Joe Biden, Donald Trump face off in presidential debate: Democratic anxiety after President’s performance
A raspy and sometimes halting US President Joe Biden repeatedly sought to confront Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election, as his Republican rival countered Biden’s criticism by leaning into falsehoods about the economy, illegal immigration and his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Biden’s uneven performance crystallised the concerns of many Americans that, at age 81, he is too old to serve as President. It sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat to step aside.
Meanwhile, 78-year-old Trump’s rhetoric offered Americans an unwelcome reminder of the bombast he launched daily during his tumultuous four years in office, as he struggles to win over sceptical voters.
He declined to clearly state he would accept the results of the November election, four years after he promoted conspiracy theories about his loss that culminated in the January 6 insurrection.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW LIVE BLOG
Why it would be tough for Democrats to replace Biden
James Wheeler
US President Joe Biden’s halting debate performance has led some in his own party to begin questioning whether he should be replaced on the ballot before November.
There is no evidence Biden is willing to end his campaign. And it would be nearly impossible for Democrats to replace him unless he chooses to step aside.
Here’s why:
Delegates bound to Biden
Every state has already held its presidential primary.
Democratic rules mandate that the delegates Biden won remain bound to support him at the party’s upcoming national convention unless he tells them he’s leaving the race.
Biden indicated that he had no plans to do that, telling supporters in Atlanta shortly after he left the debate stage, “Let’s keep going.”
Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt was even clearer, saying Friday: “Of course he’s not dropping out.”
The conventions and their rules are controlled by the political parties.
The Democratic National Committee could convene before the convention opens on August 19 and change how things will work, but that isn’t likely as long as Biden wants to continue seeking reelection.
The current rules read: “Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”
Might Kamala Harris replace Biden?
The Vice President is Biden’s running mate, but that doesn’t mean she can swap in for him at the top of the ticket by default.
Biden also can’t decree that she replace him should he suddenly decide to leave the race.
The Democratic National Convention is being held in Chicago, but the party has announced that it will hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. The exact date for the roll call has not yet been set.
If Biden opts to abandon his reelection campaign, Harris would likely join other top Democratic candidates looking to replace him.
But that would probably create a scenario where she and others end up lobbying individual state delegations at the convention for their support.
That hasn’t happened for Democrats since 1960, when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson jockeyed for votes during that year’s Democratic convention in Los Angeles.
What about other potential Democratic candidates?
In addition to the Vice President, others that had endorsed Biden in 2024 while harbouring their own presidential aspirations for future cycles include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and California Representative Ro Khanna.
Still others who Biden bested during the party’s 2020 presidential primary could also try again, including Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
If Biden were to abruptly leave the race, conservative groups have suggested they will file lawsuits around the country, potentially questioning the legality of the Democratic candidate’s name on the ballot.
But Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, who wrote a book about the presidential nominating process and is also a member of the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm, said that courts have consistently stayed out of political primaries as long as parties running them weren’t doing anything that would contradict other constitutional rights, such as voter suppression based on race.
“This is very clear constitutionally that this is in the party’s purview,” Kamarck said in an interview before the debate.
“The business of nominating someone to represent a political party is the business of the political party.”
- AP
First debate: What did we learn?
James Wheeler
US President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump faced off in the first of two 2024 presidential debates in Atlanta today.
The unusually early first debate came as Biden appears to be struggling in the rematch of the 2020 campaign and as Republicans are buoyant about Trump’s chances. But polls suggest it’s still a close race in the key states.
So what did we learn? And what marked the first big clash between the two candidates?
More from The Washington Post's Aaron Blake:
Fact checking the first debate
James Wheeler
Biden and Trump traded barbs and a range of false or misleading information in the debate.
Read some of those here:
VP Kamala Harris speaks after Biden v Trump
James Wheeler
Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking to CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Asked on Biden's performance and whether Biden should step aside, she said "The President made a very clear contrast with Trump".
"Yes it was a slow start, but it was a strong finish.
"Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong.
She was questioned on what Democrats have said about Biden's performance.
She said: "Ultimately, this election is about substance.
"It was a slow start, that's obvious to everyone. I'm talking about the choice in November.
"There's one person on that stage who has the support of their vice president, and it's Biden. Mike Pence is nowhere to be seen."
Harris said: "Trump ... will support a national abortion ban."
Trump team would be 'very happy'
James Wheeler
More analysis from CNN:
Chris Wallace said he had heard from senior members of the Republicans, who said they were pleased with Trump's performance.
Senior CNN White House correspondent MJ Lee said the moment where Biden lost his train of thought caused a group of Democrats watching to fall silent.
"He and other lawmakers in the room thought Trump looked young and Biden looked old. Democrats are panicked right now," Lee said.
"Biden advisers were hoping a lot of Americans would be tuning in tonight and be more than ... where he looks feeble. We have another moment that will surely go viral on social media," she said.
"So far, I haven't heard a convincing argument or spin on the president's performance," Lee said.
CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes said the Trump campaign was nervous ahead of the debate. They were worried Trump would go rogue, but he didn't, she said.
"We are hearing Democrats talk about Biden's debate performances," Holmes said.
"They are very happy tonight," Holmes said of Trump's team.
Back to the panel of analysts, John King said "Biden lost the debate".
"That was not a stay-the-course performance from the president," King said.
Van Jones said he had heard from some who were angry Democrats were seemingly not fully behind Biden.
James Wheeler
Jill and Joe Biden have now gone to a watch party as the analysis continues on CNN.
Host Chris Wallace said Biden's campaign had been "a car crash in slow motion".
"He sunk his campaign tonight," Wallace said of Biden.
Wallace wondered whether anybody in the Democratic Party would be able to encourage Biden to drop out.
James Wheeler
"A lot of painful moments from tonight," Anderson Cooper said.
CNN then cut to a moment in the debate where Biden stuttered and lost his train of thought.
From CNN panellist Van Jones
James Wheeler
"You have somebody who probably shouldn't be President, and somebody who can't be President."
'He failed'
Hamish Fletcher
"I love Joe Biden. I worked for Joe Biden. He did not do well at all," said Van Jones, a former advisor to President Barack Obama.
"He loves his country. He's doing the best he can. But he had a test tonight ... and he failed," Jones said
Hamish Fletcher
CNN analysts have agreed that the Democratic Party must be panicking right now following President Biden's debate performance.
"What you saw was a candidate who is deeply vulnerable and a president who cannot take advantage of that.
"It was an unmitigated disaster for Biden," David Urban said.
CNN analysts also did not think Donald Trump had a good night at the debate, but thought he sounded more coherent and confident than Biden.
'Broke the fact machine'
Hamish Fletcher
CNN chief national correspondent John King said there was a contrast between the two candidates - and Biden wasn't impressive.
On the other hand, King said:
"Donald Trump broke the fact machine more times than I could count tonight."
Trump's closing statement
Hamish Fletcher
"Like so many politicians this man is a complainer," Trump said.
"All he does is make our country unsafe by allowing millions of people to pour in."
"Again, Ukraine should have never happened."
"For three and a half years we have lived in hell... the whole country is exploding because of you."
Trump claimed he rebuilt the military and gave the largest tax cuts in history.
"But you know what we did for the military was incredible."
"We're a failing nation but it's not going to be failing anymore, we're going to make America great again."
Biden's closing statement
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said: "We have made significant progress. We find ourselves in a situation where we have to make sure we have a fairer tax system."
"This guy has increased your taxes because of the deficit. He increased taxes because of the debacle of the pandemic."
"He wants to get away with ... for the ability for us to negotiate drug prices. Well, guess what, we got it down."
"We're going to continue to fight and bring down inflation and give people a break."
Hamish Fletcher
AP reports about 6 in 10 US adults say they are “very concerned” that Biden is too old to be president, according to Gallup data collected in June.
Only 18% have the same level of concern about Trump.
'You're a whiner'
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said, "well let's see what your numbers are after this election".
"You're a whiner."
"You can't accept loss."
Trump said the only reason he is running for president again is because Biden is so terrible at being president.
'He will drive us into World War Three'
Hamish Fletcher
"Well I shouldn't have to say it, but I will say it, it's completely unacceptable," Trump said about political violence following the riots on January 6 when he last lost an election.
"He indicted me because I was his opponent."
"He will drive us into World War Three... and he's driving us there," Trump said of Biden.
Biden said: "You want a World War Three, let him [Trump] tell Putin to do whatever he wants.
"We have peace because of the American people. They step up when they are needed. And right now they are needed.
"Again, if you want a war, let Putin do whatever he wants."
Hamish Fletcher
The candidates are having a debate about who is better at golf.
"I got my handicap, which was when I was Vice President, down to a six," Biden said.
Hamish Fletcher
"Well I took two cognitive tests and I aced it," Trump said following a question about his age.
"I just won two club championships, not even senior," Trump said about a golf match.
"I feel very good, I feel the same."
Questions about Biden's age
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said he had spent half his career being criticised for being too young in politics.
"Let's look at the record. 15 million new jobs. More investment in America.
"I convinced Samsung to invest billions of dollars in the United States.
"The idea that somehow we are this failing country - I have never heard a president talk like this before," Biden said.
"We are the most progressive country at getting things done. We are the strongest country in the world. Everyone trusts us."
"Kim Jong Un - who he [Trump] sends love letters to - he doesn't want to mess with us.
Addiction and the opioid crisis
Hamish Fletcher
CNN has said opioid deaths have increased under both candidate's presidency.
"We now have the largest deficit in the history of this country, under this guy," Trump said, ignoring the question about the opioid crisis.
"He's got the worst situation of China," Trump said of Biden.
We were doing well around addiction until Covid came along," Trump claimed.
Trump said drugs were now coming across the border.
"We brought a certain [drug] dog, it's the most incredible thing you've ever seen the way they can spot it."
"The number of drugs coming across the border is the largest we've ever seen," Trump said.
Biden responded to Trump on drugs: "Fentanyl byproducts went down for a while."
'Middle class has been decimated because of you'
Hamish Fletcher
Biden smiled when Trump called himself the best president.
"The fact of the matter is he is dead wrong.
"He will increase taxes on middle-class people.
"These tariffs, everything coming into the country, you know what economists say, it's going to cost Americans more.
"Number 2, he talks about how he supports the middle class.
"The middle class has been decimated because of you.
"You have not made any progress with China."
Hamish Fletcher
CNN are repeating the childcare question for Trump, but he has continued to say he is the best president in the history of the country and ignoring the question.
Cost of childcare
Hamish Fletcher
When asked about childcare funding, Trump continued to defend firing a former employee who spoke out against him.
Trump said Biden doesn't fire "anybody."
Trump is again talking about migrants "destroying" the country.
"He's the worst president in the history of our country," Trump said, still not addressing the question about childcare costs for Americans.
"We probably won't have a country left anymore" if Biden is re-elected, Trump said.
Biden's response: "We're the most admired country in the world. We're the United States of America.
"We have the finest military in the world. No one wants to screw around with us - nobody."
"He did virtually nothing for childcare."
Social security
Hamish Fletcher
CNN asked Trump and Biden for one thing they will do to make sure that social security isn't reduced for those who need it.
Biden said he was going to make "the wealthy" pay "their fair share".
He said he would keep social security funding solvent by defeating Trump.
"He just doesn't know what he's talking about.
"So I dealt with politicians all my life... I've never seen anybody lie like this guy," Trump said of Biden when asked about social security funding.
"But social security, he's destroying it."
Trump blamed migrants entering the country for destroying social security.
Biden shook his head as Trump spoke.
"The idea veterans are not being taken care of - I told you before."
Climate change
Hamish Fletcher
On the climate crisis, Trump pivoted to how police are supporting him across the country.
Trump said he wants "immaculate clean water and clean air."
Biden said, "I don't know where the hell he has been."
"I passed the most extensive climate change in history.
Trump claimed the Paris Accord was going to cost America money, while other countries such as China didn't have to pay.
Biden said the US had made "significant progress" on climate change under his leadership.
"The idea that he claims he has the biggest heart up here and is really concerned about pollution and the environment - I haven't seen any of that."
The debate turns to questions of race
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said he has made a lot of progress to improve conditions for African Americans.
"We are trying to provide housing for Black Americans. In addition, we find the impact on the choice that black families have to make on childcare is incredibly difficult. I was able to reduce black childcare costs.
"There is more to be done. But we've done a great deal so far.
"I don't blame them [Black voters disappointed with his record so far]. There is more to be done.
"We're going to do a whole lot more for black families."
Trump said Biden has caused inflation that is "killing Black families, it's killing Hispanic families."
"They're not living."
"He caused inflation... his big kill on Black people is the millions of people he's allowed across the border, they're taking black jobs."
'I never had sex with a porn star'
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said of Trump: "How many billions of dollars to you owe for molesting a women? For having sex with a porn star while your wife was pregnant. What are you talking about?
Biden said "the more people who know what [Trump] has done" would turn people away from voting for him.
"People coming out of the woods carrying swastikas, carrying torches [in Charlottesville] ... what American president would ever say Nazis coming out of woods were fine people?
"This guy has said Hitler did some good things."
"That story has been totally wiped out..." Trump said of his comments about Hitler.
"I never had sex with a porn star," Trump said.
"That case is going to appealed."
"We had a terrible judge, horrible judge, a democrat."
"Without question, his presidency... the worst presidency of the history of this country," Trump said on Biden.
Biden responded: "It hasn't been debunked. It happened.
"If he thought those were good people coming out of that forest were good people ... we saw people breaking through windows [on January 6].
'His son is a convicted felon'
Hamish Fletcher
Trump said the protesters on January 6 were patriots.
On his conviction of 34 felonies, Trump said "My retribution is going to be a success."
"His son is a convicted felon."
"He should have been convicted before."
"Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things he's done."
"This man is a criminal... I did nothing wrong."
Biden said, "the idea that I did anything wrong relative to what you're talking about is outrageous.
"The crime you are still convicted of - you have the morals of an alley cat.
January 6 riots
Hamish Fletcher
Trump was asked about the January 6 Capitol Hill riots:
"Let me tell you about January 6... we had the lowest taxes ever, the lowest regulations ever, and then he comes in, we're now laughed at."
Trump said he asked people to peacefully protest on January 6.
"I could see what was happening... you know what that's a lot of people coming."
"I said they ought to have some National Guard or something."
Biden responded: "He encouraged that on Capitol Hill."
Trump said he bought in the National Guard in response to January 6, and that the Democrats have "destroyed" evidence.
Biden said "the only person on this stage who is a convicted felon is the man I am looking at right now [Trump]".
"Every single one of those who have been convicted on Capitol Hill deserved to be convicted."
The Middle East and Israel v Hamas
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said the UN Security Council and the G7 had approved his plan for Israel and Gaza.
"The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas.
"We're still pushing them hard to accept [our terms].
"We're providing Israel with all the weapons they need whenever the need them.
"We saved Israel. We are the biggest supporter of Israel in the world.
"Hamas cannot be allowed to continue.
"They've been greatly weakened. But you've got to be careful using certain weapons among population centres.
On the Israel and Hamas war, Trump said:
"Actually Israel wants to go [to war], and we should let them finish the job."
"He's a very bad Palestinian, he's a weak one," Trump said of Biden.
Trump wouldn't comment on whether he would support an individual Palestinian nation.
Hamish Fletcher
'I will have this war settled'
Hamish Fletcher
CNN re-asked Trump whether Putin's terms to end the Ukraine war were acceptable to him, he said they weren't.
"The money that we're spending on this war... it should have never happened," he said.
"I will have this war settled as president-elect before I take office on January 1st," Trump said.
Russia v Ukraine
Hamish Fletcher
On Russia's war against Ukraine, Trump said "if we had a real president, who was respected by Putin, he never would have invaded."
"I think he encouraged Russia to go in," Trump said.
Trump is blaming Russia invading Ukraine on Biden's presidency.
Biden looked bemused as Trump spoke on Russia and Ukraine.
"I've never heard so much malarkey in my life.
Trump said there was "no terror" while he was president, and that the "whole world has blown up" while Biden has been president.
"Iran attacked our troops and he [Trump] did nothing about it," Biden said.
"We got over 100,000 Americans and others out of Afghanistan.
"If you look at what Trump did in Ukraine, this guy told Putin 'do whatever you want'.
'You're the loser and you're the sucker'
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said veterans were better off under his leadership.
"We have great respect for veterans," Biden said.
"I was recently in France for D-Day and I spoke about those heroes who died.
"You're the loser and you're the sucker," he said of Trump.
Biden was talking about an interaction he had with Trump at D-Day where Trump allegedly said he didn't want to go inside and be surrounded by "suckers and losers".
Trump said Biden should apologise for making up quotes that Trump said.
"The idea that I have to apologise to you for everything," Biden replied
"The only sacred obligation we have as a country is to take care of our veterans when they come home and equip them.
Debate moves to immigration
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said his administration has worked very hard on immigration.
"We significantly increased the number of border officers."
When he was president, they were taking babies and separating them from their mothers.
"I've changed the law. We now have 47 per cent fewer people coming across the border," Biden said.
Trump's reply:
"I really don't know what he said at the end there, I don't think he knows what he said either," Trump said of Bidens last answer.
"We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country... of all terrorists, all around the world.
Trump and Biden have both said border control officials have endorsed them for president.
Biden responded: "There's simply no data to support what he said.
"He's lying.
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said he supported Roe v Wade.
"The idea that politicians [should] be the ones making decisions on women's health is ridiculous.
"If I'm elected I'm going to restore Roe v Wade.
Trump hit back.
"That means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month," Trump claimed.
"He is willing to rip the baby out of the womb and kill the baby."
Trump said Roe V Wade allows late-term abortion and it means people can do "whatever they want."
Roe v Wade and abortion
Hamish Fletcher
The debate has turned to abortion and the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Trump took credit for overturning Roe V Wade, but said he will not block access to abortion pills.
"Every legal scholar, throughout the world, the most respected, wanted it brought back to states," Trump said regarding abortion laws.
"Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in the exceptions," Trump said.
Rape, incest, and the life of the mother are exceptions Trump believes should be included in abortion laws.
"It's been a terrible thing, what you've done," Biden responded.
'Absolutely criminal'
Hamish Fletcher
Trump claimed Biden has allowed "millions" of people to enter the US, and said some of them were from prisons and mental institutions.
"He's right, he did beat Medicare, and he beat it to death," Trump said.
"What's happened to our country in the last four years is not to be believed."
"What this man has done is absolutely criminal," Trump claimed.
Hamish Fletcher
Biden said Trump had the largest national debt of any president.
He said Trump's tax cuts only benefitted the wealthy.
Hamish Fletcher
Trump's tax cuts are set to expire next year, and the former President wants to continue these cuts because he claims they boost the economy.
"We were ready to start paying down debt."
"We got hit with Covid, we did a lot of work."
Trump said more people died under Biden's administration than his during the Covid response. Biden's vaccine mandate was a "disaster", Trump said.
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Trump said China and many other countries have been "ripping us off."
Trump said Biden's administration spent money "like someone who doesn't know what they're doing."
Hamish Fletcher
Biden responded: "The greatest economy in the world? He's the only one who thinks that".
"His economy - he rewarded the wealthy," Biden said.
"He didn't do anything about [Afghanistan], I did."
'Great economy in history' - Trump
Hamish Fletcher
"We had the greatest economy in the history of this country," Trump said of his time as president.
Trump said "everything was rocking good" and he deserved credit for getting the country "out of Covid".
Cost of living of living and inflation
Hamish Fletcher
Biden was the first to speak, asked about the cost of living and inflation.
"We've got to take a look at what I was left with when I became president," blaming Trump.
"What we had to do was put things back together again," Biden said.
"There's more to be done. We're going to make sure we reduce the price of housing.
And we're off!
Hamish Fletcher
Biden and Trump have both walked onto the debate stage.
Hamish Fletcher
Trump’s likely picks for his running mate will be speaking on his behalf to the media after the debate.
This includes Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Biden - 'pretty jacked up'
Hamish Fletcher
President Biden posted photos on social media of himself drinking out of a can with an ingredient label listing Trump’s 34 felony convictions and the main ingredient being “MAGA Tears."
Joe Biden gets ready
Hamish Fletcher
AP reports Biden is doing a walk-through of the debate studio, with minutes to spare before it begins.
Hamish Fletcher
Hamish Fletcher
Hillary Clinton, the only candidate to debate both Trump and Biden, this week revealed the three things she's watching out for during this debate.
Hamish Fletcher
Joe Biden, 81, must use the debate to convince voters he is still up to the job, especially after recent video clips — some edited — rekindled concerns about his age.
Donald Trump, 78, also faces questions about his age, mental acuity and temperament. Next month he will be sentenced for his criminal conviction in New York.
What happens if one of them suddenly drops out of the race — or dies? The succession battle could be messy.
Debate kicks off at 1pm NZT
Hamish Fletcher
Kia ora and welcome to the first debate between President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump ahead of this year's US election.
STORY CONTINUES
Biden repeatedly tore into Trump in personal terms in an apparent effort to provoke him, bringing up everything from the former president’s recent felony conviction to his alleged insult of World War I veterans to his weight and golf game. But his halting delivery from the beginning of the debate drew the most attention immediately afterward. Trump’s allies immediately declared victory while prominent Democrats publicly questioned whether Biden could move forward.
“I think there was a sense of shock, actually, of how he came out at the beginning of this debate, how his voice sounded. He seemed a little disoriented. He did get stronger as the debate went on but by that time, I think the panic had set in,” said David Axelrod, a longtime advisor to former President Barack Obama, said on CNN immediately after.
“And I think you’re going to hear discussions that, I don’t know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
Said Van Jones, another Democratic strategist, on CNN: “He did not do well at all.”
David Plouffe, Obama’s former campaign manager, described the debate on MSNBC as a “DEFCON1″ moment for Democrats.
Biden began the night with a raspy voice and a halting delivery as he tried to defend his economic record and criticise Trump. A person familiar with the matter said Biden was suffering from a cold during the debate, adding that he tested negative for Covid-19.
Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “Covid,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.
“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said, as his time ran out on his answer.
Biden began to give clearer answers as the debate progressed, still with a rasp, and attacked Trump’s record on issues like fighting climate change.
“The only existential threat to humanity is climate change, and he didn’t do a damn thing about it,” he said.
The current president and his predecessor hadn’t spoken since their last debate weeks before the 2020 presidential election. Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration after leading an unprecedented and unsuccessful effort to overturn his loss that culminated in the Capitol riot by his supporters.
Trump equivocated on whether he would accept the results of the November election, saying he would accept them if the vote was “fair” and “legal,” repeating his baseless claims of widespread fraud and misconduct in his 2020 loss to Biden that he still denies.
Pressed on his actions on January 6, 2021, Trump was unapologetic.
“On January 6, we were respected all over the world, all over the world we were respected. And then he comes in and we’re now laughed at,” Trump said.
After he was prompted by a moderator to answer whether he violated his oath of office that day by rallying his supporters seeking to block the certification of Biden’s Electoral College victory and not acting for hours to call them off as they raided the Capitol, Trump sought to blame then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Biden said Trump encouraged the supporters to go to the Capitol and sat in the White House without taking action as they fought with police officers.
“He didn’t do a damn thing and these people should be in jail,” Biden said. “They should be the ones that are being held accountable. And he wants to let them all out. And now he says that if he loses again, such a whiner that he is, that this could be a ‘bloodbath’?”
Trump then defended the people convicted and imprisoned for their role in the insurrection, saying to Biden, “What they’ve done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
The former president has allied himself with January 6 rioters and sometimes opens his rallies by playing a rendition of the national anthem performed by people jailed on riot-related charges.
Trump and Biden entered the night facing stiff headwinds, including a public weary of the tumult of partisan politics and broadly dissatisfied with both, according to polling. But the debate was highlighting how they have sharply different visions on virtually every core issue – abortion, the economy and foreign policy – and deep hostility toward each other.
Their personal animus quickly came to the surface. Biden got personal in evoking his son, Beau, who served in Iraq before dying of brain cancer. The president criticised Trump for reportedly calling Americans killed in battle “suckers and losers.” Biden told Trump, “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
Trump said he never said that – a line attributed to Trump by his former chief of staff – and slammed Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, calling it “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country’s life.”
Trump himself agreed to the withdrawal with the Taliban a year before he left office.
Biden directly mentioned Trump’s conviction in the New York hush money trial, saying, “You have the morals of an alley cat,” and referencing the allegations in the case that Trump had sex with a porn actress.
“I did not have sex with a porn star,” replied Trump, who chose not to testify at his trial.
Trump retorted that Biden could face criminal charges “when he leaves office,” evoking his familiar threats of retribution. Though there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, Trump said, “Joe could be a convicted felon with all the things that he’s done.”
Pressed to defend rising inflation since he took office, Biden pinned it on the situation he inherited from Trump amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden said that when Trump left office, “things were in chaos.” Trump disagreed, declaring that during his term in the White House, “Everything was rocking good.”
By the time Trump left office, America was still grappling with the pandemic and during his final hours in office, the death toll eclipsed 400,000. The virus continued to ravage the country and the death toll hit 1 million over a year later.
Trump repeatedly insisted that the three conservative justices he appointed to the Supreme Court helped overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and returned the issue of abortion restrictions to individual states, which is what “everybody wanted.” Biden countered that abortion access was settled for 50 years and that Trump was making it harder for women in large swaths of the country to get access to basic health care.
At one point, Trump defended his record on foreign policy and blamed Biden for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, suggesting the conflicts broke out when the aggressors felt free to attack because they perceived Biden as weak.
“This place, the whole world, is blowing up under him,” Trump said.
“I never heard so much malarkey in my whole life,” Biden retorted.
Trump was asked what he would do to make childcare more affordable. He used his answer to instead boast about how many people he fired during his term, including former FBI Director James Comey and criticised Biden for not firing people from his administration.
Trump has promised sweeping plans to remake the US government if he returns to the White House and Biden argues that his opponent would pose an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.
Aiming to avoid a repeat of their chaotic 2020 matchups, Biden insisted – and Trump agreed – to hold the debate without an audience and to allow the network to mute the candidates’ microphones when it is not their turn to speak. The debate’s two commercial breaks offered another departure from modern practice, while the candidates have agreed not to consult staff or others while the cameras are off.
Both men abided by the rules and didn’t speak out of turn. Near the end, Biden also appeared to question Trump’s weight – leading Trump to respond while his mic was muted, making his answer partly inaudible – and the two squabbled about their golf handicaps.
“Let’s not act like children,” Trump replied.
Trump walked straight off the stage alone, after the debate. Biden was joined by his wife Jill, who watched from a green room. They hugged and kissed and she held his hand and seemed to assist him down the stairs as they approached Bash and Tapper to greet the moderators before leaving.
Heading out of the debate, both Biden and Trump will travel to states they hope to swing their way this fall. Trump is heading to Virginia, a onetime battleground that has shifted toward Democrats in recent years.
Biden is set to jet off to North Carolina, where he is expected to hold the largest-yet rally of his campaign in a state Trump narrowly carried in 2020.
- Additional reporting NZ Herald