A historic and unconventional political duel unfolded Thursday night as the presumptive presidential nominees, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, faced off at CNN’s Atlanta studios for the first in-person presidential debate of the 2024 election season.
The network implemented a criteria for participation. Candidates were required to meet the constitutional requirements to serve as president, file a statement of candidacy, appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters. Biden and Trump were the only candidates to meet all the requirements including the polling criteria, leaving non-major-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein off the debate stage.
While debates are familiar territory for both, the environment bore stark differences from past encounters. CNN set additional mutually agreed-upon rules and conditions for the debaters, differing from the traditional ground rules determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Biden and Trump debated in the absence of a live studio audience, without opening statements or pre-written notes and with an inability to consult with campaign staff during commercial breaks. The candidates’ microphones were muted except when it was their turn to speak.
As the nation tuned in, CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper guided the conversation through a series of issues defining the race.
The state of the economy, inflation and jobs
The debate opened on economic policy, the most important issue for voters in 2024. Biden has maintained his push for “Bidenomics,” a plan for investing in infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy and growing employment opportunities. Although data indicates robust growth and job creation over the course of Biden’s term, inflation remains a significant worry for the electorate. Trump attributes the high inflation rates to the Biden administration’s extensive spending and has promised to reinstate a policy framework of reduced taxes and minimal regulations.
Trump claimed that the U.S. had its best economy before the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing the Biden administration of skyrocketing inflation.
“We had the greatest economy in the history of our country,” Trump said. “We had never done so well. Everybody was amazed by it. Other countries were copying us. We got hit with COVID. And when we did, we spent the money necessary so we wouldn’t end up in a great depression the likes of which we had in 1929 … He has not done a good job. He’s done a poor job. And inflation’s killing our country. It is absolutely killing us.”
Biden said the economy was collapsing due to a poorly handled pandemic when he entered office, which his administration worked to recover. However, Biden acknowledged more needs to be done to help working-class people.
“We had an economy that was in freefall,” Biden said. “The pandemic (was) so badly handled, many people were dying. The economy collapsed. There were no jobs. Unemployment rate rose to 15%. It was terrible. And so, what we had to do is try to put things back together again. That’s exactly what we began to do. We created 15 million new jobs. But there’s more to be done. There’s more to be done. Working-class people are still in trouble.”
Abortion and Roe v. Wade
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that reversed Roe v. Wade and ended the federal right to abortion, Biden has pledged to reinstate the protections provided by Roe if Democrats regain a congressional majority. Trump has defined his stance on abortion as a states’ rights issue, though he has not endorsed a national statute or specified an allowable gestational limit for abortions.
Trump claimed credit for influencing justices to strike down Roe v. Wade, which returned states the power to determine the legality of abortion, and said state power provides national unity.
“I put three great Supreme Court justices on the court, and they happened to vote in favor of killing Roe v. Wade and moving (abortion) back to the states,” Trump said. “This is something that everybody wanted. (States) are all making their own decisions right now. And right now, the states control it. That’s the vote of the people. What happened is we brought it back to the states and the country is now coming together on this issue. It’s been a great thing.”
Biden criticized Trump for allowing politicians to make decisions about reproductive health. He said these decisions should be made by healthcare providers, not politicians, and promised to restore Roe in his second term.
“It’s been a terrible thing what (Trump) did,” Biden said. “The idea that the founders wanted the politicians to be the ones making decisions about a woman’s health is ridiculous. No politician should be making that decision. A doctor should be making those decisions. That’s how it should be run. And if I’m elected, I’m going to restore Roe v. Wade.”
The border crisis and immigration
Trump has committed to reinstating his administration’s policies of securing the southern border while announcing a new plan of conducting militarized mass deportations and raids. He has also vowed to terminate birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. Biden initially adopted more humane immigration policies, among them increasing the refugee admissions ceiling and broadening humanitarian parole and halting or reversing policies from the Trump administration. However, increased unauthorized border crossings and public criticism have led him to consider tighter immigration controls.
Biden boasted about his bipartisan border security bill that was killed by Senate Republicans and said Trump’s border policies were dangerous to migrant families.
“We worked very hard to get a bipartisan agreement that not only changed all of that, it made sure that we are in a situation where you had no circumstance where they could come across the border with the number of border police there are now,” Biden said. “We significantly increased the number of asylum officers. In addition to that, we found ourselves in a situation where, when (Trump) was president, he was taking, separating babies from their mothers, putting them in cages, making sure the families were separated. That’s not the right way to go.”
Trump said the southern border was the safest in history during his presidency, which is a misleading statement. He also affirmed inaccurate claims about migrants entering the U.S. from the southern border.
Russia-Ukraine war
Biden has consistently pressed Congress to maintain financial support for Ukraine, emphasizing that a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin could jeopardize European security and embolden China. Initially, Trump indicated he would allow Russia to independently decide on military action against Ukraine and NATO member countries if they fail to meet financial commitments to the alliance; however, he has since softened his statements.
Trump claimed that if the U.S. had a respected president, Putin would not have invaded Ukraine and said that the number of casualties resulting from the conflict is often underestimated.
“As far as Russia and Ukraine, if we had a real president- a president that knew, that was respected by Putin, he would have never — he would have never invaded Ukraine,” Trump said. “A lot of people are dead right now, much more than people know.”
Trump criticized Biden for providing aid to Ukraine, claiming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy displays dishonest behavior, and promised to settle the war before taking office.
“He’s given $200 billion, that’s a lot of money,” Trump said. “I don’t think there’s ever been anything like it. Every time Zelenskyy comes to this country, he walks away with $60 billion. (Zelenskyy) is the greatest salesman ever … I will have the war settled between Putin and Zelenskyy as president-elect before I take office on January 20th. I’ll have the war settled.”
Biden stated Putin is a war criminal responsible for thousands of deaths, asserting that Putin aims to reestablish the Soviet Union by taking all of Ukraine.
“The fact is that Putin is a war criminal,” Biden said. “He’s killed thousands and thousands of people. And he has made one thing clear: He wants to reestablish what was part of the Soviet empire. Not just one piece, he wants all of Ukraine. That’s what he wants.”
Israel-Hamas war
Biden has sustained U.S. backing of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, providing billions of dollars worth of weaponry and urging more aid. Yet, he has intensified public rebukes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his handling of the war, calling for a ceasefire between the Israeli military and Hamas. Trump, who once overtly endorsed Israeli actions, currently states Israel needs to target Hamas in Gaza and has voiced critiques concerning the war’s longevity.
Biden affirmed his plan for ending the war, claiming Hamas is the only side wanting the conflict to continue and the administration is working to halt the militants’ actions.
“The first stage is trade the hostages for a ceasefire,” Biden said. “The second phase is a ceasefire with additional conditions. The third stage is now — the end of the war. The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas, number one. They’re the only ones standing out. We’re still pushing hard from — to get them to accept (a ceasefire).”
Trump said Israel wants to continue its military campaign in Gaza, contrasting with Biden’s stance and accusing him of weak leadership. He also used “Palestinian” as an insult towards Biden.
“As far as Israel and Hamas, Israel’s the one that wants to go — he said the only one who wants to keep going is Hamas,” Trump said. “Actually, Israel is the one. And you should (let) them go and let them finish the job. He doesn’t want to do it. He’s become like a Palestinian. But they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one.”
Democracy and 2021 U.S. Capitol riot
The debate was the first time the president and former president have publicly debated since the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol complex as Congress convened to certify the presidential election results, resulting in multiple casualties and extensive property damages. Biden has characterized the event as a breach of democracy, blaming Trump’s rhetoric for inciting the violence. Trump condemned the violence but continued to make inaccurate claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and his supporters convicted of crimes are innocent.
Trump criticized prosecutors for unjustly targeting individuals and accused them of political overreach. He claimed his remarks about the election results and political rivals leading to and on January 6 did not encourage rioters to be violent.
“What (prosecutors have) done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, what you have done, how you’ve destroyed the lives of so many people,” Trump said. “What (Biden) said about this whole subject is so off. Peacefully patriotic.”
Climate change and the environment
Trump has pledged to ramp up U.S. energy output and maintain gas and offshore oil extraction, promising to roll back Biden’s climate policies and environmental protections if reelected. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden has allocated $300 billion toward clean energy and climate-related measures, setting goals to slash greenhouse gas emissions and revamp vehicle emission standards. Despite these efforts, some environmental groups criticize Biden’s support for fossil fuel developments, like the Willow oil project in Alaska, as counterproductive.
Trump said the Paris Agreement would have cost the U.S. $1 trillion while exempting China, Russia and India from financial obligations. He said the climate agreement was not financially conducive, especially if other countries were not contributing.
“The Paris Accord was going to cost us a trillion dollars, and China nothing, and Russia nothing, and India nothing,” Trump said. “It was a ripoff of the United States. And I ended it because I didn’t want to waste that money because (those countries) treat us horribly. We were the only ones — it was costing us money. Nobody else was paying into it. And it was a disaster.”
Biden said rejoining the Paris Agreement was crucial to addressing climate change, which he said is the most significant threat to humanity. Biden said the Trump administration would reverse the progress made on environmental issues if reelected.
“We’re in a situation where the idea that he kind of is claiming to have done something that had the cleanest water,” Biden said. “He had not done a damn thing with the environment. He (dropped) out of the Paris (Climate Accord); I immediately joined it because if we reach 1.5 degrees Celsius at any one point, well, there is no way back. The only existential threat to humanity is climate change. And he didn’t do a damn thing about it. He wants to undo all that I’ve done.”
Social Security and Medicare
Biden and Congressional Democrats have taken action to lower prescription drug costs for seniors and have enacted laws to protect and expand coverage and lower costs for the Affordable Care Act. Trump has vowed to repeal and replace the ACA with alternative legislation. He has continued to claim that Democrats will lower Social Security and Medicare safety nets for seniors.
Biden emphasized his stance that wealthy Americans should be paying an equitable share of taxes.
“Make the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share,” Biden said. “Right now, everybody making under $170,000 pays 6% of their income, of their paycheck, every single time they get a paycheck, from the time of the first one they get when they’re 18 years old.”
Biden also said protecting seniors is important, claiming that the American public enjoys the greatest healthcare coverage in history. He pointed out that, without the ACA, 40 million people with preexisting conditions would not have insurance.
“The idea that we don’t need to protect our seniors is ridiculous … The American public has greater health care coverage today than ever before,’ Biden said. ‘And under the ACA., as I said, you’re in a circumstance where … 40 million people would not have insurance because they have a preexisting condition. The only thing that allows them to have that insurance is the fact that they, in fact, are part of the ACA.”
Trump said that Biden’s policies are harming Social Security by allowing millions of immigrants into the U.S. who rely on social welfare programs, claiming that Americans are displaced from accessing these benefits.
“But Social Security, he’s destroying it,” Biden said. “Because millions of people are pouring into our country and they’re putting them on to Social Security; they’re putting them on to Medicare, Medicaid. They’re putting them in our hospitals. They’re taking the place of our citizens.”
Biden and Trump have agreed to an additional debate slated before the 2024 election. Following their official acceptance of their respective party nominations, ABC News will host the candidates on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. EST. The criteria for this debate are similar to those from the CNN debate, reducing the likelihood of third-party candidates participating. The ABC News debate will be the last debate of the election cycle.
CBS News has invited both campaigns to participate in a vice presidential debate on July 23 or Aug. 13. Vice President Kamala Harris accepted, but Trump has not named a running mate.
Summer News Editors Shane Baum and Andrew Baum can be reached at smbaum@umich.edu and asbaum@umich.edu.
The post First 2024 presidential debate: A breakdown of the Biden-Trump showdown appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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