Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump exchanged fierce criticisms on issues such as the economy, abortion, immigration, and foreign policy during their Thursday debate, offering voters a chance to see the oldest presidential candidates in U.S. history face off.
President Biden, speaking with a hoarse voice, stumbled over words at times, while Trump hit him with a barrage of criticisms, including several false claims, such as immigrants bringing a wave of crime and Democrats supporting the killing of babies.
Two White House officials stated that President Biden had the flu.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump made several factual errors early in Thursday’s debate in Atlanta.
President Biden began with a gaffe, claiming he had created 15,000 jobs. The correct number is more than 15 million new jobs during his term, a dramatic understatement from a candidate trying to regain voters’ trust in his economic leadership.
Biden also claimed that “a dose of insulin now costs $15, down from $400.” The cost of insulin for seniors, part of the government’s health insurance program, has dropped to $35 based on the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed in 2022. This price reduction took effect in 2023, forcing most health insurance companies to lower the cost of insulin to $35.
Trump stated that the U.S. economy was close to paying off its national debt before the Covid-19 pandemic. This is false. The budget deficit was increasing during Trump’s term, as the 2017 tax cuts he supported did not reduce the deficit as promised. Trump inherited a budget deficit of $585 billion, which grew to $984 billion in 2019 and surged by over $3 trillion in 2020 after the pandemic began, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Midway through the debate, President Biden focused on attacking Trump, mentioning the New York trial in which Trump was found guilty of concealing payments to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels to keep an affair secret. Biden called his Republican rival “a man convicted of a crime.”
Former President Trump responded by bringing up the trial of President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who was found guilty of lying on a gun purchase form about his drug use history.
Asked about the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack by his supporters, Trump denied responsibility and claimed many of those arrested were innocent.
“This is the worst president in American history. This man does not understand American democracy,” Biden said in response to Trump’s comments.
Trump complained that illegal immigrants are being housed in “luxury hotels” while military veterans are homeless.
As expected, Trump focused heavily on immigrant crime. He also claimed that immigrants are coming to the U.S. from “mental institutions” and “asylums,” providing no evidence for this often-repeated assertion at campaign rallies.
Russia-Ukraine War
“We are like an undeveloped country, and it’s shameful,” Trump said during the debate held at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters.
“We are no longer respected,” Trump said, blaming President Biden. “They think we’re fools.”
During the debate, Biden and Trump agreed on opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms to end the Ukraine war. However, Trump repeated his claim that the war would never have started if he had been president.
“If we had a real president, a president respected by Putin, he would never have attacked Ukraine,” Trump said.
He also criticized Biden for the large aid packages the U.S. has provided to Kyiv.
“Go ahead, let Putin control Ukraine, and then Poland and other countries. See what happens then. He has no idea what he’s talking about,” Biden said about Trump.
Biden stated that Trump would withdraw the U.S. from NATO, risking an expanding war. Regarding the Russian leader, Biden said: “The fact is, Putin is a war criminal.”
Israel-Hamas War
The debate also touched on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Trump criticized Biden’s handling of the Gaza war, saying Biden “has become like a Palestinian” due to his request that Israel do more to protect Gaza civilians. Trump also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating in an April interview that Netanyahu should have prevented Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Biden rejected claims that his administration delayed sending certain weapons to Israel. “We are providing Israel with all the weapons it needs,” he said. Biden also mentioned his three-phase proposal for achieving a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, blaming the Palestinian militant group for the lack of a ceasefire agreement.
Trump countered this assessment, saying, “It’s Israel that has opposed the proposal. You need to let the Israelis finish the job,” he said.
Israel launched a major military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostages.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, controlled by Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, Israeli attacks have killed over 37,600 people. The Gaza health ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its casualty reports.
The debate was a chance for both candidates to outline their plans and vision for the country and to persuade undecided voters.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a crucial swing state for the presidential election, Republican politicians on the vice-presidential shortlist were present, including Ohio Senator JD Vance, former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
Held more than four months before the November 5 election, the Biden-Trump debate was one of the earliest presidential debates in the four-year U.S. election cycle. It was also a replay of their 2020 debates, held two months before the election, in which Biden defeated then-President Trump. The next debate between Biden and Trump is scheduled for September 10.
