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Key moments from Biden and Trump's first presidential debate of 2024

Key moments from Biden and Trump's first presidential debate of 2024
Biden facing off against Donald Trump in the first presidential debate of the campaign season, immigration, inflation and the economy, key issues the candidates focused on. First, let's get the facts on this statement on the economy made by former President Trump. We have the greatest economy in the history of our country. We have never done so well. Everybody was amazed by it. Other countries were copying us. Economists generally measure our economy's health by looking at the GDP, the gross domestic product and adjusting it for inflation. That basically means the monetary value of the goods and services we produce here in the US. Under Trump, the growth was modest at most. It grew 3% in 2018. The economy grew at *** faster annual rate 48 times and under every president before and after Trump dating back to 1930 except under Barack Obama and Herbert Hoover. When talking about the pandemic at the debate, President Biden making *** claim about Trump and how he told people to get rid of the coronavirus pandemic was so badly handled. Many people were dying. All he said was, it's not that serious, just inject *** little bleach in your arm. You'll be all right back in 2020. During *** news conference, Trump suggested that scientists test the use of very powerful light and disinfectant in the body to kill the virus. He mentioned an injection at one point but he never said to use bleach and he didn't tell people to inject themselves. At one point in the debate, Trump attacking Biden about the number of drugs he says are coming through the southern border. But the number of drugs coming across our border now is, is the largest we've ever had by far. Data on the total amount of illicit drugs smuggled into the US doesn't exist. But the amount of drug seized by border patrol officials is tracked and the number is trending down under President Biden, for example, £1.1 million of drugs were seized by border patrol and the office of field operations in 2020. Trump's last full year as president in 2021 9 £113,000 were seized and that number has continued to go down every year since finally, President Biden making this claim about what he thinks Trump will do to the Affordable Care Act. He wants to get rid of the AC *** again and they're going to try again if they win that comment needs more context. According to our partners at factcheck.org Trump has said in the past that he wants to get rid of the law, but in March of this year, Trump wrote on social media that he wants to make it better, stronger and far less expensive as for *** formal health care plan, the former president hasn't released one. And our investigative team fact checked the entire debate for more. You can head to our website and mobile app helping you get the facts. I'm national investigative correspondent, John Cardelli.
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Key moments from Biden and Trump's first presidential debate of 2024
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump opened their first 2024 president debate without shaking hands and went right to mixing it up on policy Thursday night. Some key moments from their 90-minute faceoff:Economic fireworksTheir first exchange delved into the economy.Biden spoke softly, in a hoarse voice, as he talked up the economic gains on his watch, saying he rescued it from “free fall” and “chaos” when he took over the presidency from Trump in 2021. He cleared his throat several times.Trump listened with a bemused expression but did not try to interrupt, though his microphone was muted while Biden spoke.When it was his turn to speak, Trump bragged about the state of the economy during his term, saying “everything was rocking good.” He blamed Biden for rising prices that have frustrated Americans.“Inflation is killing our country,” Trump said. “It's absolutely killing us.”Candidates tangle over who's extreme on abortionBiden blamed Trump for eroding abortion rights after the Republican's three appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court voted to reverse Roe v. Wade, which had recognized a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. The reversal has energized many voters who support abortion rights and it helped power Democratic victories in the 2022 midterms and special elections.“It’s been a terrible thing what you’ve done,” Biden said, turning to his rival. He pledged to restore the law under Roe if given a second term but didn’t say how he’d accomplish that. He said the idea of turning abortion laws back to states “is like saying we’re going to turn civil rights back to the states.”Trump said his presidency returned the issue of abortion to the people through state laws. He said he supports abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and he repeated his false claim that Biden supports abortion up to and after birth.“We think the Democrats are the radicals, not the Republicans,” Trump said.Trump pushes Jan. 6 falsehoods, minimizes conduct of those convicted of riotingTrump lied about his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol and tried to deflect by pivoting to other issues.Pressed on his role, he said he encouraged people to act “peacefully and patriotically,” then changed the subject to launch an attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.He said Biden ought to “be ashamed” for the way the Jan. 6 defendants have been handled.Trump, who has floated the idea of pardons for the 6 rioters, suggested his supporters who stormed the Capitol were actually peaceful and are now being politically persecuted.In fact, the rioters engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police and used makeshift weapons to attack officers. More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses stemming from the riot, and more than 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.“The only person who’s on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said of his rival.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump opened their first 2024 president debate without shaking hands and went right to mixing it up on policy Thursday night. Some key moments from their 90-minute faceoff:

Economic fireworks

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Their first exchange delved into the economy.

Biden spoke softly, in a hoarse voice, as he talked up the economic gains on his watch, saying he rescued it from “free fall” and “chaos” when he took over the presidency from Trump in 2021. He cleared his throat several times.

Trump listened with a bemused expression but did not try to interrupt, though his microphone was muted while Biden spoke.

When it was his turn to speak, Trump bragged about the state of the economy during his term, saying “everything was rocking good.” He blamed Biden for rising prices that have frustrated Americans.

“Inflation is killing our country,” Trump said. “It's absolutely killing us.”

Candidates tangle over who's extreme on abortion

Biden blamed Trump for eroding abortion rights after the Republican's three appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court voted to reverse Roe v. Wade, which had recognized a nationwide constitutional right to abortion. The reversal has energized many voters who support abortion rights and it helped power Democratic victories in the 2022 midterms and special elections.

“It’s been a terrible thing what you’ve done,” Biden said, turning to his rival. He pledged to restore the law under Roe if given a second term but didn’t say how he’d accomplish that. He said the idea of turning abortion laws back to states “is like saying we’re going to turn civil rights back to the states.”

Trump said his presidency returned the issue of abortion to the people through state laws. He said he supports abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and he repeated his false claim that Biden supports abortion up to and after birth.

“We think the Democrats are the radicals, not the Republicans,” Trump said.

Trump pushes Jan. 6 falsehoods, minimizes conduct of those convicted of rioting

Trump lied about his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol and tried to deflect by pivoting to other issues.

Pressed on his role, he said he encouraged people to act “peacefully and patriotically,” then changed the subject to launch an attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

He said Biden ought to “be ashamed” for the way the Jan. 6 defendants have been handled.

Trump, who has floated the idea of pardons for the 6 rioters, suggested his supporters who stormed the Capitol were actually peaceful and are now being politically persecuted.

In fact, the rioters engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police and used makeshift weapons to attack officers. More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses stemming from the riot, and more than 1,000 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.

“The only person who’s on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said of his rival.