US Presidential debate recap: President Joe Biden and Donald Trump face off
They’ve been exchanging jibes on the campaign trail for months but on Friday Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off for their first presidential debate of the 2024 US election.
It was the first time they had confronted each other in person since 2020 - after Trump tried to overturn the election result and after the storming of the Capitol.
Trump was expected to try to put Biden on the ropes over immigration and the economy, while Biden attacked Trump over abortion and democracy.
There was no in-person audience for the 90-minute debate, hosted by CNN at its Atlanta studios, which came four months before voters are set to head to the polls on November 5.
It was the first of two debates the old foes have agreed to. The next will be in September.
The debate was moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash who are hosts of the network’s Sunday political talk show State of the Union.
Tapper is CNN’s chief Washington correspondent and Bash is the network’s chief political correspondent.
Past debates have always been later in the year, in September and October, but Biden pushed for an earlier start.
Biden and Trump had two debates in the run-up to the 2020 election. During the first, Trump was called out for his constant interjections, with moderator Fox News’ Chris Wallace saying he was “sad” the way it turned out.
“I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did,” he said.
The debacle prompted the introduction of mute buttons for the candidate’s microphones which were in place for Friday’s debate.
What to look out for
The candidates are the same. The circumstances are very different. Here’s what to watch for in the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The animosity is expected to be palpable.
READ MORE: What to watch for at the first Trump-Biden debate
Trump says he had ‘greatest economy’
Donald Trump says during his time as president the US had the “greatest economy in the history”.
“We had never done so well. Everybody was amazed by it. Other countries were copying us.”
Grilled over economy
The debate kicks off on the economy.
Joe Biden, responding to the voters who feel they are worse off under his presidency, says he inherited an economy from Trump that was in freefall.
“The pandemic was so badly handled, many people were dying.”
“All he said was it’s not that serious - just inject a little bleach into your arm and you’ll be alright.”
“The economy collapsed. There were no jobs. Unemployment rate rose to 15 per cent. It was terrible. So what we had to do was try to put things back together again.
“We created 15,000 new jobs, we brought out a position where we have 8000 new manufacturing jobs. But there’s more to be done.”
Debate begins
And it’s on.
Debate co-moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bush are laying out the rules of the debate - including the fact microphones will have a mute button. Something introduced after the first debate in 2020 when Donald Trump kept interrupting Biden.
What to look out for
The candidates are the same. The circumstances are very different. Here’s what to watch for in the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
The animosity is expected to be palpable.
READ MORE: What to watch for at the first Trump-Biden debate
Biden ‘feeling jacked up’
Joe Biden has posted an extraordinary tweet, minutes before he is set to debate Donald Trump.
Debate about to start
Welcome to this historic debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 US election.
It’s the first time two men who have both been president will face off in a debate of this kind.
And there is a lot at stake for both. Each will be hoping to take the win into the final months of the campaign.
It will be the first time they have confronted each other in person since 2020 - after Trump tried to overturn the election result and after the storming of the Capitol.
Trump is expected to try to put Biden on the ropes over immigration and the economy, while Biden is likely to attack Trump over abortion and democracy. Pundits will also be keen to see if Biden decides to raise Trump’s criminal record.
