Atlanta, 29 June 2024( TDI): US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump showed up in the first presidential debate, which offered voters a rare side-by-side look at the two oldest candidates ever to seek the US presidency.
The leaders battled over economic issues, foreign policy and international crises, the country’s immigration crisis, and the state of American democracy.
This debate marked the first time either candidate had debated since 2020 and was the first-ever debate between a sitting president and a former president.
According to the Democratic campaign, Biden arrived at the presidential debate with a dry voice and spoke softly because of the cold. Biden sometimes mumbled, got tongue-tied, or lost his train of thought, a performance unlikely to calm anxiety among Democrats and many Americans about the 81-year-old president.
The 78-year-old Trump spoke with force as he often does but with plentiful falsehoods.
President Biden and former President Trump exchanged personal attacks and various false and misleading information during their first debate of the 2024 election.
During the presidential debate, Biden began assertively presenting his viewpoints and challenging his opponent, prompting passionate responses from the former president.
“The middle class was devastated by Donald Trump’s presidency. He wants to increase their taxes. I’m working to help middle-class families,” said Biden. Trump, however, countered with attacks on Biden’s economic record despite many of his assertions lacking factual support.
The former president essentially offered a disciplined, agile performance. He avoided the kind of interruptions and belligerence that undermined his first debate showing in 2020 and turned the discussion back to attacks on Biden’s record whenever possible.
He repeatedly made assertions that weren’t supported by facts and outright falsehoods, but Biden was mainly unable to corner him on them.
Biden may have been at his strongest when discussing foreign policy. He defended his robust support for Ukraine and mocked Trump’s claims that he would have the war resolved before his inauguration.
During a discussion about the Paris Climate Accord, President Biden expressed his concern that former President Trump did not understand the importance of environmental issues and had withdrawn from the accord.
While Trump defended his decision by stating that the accord cost the US trillions of dollars while imposing no financial burden on China, Russia, and India. He argued that he ended the agreement because it was causing significant financial strain on the US.
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On the topic of inflation, Trump accused Biden of causing inflation that disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic people, claiming that he had left the economy without inflation. In response, Biden stated there was no inflation because the economy was stagnant and emphasized that he has been working to create jobs.
Both leaders engaged in personal attacks and exchanged misleading information, reflecting the campaign’s high stakes and intense rivalry.
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