bush,” Trump responded. “They took a lot of land from Obama and they didn Biden. No take any land from him, nothing from Trump, nothing. “
Bash tried a third time: “The question was: Will you settle for the effects of the election, whoever wins?Yes or no.
Trump responded with comments similar to those he made in the 2020 debate, before he was accused of running to overturn the electoral effects and seek to impede the nonviolent movement of power.
“If the elections are fair, legal and good, surely,” he said. “I would have liked very much to settle for them, but the fraud and everything else was ridiculous, and if you want, we’re going to have a press convention about it in a week, or we’re going to have some other one in a week. But I’m sure I’ll do it, there’s nothing I would do. “
By Ximena Bustillo, NPR
None of the candidates had direct answers about how they planned to curb the climate crisis during their term.
Trump boasted of having the “best environmental numbers ever,” having first avoided the question. But Trump has a history of questioning the clinical consensus that burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change.
“I need perfectly white water and surely pure air. And they gave it to us,” Trump said. Still, Trump campaigned on a promise to “drill, care, drill” and end energy-powerhouse measures and repeal domestic and foreign climate policies.
Biden used this question to boast about passing “the most radical climate update bill in history,” referring to the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump and Republicans have pledged to repeal, and criticizing Trump for removing United States of the Paris Climate Agreement. , one of the resolutions that Trump still maintains.
None of the candidates had direct answers about how they planned to curb the climate crisis during their term.
Trump boasted of having the “best environmental numbers ever,” having first avoided the question. But Trump has a history of questioning the clinical consensus that burning fossil fuels is the leading cause of climate change.
“I need perfectly white water and surely pure air. And they gave it to us,” Trump said. Still, Trump campaigned on a promise to “drill, care, drill” and end energy-powerhouse measures and repeal domestic and foreign climate policies.
Biden used this question to boast that he passed “the most sweeping climate upgrade bill in history,” referring to the Inflation Reduction Act, which Trump and Republicans have pledged to repeal, and criticizing Trump for pulling the U. S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. , one of the resolutions that Trump still maintains.
by the press
Biden used the term “illegal aliens” in reaction to Trump’s attacks on immigration in the debate.
He said that while Trump blames immigrants for cutting jobs, “there’s an explanation for why we have the fastest-growing economy in the world. “
This is not the first time Biden has used language rejected by immigrant rights teams and not favored by Democrats. In March, in his State of the Union address, he called a suspect in the killing of a Georgia nursing student “illegal” and later said he regretted using the term.
“I shouldn’t have used it illegally, it’s without papers,” he said in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart.
by the press
After more than 80 minutes of debate, President Biden, 81, and former President Trump, 78, were asked about their ages and abilities to serve until age 80.
Biden, responding in the husky voice he had all night, spoke of a litany of political accomplishments and noted that Trump was only “three years younger. “
Biden seized on the backlash to slap Trump for denouncing the United States.
“The concept that we’re some kind of bankrupt country?I’ve never heard a president say that before,” Biden said.
In his rebuttal, Trump bragged about his golf game, saying he’s in as good shape as he was 25 years ago and maybe “even a little lighter. “
By Rachel Treisman, NPR
Asked about voters’ concerns about his age, Biden, who would be 86 at the end of his second term, said he had spent part of his career as “the youngest user in politics. “
Biden was 29 years old when he was first elected to the U. S. Senate in 1972, making him the seventh-youngest user ever elected to the Senate. “I’m the oldest now,” Biden said.
“This guy is three years younger and a lot less competent,” Biden added.
By Elena Moore, NPR
About 40 minutes into the debate, Biden reiterated that he will run for president in 2020 in part because of the former Trump’s reaction to the fatal violence at the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
Trump said at the time that there were “other very smart people on both sides,” and Biden commented on that when Trump sided with white supremacists.
“What would the American president say? Nazis coming out of camps, carrying torches, making a song with the same anti-Semitic bile, dressed in swastikas, are they smart people?”
Trump, in response, argued that Biden “made up the Charlottesville story. “
While Trump did not link “good people” to white supremacists, he did make that statement.
Below is a quote from Trump’s press conference after the rally and the resulting violence between protesters and counterprotesters.
TRUMP: There were other bad people in that organization, but there were also other very smart people on both sides. There were other people in that organization, excuse me, excuse me, I saw the same shots as you. There were other people in that organization who were there to protest the toppling of a very, very vital statue and the renaming of a park, through Robert E. Read by some other name.
By Clayton Kincade, NPR
Trump claimed that Biden had not fired “enough” people as president, boasting of his own record of firing top officials while he was president.
Trump is known for employing the slogan “drain the swamp” in 2016, which refers to the concept that Washington is inherently corrupt. Trump fired many officials during his tenure as president, adding former Defense Secretary Mark Esper and former Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. , who served on the National Security Council.
Trump also said that Biden “didn’t fire anyone,” which is false. Biden fired former Capitol architect J. Brett Blanton after a bipartisan complaint that Blanton had wasted taxpayer money, among other complaints.
by the press
On two other topics in the debate, Biden said 159 or 158 presidential historians had chosen Trump as the worst president in U. S. history.
He admitted that he didn’t have the exact number, and he was right, even though it wasn’t far away.
The survey in question, a task led by professors at the University of Houston and Carolina Coast University, included 154 usable responses, from 525 respondents invited to participate.
by the press
After more than an hour of debate, the candidates finally addressed climate change, which Biden called an existential crisis and the most sensible priority of his presidency.
Trump, after first refusing to answer questions about climate, said he was looking for “pure water, surely pristine, and that I surely need clean air. “
He said that during his term in office “we used all the energy bureaucracy, all the bureaucracy, everything” and claimed that “he had the most productive environmental figures in history”.
We didn’t know what he meant.
Biden considers climate the greatest risk to humanity, adding that Trump “has done nothing about it. “
Biden cited the 2022 passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorizes billions for blank energy. Biden called it the maximum climate law ever passed.
By Rachel Treisman, NPR
Each candidate now calls him “the worst president in history. “
Trump has made this claim twice, either in the context of Biden’s stance on immigration. Biden later responded, saying that “159 presidential elections elected him as the worst president in the history of the United States of America. “
He was necessarily right about some numbers: As NPR reported in February, 154 historians and presidential experts ranked Trump last among all U. S. presidents.
The 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project’s specialized poll places Biden in 14th place, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan. Trump ranks 45th, his compatriot Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan, the perennial basement dweller in those rankings because of his leadership. before the Civil War.
Biden later doubled down, saying, “don’t demand the exact number from me. “
“They had meetings and voted on who was the worst president in American history,” he added. “They said it was the worst in the entire history of the United States. That’s a fact. It’s not conjecture. “
Trump responded that “we have other things that are worse, because what he did is very bad. “Despite his muted microphone, Biden can be noticed, and heard faintly into Trump’s microphone, saying “show me. “
Trump went on to claim that they considered him “one of the best” and said that “if you give me another 4 years, I’ll be the best. “
by the press
Biden pointed to plans by some House Republicans to cut $1. 5 trillion in Social Security by raising the retirement age as proof that Trump needs to eliminate the program.
Republican leaders in Congress have given up on cutting Social Security benefits; The current state of the program is considered by many to be unsustainable in the long term.
By Jeongyoon Han, NPR
As moderators asked Trump what he would do about climate change, Trump returned to the topic of black voters and criminal justice to respond to Biden’s backlash about black Americans.
In answering the question, Trump praised South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott for opportunity zones in the state as an economic progression initiative.
“Tim Scott is amazing. He did a wonderful job. A wonderful senator from South Carolina,” Trump said of Scott.
Scott ran for the 2024 Republican nomination before retiring in January. In recent weeks, she was one of eight other people Trump asked for monetary documents to make a decision about who his running mate will be. Scott has fervently supported Trump in his bid to win the presidency. president and has made television appearances to protect Trump’s record.
by the press
When Trump asked what he would do about climate change, he said the U. S. had “absolutely pristine and empty water and air” when he was president.
Biden replied: “It has nothing” for the environment.
Climate reform is not an area in which Americans Trump has behaved well as president. Nearly a portion of Americans said Trump hurt the country with climate reform while he was president, while relatively few Americans (only about 1 in 10) said Trump’s presidency helped the country. About four in 10 people say it didn’t help or hurt.
They are more likely to see a positive effect from Biden’s presidency, although this is overwhelming support. Nearly a portion say Biden has neither helped nor hurt the country when it comes to climate change, while about 3 in 10 say he has helped a lot. or little and about 2 out of 10 say that it has harmed the country.
By Ximena Bustillo, NPR
Trump was found to be guilty on 34 counts, but he still claims he did nothing wrong.
In May, Trump became the first former or sitting president to be tried on criminal charges and convicted. A 12-person jury in New York found Trump guilty of 34 counts of tampering with business records.
However, Trump has long argued, without any evidence, that the trial, prosecution and verdict were politically motivated opposite to him.
“We have a rigged and disgusting system. I didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump said at the presidential debate on CNN.
In a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the Justice Department said it had not discovered any emails related to the Trump investigation between Justice Department leadership and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that prosecuted him. The letter emphasizes that the district attorney is a separate entity from the DOJ.
Biden argued that Trump had also been sentenced to various civil consequences, citing other trials in New York in which Trump had been found liable. These came as Trump was found guilty of sexually assaulting columnist E. Biden also accused Trump of being “moral. ” of a stray cat” for allegedly having an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump has denied the alleged case, which was in the midst of a felony conviction. The falsified business documents were the invoices, records and checks used to pay her former lawyer Michael Cohen, who had originally paid Daniels to keep quiet about the alleged affair as Trump. He ran for president in 2016.
by the press
Trump falsely claimed that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had “rejected” his offer to send “10,000 troops or national guardsmen” to the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Pelosi does not lead the National Guard. Also, as the Capitol was attacked, she and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for help from the military, adding the National Guard.
The Capitol Police Board makes the decision whether or not to summon National Guard troops to the Capitol. It is composed of the House Sergeant-at-Arms, the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Architect of the Capitol. I called the guard before the insurrection, but I finally asked for help after the riots began and troops arrived several hours later.
There is no evidence that Pelosi or McConnell ordered security officials to call the guard first.
By Rachel Treisman, NPR
When asked about the climate crisis, Trump temporarily moved on to other topics: policing, criminal justice and black voters.
He said he has “the most productive number ever with them,” based on his work in criminal justice and in traditionally Black schools and colleges. And he said the opposite of Biden: “He lost a giant component of the black population because it was not a terrible task for black people. “
The Black electorate played a huge role in Biden’s victory in 2020. He has stepped up his efforts to court them in recent months, with symptoms that in other people of color are likely to be diminishing this time around.
A Pew Research Center poll last month published the first symptoms of the situation of the black electorate:
Black voters remain broadly aligned with the Democratic Party (83% identify with or lean Democratic), and 77% of the registered Black electorate say they would vote for Biden over Trump in 2024.
Black voters criticized Trump: 72% believed he was a mediocre or atrocious president.
Despite this, 49% of Black voters say they would upgrade Biden and Trump with other candidates if they had a chance to decide, which Pew says corresponds to the percentage of the entire electorate who say this.
By Sergio Martinez-Beltran, NPR
Trump accused Biden of opening U. S. borders to immigrants.
“He must open our border, open our country,” Trump said tonight.
While it is true that under President Biden, unauthorized crossings have reached an all-time high and at times the number of migrants has surpassed some border communities, the border is open.
In fact, it can be said that the border is more powerful than ever.
The federal government added more sections to the southern U. S. border walls and more military operations were deployed on the border. Biden has also severely limited asylum claims between ports of entry, preventing most illegal immigrants from obtaining asylum.
The administration has increased the number of expedited deportations.
Biden has tried to work with Congress to overhaul the immigration system, but most Republican lawmakers have not complicated those proposals.
by the press
Nearly forty-five minutes into the debate, President Biden finally addressed former President Trump’s recent felony conviction in New York.
During a discussion of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Biden said, “The only user at this level who is a convicted felon is the guy I’m with now,” referring to Trump.
Trump then sought to distance himself from his own legal defense by calling Biden’s son, Hunter, a “convicted felon. “
He referred to the younger Biden’s felony conviction this month on three weapons-related charges. Trump also reiterated longstanding claims about the Bidens and Ukraine, a common point of attack for Republicans.
By Rachel Treisman, National Public Radio
Speaking of democracy and Jan. 6, Biden categorically called on Trump to denounce the Proud Boys, in a flashback to their first presidential debate in 2020.
During that debate, moderator Chris Wallace asked if Trump would denounce white supremacists, and Trump asked for a name. Wallace and Biden are the Proud Boys.
“Proud Boys, back off and stay here,” Trump said, in what sounded more like a call to action and temporarily as a component of the far-right group’s new logo on social media.
Biden recalled that moment on the level tonight, when Trump visibly rolled his eyes. Then Biden spoke with him.
“Do you want to denounce those guys?” He asked several times.
Trump seemed momentarily speechless. The moderators stepped in to replace the topic, asking Trump about comments he made recently about the prosecution of his political opponents.
by the press
The debate questions turn to Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Trump stormed the U. S. Capitol to certify the Electoral College vote count.
Host Jake Tapper asked Trump if he had violated his oath to preserve the Constitution.
When asked about the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump temporarily turned to immigration and taxes. When pressed on his role, he said he encouraged others to act “in a nonviolent and patriotic way,” and then lashed out at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
On Jan. 6, rioters clashed hand-to-hand with police and used makeshift weapons, adding flagpoles, a table leg, a hockey stick and a crutch, to attack officers. The police officers were left bruised and bloodied as they dragged them away. against the crowd and beat him. One police officer was crushed against a door and another suffered an attack downtown after a rioter pressed his neck with a stun gun and repeatedly surprised him.
More than 1,400 people were charged with federal crimes as a result of the riot. Of those, more than 850 people pleaded guilty to crimes, adding seditious conspiracy and attacks on police officers. Two hundred other people were found to be guilty in trial.
By Shannon Bond, National Public Radio
When asked about Trump supporters’ attack on the U. S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump accused the Biden administration of being a weapon to persecute a political opponent.
Trump and his supporters have accused Biden of orchestrating his prosecution.
This includes the false claim that the president was historically convicted by Trump in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the final results of the 2016 presidential election. This case was brought through New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who is a new York State Official and not the federal government.
by the press
For the first 30 minutes of the debate, a strident Biden delivered incoherent answers that drag on as he defends his policies and record.
Trump has responded with lies about issues such as the economy, abortion, and defense spending by NATO members.
The two men also exchanged deep attacks.
by the press
Biden responded to Trump by boasting that he had forced his European allies to spend more money on defense. “He’s a guy who needs to get out of NATO,” Biden said, adding that he “convinced 50 other countries” in Ukraine that opposed the Russian invasion.
Biden responded forcefully to Trump’s comments about NATO, saying, “He has no idea what he’s talking about. “
About 6 in 10 Americans see the NATO club as very or smart for the United States, while about a quarter say it’s neither smart nor bad and only about 1 in 10 say it’s very or bad, according to an AP-NORC poll. held in February.
by the press
The questions in Thursday’s debate focused on foreign policy, starting with Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now in its third year.
Trump has said Russia would never have attacked Ukraine if he had been in power.
“If we had a genuine president, a president who knew he had a good reputation through Putin, he would never have invaded Ukraine,” he said.
Trump has a long history of positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s toughness, adding that he called Putin’s tactics for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine “brilliant” and “very wise. “
Trump makes that heat explicit toward Ukraine or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recently calling him a “salesman” of the Ukrainian leader’s requests for military aid to the United States.
by the press
Trump has complained that immigrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the streets.
Unsurprisingly, it was also largely based on discussion of immigrant crime. He also said immigrants came to the U. S. illegally from “psychiatric institutions” and “insane asylums. “He provided no evidence for this claim, which he made at rallies.
Trump also said he possessed “the most secure border in history,” a highly questionable claim and a familiar theme.
Biden has stuck to his arguments on immigration, pointing to a 40% drop in arrests by illegal immigrants since the issuance of an executive order postponing asylum.
He seeks to gain ground on immigration, which has a national priority, and not just among Republicans.
Only 3 in 10 Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, according to a June AP-NORC poll. About 6 in 10 Democrats approve of Biden’s technique on the issue, yet about 2 in 10 independents and less than 1 in 10 Republicans agree.
by the press
During the debate, Trump incorrectly referred to abortion “after birth. “In the past, he falsely claimed that states pass laws “that allow for the execution of a baby after birth. “
It’s true.
Infanticide is criminalized in each and every state, and no state has passed a law that allows killing a baby after birth.
Abortion rights advocates say terms like this and “late-term abortions” stigmatize abortions later in pregnancy. Abortions later in pregnancy are incredibly rare. In 2020, less than 1% of abortions in the U. S. were performed at 21 weeks or later, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Late-stage abortions are also the result of serious complications, such as fetal abnormalities, that endanger the life of the woman or fetus, medical experts say. In most cases, those are also wanted pregnancies, experts say.
by the press
Biden lost his exercise of mind in Thursday’s debate seeking to defend tax rates and the number of billionaires in the United States.
Biden paused and looked down before muttering about COVID and saying something like “we beat Medicare through it all. “
When he tried to return to finish his speech, moderator Jake Tapper interrupted him because he ran out of time.
Trump temporarily intervened: “He’s right, he beat Medicare.
by the press
Biden blamed Trump’s debate for the spate of state restrictions on abortion since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
As president, Trump appointed three U. S. Supreme Court justices who helped shape the majority that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, and took credit for his campaign.
Highlight Trump’s connection to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its effect on pregnant women across the United States has become the cornerstone of Biden’s campaign. Biden also warned that a second Trump term could lead to national restrictions on abortion.
Trump said in the debate that he believes in exceptions to the abortion ban “for rape, incest and the life of the mother. “
These exceptions are at the heart of a case on which the U. S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday. Under Idaho’s abortion ban, women can’t get an abortion in a medical emergency because the state has only one exception to save the mother’s life: not to save her health.
Trump reiterated his general reaction to states’ rights when abortion rights emerged; had returned the issue of abortion to individual states after Roe v. Wade, which once granted a federal right to abortion.
This is an attempt to take a more cautious stance on this issue, which has a vulnerability for Republicans and a turnout for Democrats.
Although Trump has continually claimed that it is now “the people” who have access to abortion, this is not true everywhere.
Voters have no voice through citizen ballot measures in about part of the states. In those that allow such measures, abortion rights coalitions in several states have faced intense efforts this year by anti-abortion teams to thwart citizen reproductive rights projects.
Voters in seven states, plus conservative states such as Kentucky, Montana and Ohio, have the right to abortion or have thwarted attempts to limit it in statewide ballots over the past two years.
by the press
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump made mistakes at the start of Thursday’s debate.
Biden began his debate with a gaffe, claiming that he had created 15,000 jobs. The correct figure is more than 15 million, a figure dramatically underestimated as it tries to renew voters’ confidence in his economic leadership.
Biden also said, “An insulin shot costs between $15 and $400. But direct insulin prices for older Americans on Medicare were capped at $35 in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that President Joe Biden signed into law. The cap went into effect last year, when many drugmakers announced they would reduce the value of the drug to $35 for the maximum number of users with personal insurance.
Trump said the U. S. economy was in a position to start paying down its national debt before the pandemic. That’s not true. Budget deficits have risen under Trump because his 2017 tax cuts have not been cushioned as promised. Trump inherited a $585 billion budget deficit and climbed to $984 billion in 2019, only to top $3 trillion in 2020 after the pandemic began, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
And Trump’s claim that “millions” of others have been admitted to the country from prisons and intellectual establishments is unfounded. There is no evidence of this.
by the press
Donald Trump opened Thursday’s debate by boasting about the state of the economy during his tenure and his handling of the pandemic.
He said, “All right.
He also said the U. S. economy was in a position to start paying down its national debt before the pandemic.
But this is true. Budget deficits have risen under Trump because his 2017 tax cuts have been cushioned as promised. Trump inherited a $585 billion budget deficit and climbed to $984 billion in 2019, only to top $3 trillion in 2020 after the pandemic began, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
by the press
With the economy at the most sensible point of the debate, Biden detailed what he described as a “plummeting” U. S. economy, while Trump boasted about the state of the economy when he was in office, as well as his handling of the pandemic.
According to a May Gallup poll, about three-in-ten Americans said the economy was the most important life challenge facing the country, though that included a variety of economic challenges.
About 1 in 10 people in particular discussed the high cost of living or inflation. About 2 in 10 Americans said immigration was the most sensible factor facing the country, and another 2 in 10 said government and lack of leadership were the most important factor.
President Joe Biden has criticized Trump’s suggestions that he was using drugs for his performance in debates.
Biden posted photographs on social media and a message that he was drinking a canned drink called “Dark Brandon’s Secret Sauce. “It’s just water in a can, but the item’s label mentions Trump’s 34 felony convictions and notes that the main item in the aluminum can is “MAGA tears. “
While Biden has tried to honor Trump’s critics, his crusade now promotes canned water at $4. 60 each. Biden said his wife, Jill, had taken photos of him holding the drink.
President Joe Biden arrived at CNN in Atlanta for Thursday’s general election debate. He accompanied him through his wife Jill.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Trump had asked him to be part of an administration but would be happy to do so.
Ramaswamy said in the press room before the debate that he would be “honored” to hold any position, such as White House staff leader.
Ramaswamy also noted that he had noticed many Trump supporters attending the debate and said that the former president’s supporters would “walk on hot coals” to him.
Outside the downtown area where President Joe Biden’s crusade is taking place, a crowd waited for the president to come out for Thursday’s presidential debate. Some Biden crusade staffers were handing out ice cream, a nod to the president’s love of frozen treats.
They featured vanilla, chocolate, and birthday cake flavors.
A crowd of supporters poured out of the stadium to accompany Biden to the debate, honking horns, bells and chanting “Let’s move on to Joe!”and “Four more years!”
Even in the commercials, CNN showed a countdown on its screen in the run-up to Thursday’s presidential debate, as well as a camera view of the nearly empty studio where the two candidates would be.
This is the wonderful moment of the network. CNN’s Kate Bolduan gave the audience a tour of the stage, showing off the lighting devices that tell contestants how much time they have to speak and when the mute button will turn off their microphone.
Several personalities from the network were sitting in CNN’s spin room, reminiscing about the first meeting between Donald Trump and Joe Biden during a debate four years ago. It was a sad memory for the moderator, Chris Wallace, who was then running for Fox News and now works at CNN. Then-President Trump interrupted Biden, and at one point, the exasperated Democrat told him to shut down.
“I knew it was a disaster,” Wallace recalled.
Donald Trump’s adviser, Corey Lewandowski, traveled to Georgia with the former president and said Trump was “in good spirits” ahead of Thursday’s general election debate.
Lewandowski said there was a “small footprint” of Trump’s inner circle on the plane, adding more sensible advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita.
Trump listened to some last-minute advice, Lewandowski said, but felt comfortable during the trip.
He also highlighted the difficulty Republicans have had in defining their expectations of President Joe Biden. At one point, Lewandowski told reporters that Biden “had to practice status for 90 minutes. “But Lewandowski went on to note that Biden has been “debating for 50 years” and have a “good night. “
Donald Trump arrives at tonight’s debate with more enthusiasm from his Republican base than President Joe Biden does from the Democrats. According to a new AP-NORC poll, 6 in 10 Republicans are incredibly or very happy with Trump as the most likely candidate, by comparison. about four in 10 Democrats who say they are happy with Biden as the most likely candidate.
But overall, Americans are dissatisfied with the features offered to them.
According to the poll, a majority of U. S. adults are “very” or “very” dissatisfied that Biden (56%) is the Democratic Party’s most likely candidate, and a similar majority (55%) of Americans are very or “dissatisfied” that Trump is the most likely candidate. Candidate of the Republican Party.
A majority of U. S. adults say they have a very or unfavorable opinion of Biden (57%), and about 6 in 10 adults (59%) have a very or negative opinion of Trump.
U. S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, said he hopes Biden is prepared and successful in the 90-minute debate, but argued that Americans need to be involved because the 81-year-old president has taken so much time “away from the debate. ” work” to prepare for the debate.
Donalds sidestepped the question of whether presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and Republicans had lowered Biden’s expectations too much by portraying him as a decaying old man.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is stepping into his role as one of Biden’s most sensible surrogates, touting the president’s record and calling Trump “unserious and unbalanced. “
This is a smart practice for Newsom: He himself is considered a long-term presidential candidate.
Newsom, who spoke to reporters in the newsroom Thursday night, said tonight’s debate is vital because “everything matters” in a close election, but said it would not be decisive.
Donald Trump’s crusade has generated an invitation from Fox News for his yet-to-be-elected running mate to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, and he suggested she accept as well. In fact, Harris has already said she will debate — still on a rival network.
Fox News said in a statement that it had proposed holding a vice presidents’ debate on July 23, Aug. 13 or a day after bipartisan conventions. Harris’ team had told CBS in the past that they would discuss in the studio the dates Fox discussed in July or August.
President Joe Biden’s crusade has indicated that he will reject Trump’s offer, and an official pointed to the appropriate parameters of the debate he detailed earlier this week. Under these conditions, a debate organized through Fox News would be admissible.
Trump’s social media post came after Harris accepted CBS News’ invitation.
CNN responded to calls from the White House Correspondents’ Association to allow a freelance reporter into tonight’s presidential debate studio to submit behind-the-scenes reporting. The channel says the event is “closed to the press,” meaning outdoors. Hounds are not allowed to attend.
“As proud members of the White House Correspondents’ Association, we respect the role the organization plays and its advocacy for freedom and access to the press,” CNN said in a statement. The debate “took place without an audience in a CNN studio and was closed to the press. “
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be in Atlanta tonight with his best-known rivals, U. S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
CNN invited applicants who have demonstrated strength in 4 reliable polls and who have voted in enough states to win the presidency. Kennedy did not meet both of those requirements.
Aside from a live-streamed reaction to the debate, Kennedy has nothing on his public agenda for the coming weeks. Neither did his partner, philanthropist Nicole Shanahan.
First lady Jill Biden arrived at the debate at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.
Her plane passed through Air Force One, where her husband had landed about 90 minutes earlier.
Like the president, Jill Biden waved through Democratic officials from the Atlanta metro area.
She then made a brief stop at a Biden-Harris fundraising retreat at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Atlanta, where she said of her husband, “I know Joe is fit to go. Be prepared; he is confident. You have everyone noticed it today. . . You know he’s a wonderful polemicist. And the smart is on their side.
Atlanta provides a veritable backdrop for the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election.
In 2020, Georgia entered Joe Biden’s victory column with 11,779 votes out of about five million votes cast. The city of Atlanta has temporarily become the epicenter of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn Biden’s victory. Trump would later be indicted through a Fulton County grand jury after filming him pressuring Republican officials “to locate 11,780 votes. “
He is awaiting trial in the downtown Atlanta courthouse, a few miles from the CNN debate studio. Trump has already had a confusing relationship with the city: a 2017 feud with civil rights icon John Lewis, which he called Atlanta “crime-infested. “
Meanwhile, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have campaigned in and around Atlanta.
“Georgia is the explanation for why I’m president right now,” Biden said at a fundraiser in May.
After months of portraying U. S. President Joe Biden as a senile guy unable to put two sentences together, Donald Trump has his tone.
The former president and presumptive Republican nominee and his crusade are looking to adjust expectations, as Biden’s bar has been set so low that he is sure to surpass it. The effort to recalibrate expectations underscores the stakes for both men in a career that has seemed very broad. static part for months.
Trump, who never admitted losing to Biden in 2020 and continues to spread false and unproven theories about voter fraud, could also find a number of excuses should Biden beat him out in Thursday’s debate.
“Maybe it would be better to lose the debate,” Trump joked in an interview with Real America’s Voice last June. “I’ll make sure he stays. I’ll voluntarily lose the debate, I’ll do something like that. “
Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, will be the supporter of U. S. President Joe Biden in the post-debate press room at Georgia Tech, the president’s crusade confirmed.
Mary Trump is among her uncle’s top critics and publishes a book about him and the dynamics of his extended family.
U. S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump took very different approaches to their debate Thursday night.
Biden has had an intense era of personal arrangements at Camp David. The 81-year-old Democrat’s team is aware that it cannot put on a disappointing performance against Trump.
The president’s advisers were reluctant to share the main points of his preparations, but noted that he was preparing to be competitive and would not hesitate to use the term “convicted felon” to describe his opponent.
They expect competitive attacks on Biden’s physical and intellectual strength, his record on economics and immigration, and even his family.
Quentin Fulks, deputy director of Biden’s crusade, said that while the president would speak broadly to all Americans, he contemplated “talking to Republican voters” in particular “because of who Donald Trump is and his extremism. “
Trump, 78, meanwhile, remained largely on the campaign trail before heading to his Florida estate for two days of one-on-one meetings as part of an informal preparation process.
Trump’s allies urge him to stay informed about his governing plans, but hope he will be tested by specific questions about his relentless fight against voter fraud, his role in eroding abortion rights and his unprecedented legal baggage. The debate begins just two weeks ago before Trump is convicted on 34 counts in his secret trial in New York.
Although Trump’s advisers declined to share their strategy, hours before the debate, Trump posted a symbol of what appeared to be talking points they had provided to him through Andrew Wheeler, former director of the Environmental Protection Agency, suggesting tactics to pass after Biden. affairs.
“Mr. President, I believe that in your debate this week a climate factor will be addressed and I recommend discussing the following topics,” Wheeler wrote.
The former president published the comment on the speaking issues.
Donald Trump’s plane landed in Atlanta ahead of Thursday’s first presidential debate of the general election.
One of his supporters piled up on the court to witness the touchdown and cheered him as he landed.
There is no audience at the CNN studios where Donald Trump and U. S. President Joe Biden will debate Thursday night.
This means that there is no red carpet of elected officials, crusaders, and leaders in Midtown Atlanta, and it creates an atmosphere around the debate venue.
Former U. S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga. , is hosting a viewing and fundraising party in the Atlanta metro area.
The initial payment is $10,000, according to an invitation to the event, and several potential candidates for Trump’s vice presidency will attend. Trump may make do with the participants after the debate.
Georgia’s Republican and Democratic parties also host their own watch parties. Biden and the first Jill Biden are expected to stop by the Democratic event Thursday night.
CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper will moderate the presidential debate between U. S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and the stakes are high for their network as it battles for its relevance in a changing media environment.
CNN has hosted dozens of town halls and political forums over the years, but never a presidential debate for a general election, let alone one that early in a campaign. No network has done so.
“This is a wonderful time for CNN,” said Frank Sesno, former CNN Washington bureau leader and now a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. “CNN will have to reassert itself. You’ll need to prove that you’ve already led a revolution in the data field and that you’re capable of doing it again. “
The contestants agreed to meet at a CNN studio in Atlanta, where each contestant’s microphone will be muted when it’s their turn to speak.
In addition, props or notes previously written on stage will not be permitted. Candidates will get a pen, a notebook and a bottle of water.
There will be no opening statements. A tie decided that Biden would be on the podium to the right of the spectator, while Trump would make the final statement.
Doing without a live hearing is vital for the Biden campaign, but also for CNN. The network’s meeting with Trump in 2023 was largely criticized for the presence of Trump supporters.
Security around the debate venue and the nearby press archive centre is being stepped up in the run-up to tonight’s clash.
Insurmountable fences have been erected around the CNN studios where President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will meet, as well as Georgia Tech Stadium, where scores of journalists gather to cover the debate.
There were at least a few protesters near the venue, and a guy dressed in a black and white prison-style suit and a sign that read “Lock up Biden” was added.
Several teams have indicated their goal of meeting near the venue of the debate, but a mid-afternoon downpour could literally slow down some of those projects.
White House correspondents are unhappy with CNN, which did not allow one of its members, inside the Atlanta studio, to conduct the debate, to produce reports on what is happening there without being captured by cameras.
CNN ran an ad break to give access to a print journalist, but White House Correspondents’ Association President Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News said it wasn’t enough.
“The White House group has a duty to document, report, and witness the president’s occasions and movements on behalf of the American people,” O’Donnell said in a letter to CNN. “The group is there for the ‘what if. . . ?’in a global world where the same thing happens. “
O’Donnell says the White House Correspondents’ Association has been making its case for weeks to CNN, which is leading the debate, regarding the Biden and Trump campaigns.
CNN doesn’t have a quick reaction to O’Donnell, but maintained that there is no place for an ordinary reporter, even if photographers were present.
The network said the debate is taking place in one of its studios without an audience and is a personal event, although tens of millions of people are expected to watch it on television or streaming.
According to a new study, about 6 in 10 U. S. adults say they’re “very” or “very” likely to watch the debate live or in clips, or read or pay attention to comments about candidates’ functionality in the news or social media. . Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Former President Donald Trump’s chosen party leader wants the former president to talk about the future, not the future, in tonight’s debate.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley told The Associated Press that Trump “speaks to the opportunity we have as a country to decide on change” and “lays out his vision for the direction we want to take” after the “failure of Joe Biden’s four years. “””.
Notably, Whatley did not mention the 2020 election or Trump’s lies that his defeat was fraudulent. He also made no mention of Trump’s felony conviction or other pending charges. Asked in particular if he thought Trump would avoid those questions, Whatley said the debate was “an opportunity in” in front of tens of millions of Americans to communicate to them about this election cycle. We’ll have to take credit for it. “
A crowd of supporters greeted President Joe Biden as he arrived at his Atlanta hotel ahead of tonight’s debate.
The crowd, made up of about fifty other people, chanted “Four more years. “Many wore T-shirts from the crusade. Some were showing symptoms with Biden’s aviator sunglasses. Others showed symptoms with the face of Biden’s adjusted ego, “Dark Brandon. “
The president raised his fist and kissed a man, an imaginable sign of his power for that night’s showdown with former President Donald Trump.
How to Watch Tonight’s Presidential Debate
Preferring public service to natural benefit, CNN stepped up to allow other networks to broadcast the debate; ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, PBS, and C-SPAN will do so. Other channels also have the right to sell their own advertising time during the two ad breaks.
The networks had to conform to CNN’s rules: they will have to keep the CNN badge on the screen and will not be able to interrupt their own commentators from broadcasting the debate. Internationally, only CNN broadcasts it.
The debate began at nine o’clock at night. EDT and will last nine minutes.