In a tense debate, Biden called Trump a "felon," "stupid" and "loser," while Trump called Biden a "criminal" and "liar." This was the first televised debate of the election season, providing voters with a rare opportunity to directly compare the oldest presidential candidates in U.S. history.
In this debate, Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, faced questions about their physical fitness to serve as president. In the first 50 minutes of the debate, Trump was more energetic, while Biden's voice was hoarse, his speech was stuttering, he often coughed, and he mixed up some statistics. The White House announced during the debate that Biden had recently caught a cold.
As the debate progressed, Biden gradually gained his footing and began to attack Trump's character. After being accused of mistreating veterans, Biden shot back, "I still have to apologize to you?" He then told Trump directly, "You are a piece of shit and a loser."
The two men eschewed the traditional handshake at the beginning of the debate, and their discord was clear. Biden frequently called Trump "this guy" and sneered at some of his exaggerated remarks.
During the debate, the two accused each other of being criminals. Biden said, "The only convicted felon on this stage is the guy I'm looking at right now," and accused Trump of having an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump slammed the Manhattan district attorney and the judge in his recent hush money case, saying he would appeal.
Trump also slammed the recent conviction of Biden's son Hunter on gun charges, suggesting that Biden's family also has legal issues to worry about. "He himself said convicted felons, and his son is a very high-level convicted felon," he said.
Both candidates blamed each other for inflation, the biggest concern of voters. Biden accused Trump of causing the U.S. economy to perform "terribly," while Trump called Biden's handling of the epidemic a "disaster" and said inflation "will absolutely kill us."
Trump accused Biden of creating inflation, saying, "He created inflation, and it's killing black families and Hispanic families and pretty much everyone." Biden responded, "There was no inflation when I first took office because the economy was stagnant."
Both made mistakes during the debate. Biden got into a mess of thoughts several times when answering questions about the national debt, and paused for a long time when arguing that the rich should pay more taxes, and finally ended his speech in an absurd way. Trump, in response to the national debt question, falsely claimed that the United States would repay its national debt, which would only happen if there was a budget surplus, which did not happen during Trump's administration.
The Trump campaign team made no secret of hitting Biden hard on immigration issues. Trump said he would implement a tough border policy, including the largest deportation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history and building a wall across the border. Biden accused Trump of colluding with congressional Republicans to undermine the bipartisan immigration bill and taking executive action to allow eligible spouses and children of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States for at least ten years to apply for legal permanent residence.
Trump mentioned the border issue in response to Biden's attack on abortion rights. He said he supported the Supreme Court's decision and would not block medication abortions, and said the appointed judges would move abortion rights back to the states. Biden said that if elected, he would restore Roe v. Wade.
CNN, the host of this debate, provided exactly what the candidates wanted to discuss: Biden focused on abortion rights, the state of democracy and the economy, while Trump focused on immigration, public safety and inflation. The moderator asked about the economy at the beginning of the debate, then turned to abortion and immigration, and also discussed foreign policy and the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
During the debate, Biden attacked Trump for not taking action to stop the riots of his supporters on the day of the attack on the Capitol, and accused Trump of possibly pardoning the rioters. "He did nothing, and these people should go to jail," Biden said.
The economy is the most important issue for voters. According to Reuters and Ipsos polls this month, on economic issues, registered voters in the United States are more inclined to support Trump, with a support rate of 43%, while Biden is 37%. On immigration issues, Republicans have a clear advantage, with a support rate of 44% to 31%. However, on health care, voters are more supportive of Biden, with a support rate of 36% and Trump's 27%.
The debate lasted 90 minutes, but whether it will change these support data remains to be seen.
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