U.S. Presidential Debate: Biden Stumbles Early, Trump Fires Out Falsehoods
Editor
28 June 2024 09:28 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Atlanta - Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump traded attacks on abortion, immigration, and their handling of the economy early in their debate on Thursday night, June 27, giving voters a rare side-by-side look at the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency.
Biden, sounding hoarse and tentative at times, stumbled over his words on several occasions during the debate's first half-hour, while Trump rattled off one attack after another that included several well-worn falsehoods, including claims that migrants have carried out a crime wave and that Democrats support infanticide.
Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, were under pressure to display their command of issues and avoid verbal gaffes as they sought a breakout moment in a race that opinion polls show has been deadlocked for months. Biden, in particular, has been dogged by concerns about his age and sharpness, while Trump's incendiary rhetoric and sprawling legal woes remain a vulnerability.
Two White House officials said Biden had a cold.
As the debate unfolded, Biden appeared to hit his stride, delivering attack lines with more focus. At the halfway mark, he referred to Trump's conviction for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels for the first time, calling him a "felon."
In response, Trump brought up the recent conviction of Biden's son, Hunter, for lying about his drug use to buy a gun.
Asked about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, the former president refused to accept any responsibility and claimed that many of those arrested were innocent.
"This guy has no sense of American democracy," Biden scoffed in response.
At the halfway point of the 90-minute debate, Biden said: "There's a reason why 40 of his 44 top cabinet officers refused to endorse him this time. His vice president hasn't endorsed him this time. Why? They know him well, they served with him. Why are they not endorsing him?"
Biden also blamed Trump for enabling the elimination of a nationwide right to abortion by appointing conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court, an issue that has bedeviled Republicans since 2022.
Trump retorted that Biden would not support any limits on abortions and said that returning the issue to the states was the right course of action.
Trump said Biden had failed to secure the southern U.S. border, ushering in scores of criminals.
"I call it Biden migrant crime," he said.
Biden replied, "Once again, he's exaggerating, he's lying."
Studies show immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans.
The televised clash on CNN was taking place far earlier than any modern presidential debate, more than four months before the Nov. 5 Election Day.
The two candidates appeared with no live audience, and their microphones automatically cut off when it was not their turn to speak - both atypical rules imposed to avoid the chaos that derailed their first debate in 2020 when Trump interrupted Biden repeatedly.
As the debate began, the two men - who have made little secret of their mutual dislike - did not shake hands or acknowledge one another.
The first questions focused on the economy, as polls show Americans are dissatisfied with Biden's performance despite wage growth and low unemployment.
Biden acknowledged that inflation had driven prices substantially higher than at the start of his term but said he deserves credit for putting "things back together again" following the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump asserted that he had overseen "the greatest economy in the history of our country" before the pandemic struck and said he took action to prevent the economic freefall from deepening even further.
