US Presidential debate recap: President Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off
They’ve been exchanging jibes on the campaign trail for months but on Friday Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off for their first presidential debate of the 2024 US election.
It was the first time they had confronted each other in person since 2020 - after Trump tried to overturn the election result and after the storming of the Capitol.
Trump was expected to try to put Biden on the ropes over immigration and the economy, while Biden attacked Trump over abortion and democracy.
There was no in-person audience for the 90-minute debate, hosted by CNN at its Atlanta studios, which came four months before voters are set to head to the polls on November 5.
It was the first of two debates the old foes have agreed to. The next will be in September.
The debate was moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash who are hosts of the network’s Sunday political talk show State of the Union.
Tapper is CNN’s chief Washington correspondent and Bash is the network’s chief political correspondent.
Past debates have always been later in the year, in September and October, but Biden pushed for an earlier start.
Biden and Trump had two debates in the run-up to the 2020 election. During the first, Trump was called out for his constant interjections, with moderator Fox News’ Chris Wallace saying he was “sad” the way it turned out.
“I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did,” he said.
The debacle prompted the introduction of mute buttons for the candidate’s microphones which were in place for Friday’s debate.
What to look out for
The candidates are the same. The circumstances are very different. Here’s what to watch for in the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The animosity is expected to be palpable.
READ MORE: What to watch for at the first Trump-Biden debate
And, we’re done
Well, the candidates have left the podium and now it’s up to the pundits and the voters to decide the winner.
Was it softly-spoken Biden who got off to an awkward start and had a few stumbles or was it Trump who was calm but light on facts and heavy on the lies?
Calm controlled: This was Trump at his most dangerous
Thanks for joining us.
Let’s do it all again in September when the presidential candidates are due to face off once again.
Trump’s closing statement
Trump starts his closing statement with a jab at his opponent, saying: “Like so many politicians, this man is a complainer.”
“We want to do this and get rid of this tax and that tax.”
“All he does is make our country unsafe by allowing millions and millions of people to pour in.
“Our military doesn’t respect him. We look like fools in Afghanistan. We didn’t stop Israel. It was such a horrible thing.
“That would never have happened. Iran was broke. Anybody that did business with Iran, including China, they couldn’t do business with the US. They all passed.”
“Iran was broke and had no money for Hamas or .... Hezbollah and no money.
“Ukraine should never have happened. He talked about all this tough but didn’t do it.
“For 3.5 years we’re living in hell. We have Palestinians and everybody else rioting all over the place.
“You talk about Charlottesville, this is 1000 times Charlottesville. The whole country is exploding because of you because they don’t respect you and they have to respect their President and they don’t respect you throughout the world.
“What we did was incredible.
“We rebuilt the military. We got the largest tax cut in history and the largest regulation cut in history.
“The reason those got jobs because I cut the regulations that gave jobs.
“He’s putting a lot of those regulations back on. All the things we’ve done, nobody has ever seen anything like it.
“Even from a medical standpoint, we can try space-age materials instead of going to Asia or going to Europe and trying to get when you’re terminally ill, now you can go and get something. You sign a document and have been trying to get it for 42 years.
“What we did for the military was incredible, choice for our soldiers and instead of waiting for three months to see a doctor, they can go out and get themselves fixed up and readied up and take care of themselves and they’re living and that’s why I had the highest approval rating in the history of the VA.
“We’re in a failing nation but it won’t fail anymore. We’re going to make it great again.”
Biden’s closing statement
Biden says his presidency has made “significant progress from the debacle that was left by President Trump in his last term”.
“We find ourselves in a situation where, number one, we have to make sure we have a fairer tax system.
“I ask anyone out there in the audience, anyone watching this debate, do you think the tax system is fair?
“The fact is, I said nobody making under $400,000 had a single penny increase in their taxes and if I’m re-elected that will be the case again.
“This guy has increased your taxes because of the deficit. Increased deflation because of the debacle he left after the way he handled the pandemic.
“He finds himself in a position where he wants to tax you more by putting a 10 per cent tariff on everything that comes in to the US.
“What I did, for example, he wants to get rid of the ability of Medicare to, the ability for us to be able to negotiate drug prices with the big pharma companies.
“Guess what, we got it down to $35, instead of $400.
“No more than $2000 for every senior, no matter how much prescription they need. And that reduced the federal debt by $160 billion over 10 years.
“Because the government doesn’t have to pay the exorbitant prices. Identical make it available to all seniors and everybody in America. He wants to get rid of that.
“We will make sure there is childcare and increase the credit we have for childcare and make sure we do something about what we’re doing on lead - lead pipes and all the things for people across the country.
“We’re going to bring down inflation and give people a break.”
Biden hits back over Trump’s war claim
“You want a World War III?” Biden asks.
“Let (Trump) follow and win and let Putin say, ‘Do what you want in NATO’.”
Biden said the US is a powerful nation that steps up when needed.
“We’re needed to protect the world because our safety is at stake.”
“You want to have a war? Let Putin go ahead and take Kyiv, make sure they move on, see what happens in Poland, Hungary, and other places along that border. Then you have a war.”
World War ‘close’
Trump has slammed Biden’s military policies.
Saying he was driving the country into World War III.
“We’re a failing nation right now. We’re a seriously failing nation. And we’re a failing nation because of him.
“His policies are so bad. His military policies are insane. They’re insane. These are wars that will never end with him.
“He will drive us into World War III. And we’re closer to World War III than anybody could imagine. We are very, very close to World War III. And he’s driving us there.
“And Kim Jong-un and President Xi of China - Kim Jong-un of North Korea, Putin - all of them, they don’t respect him, don’t fear him, they have nothing going with this gentleman, and he’s going to drive us into World War III.”
Will Trump accept result?
Trump was asked to pledge that he will accept the results of this election, regardless of who wins.
“Well, I shouldn’t have to say that, but of course I believe that.
“The answer is, if the election is fair, free - and I want that more than anybody... I’ll tell you something - I wish he was a great president, because I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be at one of my many places enjoying myself.
“I wouldn’t be under indictment because I wouldn’t have been as political - his political opponent, because he indicted me because I was his opponent. I
“I wish he was a great president.
“I would rather have that. I wouldn’t be here. I don’t mind being here, but the only reason I’m here is because he’s so bad as a president that I’m going to make America great again.”
Golf challenge
It wasn’t just the issues at stake between Biden and Trump, it was also their golf game.
Trump claims Biden can’t hit the ball 50 yards, but Joe said he’s happy to take him on.
“Just take a look at what he says he is and take a look at what he is. Look, I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him.
“I got my handicap when I was vice-president down to a six. By the way, I told you before, I’m happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?”
Biden later clarified it was down to an eight not a six handicap.
How old is too old?
Both candidates are asked about the factor that’s of concern to so many American voters - their age.
President Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term, Trump would be 82.
Biden said he spent the first half of his career being criticised for being the youngest person in politics.
“Now, I’m the oldest. This guy’s three years younger and a lot less competent.
“I think look at the record - look at what I’ve done, how I’ve turned around the horrible situation he left me.”
Trump says he has taken two cognitive tests, “I aced them, both of them, as you know. We made it public. He took none. I’d like to see him just take one, a real easy one.”
“I took physical exams every year. We knock on wood wherever we may have wood that I’m in very good health. I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships.
“To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. And I do it. He doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards.”
Trump ‘worst president’
Biden stands by his claim Trump was the worst president of the US.
“The idea that we’re talking about worst presidents - I wasn’t joking. Look it up. Go online. 159, 158 - don’t know the exact number - presidential historians have had meetings and have voted who’s the worst president in American history.
“From best to worst. They said he was the worst in all of American history. That’s a fact. That’s not conjecture. He can argue they’re wrong, but that’s what they voted.”
Trump says debate a ‘waste of time’
Trump says the country is being destroyed while they “waste time” on the debate.
“Joe, our country is being destroyed as you and I sit up here and waste a lot of time on this debate.
“This shouldn’t be a debate. He is the worst president - he just said about me because I said it.
“But look, he’s the worst president in the history of our country. He’s destroyed our country. Now all of a sudden, he’s trying to get a little tough on the border.”
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