First Lady Jill Biden took the debate stage when the closing remarks were completed and walked off with President Biden; meanwhile, Trump left alone.
The presidential candidates exchanged sharp criticisms on various issues including abortion, immigration, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and their economic policies, as they vied to sway a tightly contested race.
Biden, whose voice sounded rough, initially stumbled over his words but gained traction halfway through the debate.
He then targeted Trump, highlighting his conviction for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, labeling him a “felon.”
Trump retaliated by mentioning the recent conviction of Biden’s son, Hunter, for falsifying information about his drug use to purchase a firearm.
Read our 2024 presidential debate blog for the latest updates…
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Did the US forget about RFK Jr?
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not up on tonight’s debate stage with President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Apart from a live-streamed response to the debate, Kennedy and his running mate, philanthropist Nicole Shanahan, have nothing on their public schedules for the coming weeks, AP News reported.
Following a busy spring filled with political rallies, fundraisers, and nontraditional campaign events, Kennedy has not been seen much.
Despite his limited visibility on the campaign trail, Kennedy maintains a steady presence on social media and continues to participate in interviews, including a recent appearance with talk show host Dr. Phil.
His efforts aim to keep his candidacy in the public eye as the race heats up.
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Vivek Ramaswamy says Trump won debate
Ramaswamy contends that Trump unequivocally dominated the decade and possibly influenced independent voters, per AP News.
He contrasted Trump’s performance with what he described as Biden’s vulnerabilities, questioning his ability to complete his term, let alone secure re-election.
Ramaswamy warned of what he perceived as Biden’s presidency posing a national security risk due to perceived weaknesses.
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Vivek Ramaswamy says Trump won debate
Ramaswamy contends that Trump unequivocally dominated the decade and possibly influenced independent voters, per AP News.
He contrasted Trump’s performance with what he described as Biden’s vulnerabilities, questioning his ability to complete his term, let alone secure re-election.
Ramaswamy warned of what he perceived as Biden’s presidency posing a national security risk due to perceived weaknesses.
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Trump said that Biden will ‘drive us to World War III’
Trump issued a vague warning, alleging Biden would lead the country into World War III.
Biden countered by emphasizing the importance of US support for NATO and Ukraine, cautioning against escalating conflict with Russia.
He argued that abandoning Ukraine to Russia would precipitate war rather than prevent it.
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Trump says ‘We are living in hell’
In his closing remarks, Trump declared, “We’re living in hell,” criticizing the country’s current state. He compared the situation to the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally, saying it is “a thousand times worse” under Biden’s leadership.
Trump accused Biden of causing national unrest due to a lack of respect.
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Jill Biden joins stage to collect Joe
First Lady Jill Biden has joined the stage to walk off with her husband.
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Trump makes closing statement
Trump started his closing statement by saying that Biden is “a complainer.”
He said that he plans on making “America great again.”
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Biden’s closing statement
“We’ve made significant progress form the debacle that was left by President Trump,” Biden said during his closing statement.
He touched upon taxes, childcare, healthcare, inflation, and more key topics.
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‘You’re a whiner’
Biden has just called Trump ‘a whiner,’ citing that he did so when Trump lost the 2020 election.
“I doubt that you would accept it because you’re a whiner,” Biden said.
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‘Totally unacceptable’
Trump said that violence of any kind is “totally unacceptable” when the moderators asked him whether he pledged to accept the election results when they came.
He added that he would if the election results are fair.
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Trump says he won gold championships
“I just won two club championships,” Trump said, adding that it wasn’t “even the senior” championships.
This response came after he was asked to respond to questions about his age at the end of his would-be presidential term.
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Biden calls Trump ‘incompetent’
Biden was questioned about his age, 81, and said, “And this guy is three years younger and a lot less competent.”
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Trump talks about ‘being the best’
Before talking about taxes, Trump said that he “was the best,” and added that if he is reelected, he will “be the best.”
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Trump changes the subject
Trump shifted the conversation to the border numerous times this evening.
He has done so when questioned about topics ranging from climate change, and January 6, and more.
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Viewers accuse Biden of picking his nose
Viewers of the debate are saying that Biden picked his nose during the event.
Credit: CNN
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RFK Jr’s live stream glitches
The head of the super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign announced that nearly 1 million people are tuning in to the independent candidate’s counterprogramming for tonight’s debate.
The stream, however, glitched.
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Trump says he lowered insulin cost for seniors, not Biden
Biden has touted his success in capping insulin costs at $35 per month for seniors with diabetes.
However, during tonight’s debate, Trump contended that Biden is falsely taking credit for this achievement, claiming it was actually his own accomplishment.
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Trump says inflation is ‘killing people’
After saying that Biden “caused this inflation,” Trump said that inflation is “killing people.”
Biden slammed back, saying that there was no inflation when he took office because “the economy was flat on its back.”
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Talk of ‘suckers and losers’
During the debate, President Joe Biden referenced a 2020 report from The Atlantic alleging that former President Donald Trump had disparaged fallen US service members as “losers” and “suckers.”
Biden recounted Trump’s alleged remarks at a World War I cemetery, defending his son Beau Biden’s military service.
Trump denied the claims again during the debate, dismissing them as fabricated and criticizing the publication.
He demanded an apology from Biden, who refused to retract his statements.
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Trump comes for Biden’s presidency
“He’s not equipped to be president. You know it and I know it.” Trump said.
He also added that Biden has led “the worst” presidency.
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Biden criticizes Trump over ‘seeking retribution against any American’
“The idea that you have the right to seek retribution against any American just because you’re president is wrong.
“Simply wrong. No president has spoken like that,” Biden told Trump about the events of the insurrection.
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‘I didn’t do anything wrong’
Trump has claimed that he “didn’t do anything wrong” when talking about his charges.
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Looking back: Biden says Trump has ‘morals of an alleycat’
Trump denied Biden’s accusation, stating, “I didn’t have sex with a porn star.”
Biden had criticized Trump, claiming he had the “morals of an alleycat” for the alleged affair during Melania Trump’s pregnancy.
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Biden brings up Trump being ‘a convicted felon’
“There was no effort on his part to stop what was going on at Capital Hill,” Biden said about Trump.
Biden also said, “The only person on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now.”
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Biden’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war slammed by Trump
Trump criticized President Biden, claiming a respected president could have prevented Putin’s invasion of 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,” the former president said.
Trump has previously praised Putin’s tactics in the 2022 invasion but has been critical of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, labeling him a “salesman” for seeking military aid.