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2024: BIDEN-TRUMP Debate: TRUMP Lies & Rambles BIDEN Slow & Struggles
BIDEN-TRUMP Debate: Presidential Candidates Trade Blows on Abortion And Tax Policy
A COMPLETE DEBACLE & USELESS DEBATE:
Trump Declines to Say If He Will Accept Election Results in Deadlocked Race
Democrats concerned after Bidens' debate performance as Trump gets away with lies and deflections
The Guardian 28 JUN 2024
KEY MOMENTS;
Biden answers first question from moderator about the economy, and specifically the inflation that has gripped the US during Biden’s term.
“What do you say to voters who feel they are worse off under your presidency than they were under President Trump?” Tapper asked.
Biden immediately blamed Trump:
We got to take a look at what I was left when I became president, what Mr Trump left me. We had an economy that was in freefall. The pandemic was so badly handled, many people were dying. All he said was not that serious, just inject a little bleach into your arm, you’ll be all right.
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.
'It's been a terrible thing what you've done': Biden attacks Trump over abortion
Biden and Trump got into it over abortion, with the president telling off his predecessor for his hand in the supreme court decision overturning Roe v Wade, and allowing states to ban the procedure.
Trump appointed three of the justices who supported that decision, and Biden told him: “It’s been a terrible thing what you’ve done.”
The president went on to argue politicians should not have a part in women’s health care":
The idea that the politicians, the founders, wanted the politicians to be the ones making decisions about my 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.
Trump says he will get Ukraine war 'settled fast before I take office'
Trump claimed he could somehow resolve Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prior to taking office, assuming he wins the November election.
“I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelenskiy as president-elect before I take office on January 20. I’ll have that war settled, people being killed so needlessly, so stupidly, and I will get it settled, and I’ll get it settled fast before I take office,” Trump said.
Trump deflects when asked about role in January 6 attack
Trump was asked directly about his role in the January 6 insurrection, during which hordes of his supporters sacked the US Capitol in an effort to block Biden from becoming president.
The former president did not have much substantive to say in response, but instead tried to steer attention to his campaign planks:
Let me tell you about January 6. On January 6, we had a great border. Nobody coming through, very few. On January 6, we were energy independent. On January 6, we had the lowest taxes ever. We had the lowest regulations ever. On January 6, we were respected over the world, all over the world. We were respected.
Trump says Biden 'could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office'
Trump was asked if he would prosecute his political opponents, like Biden, if he returns to the presidency.
“Well, I said my retribution is going to be success. We’re going to make this country successful again, because right now, it’s a failing nation,” Trump said at the start of his answer.
But then he seemed to indicate that he would target Biden:
But when he talks about a convicted felon. His son is a convicted felon at a very high level. His son is convicted, going to be convicted probably numerous other times.
Should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations lapse on the most important things. But he could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office. Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things.
Tapper and Bash have failed to push back, and it’s difficult for Biden alone to counter every lie. The unfortunate upshot is false equivalence: Trump’s lies seem to have just as much weight as Biden’s truths, especially to viewers who might just be tuning into the election. It’s a potential repeat of the disastrous CNN town hall with Trump last year.
Trump declines to say if he will accept election results
Moderator Dana Bash asked Trump if he would accept the election results, and rather than answer, Trump more or less dodged the question by rambling about a variety of things.
“Will you pledge tonight that once all legal challenges have been exhausted, that you will accept the results of this election, regardless of who wins? And you will say right now that political violence in any form is unacceptable?” Bash asked.
“Well, I shouldn’t have to say that, but of course, I believe that it’s totally unacceptable,” Trump said, seemingly in response to the question about political violence.
The candidates are now on to closing statements, with Biden up first and arguing that he had cleaned up a mess left behind by his predecessor.
“We’ve made significant progress from the debacle that was left by President Trump in his last term,” Biden said.
He went on to say Trump “increased your taxes because of the deficit. Number one, he’s increased inflation because of the debacle he left after where he handled the pandemic, and he finds himself in a position where he now wants to tax you more by putting a 10% tariff on everything that comes into the United States of America.”
Biden ended by pledging to “continue to fight to bring down inflation and give people a break.”
Trump attacks Biden as 'complainer' as debate concludes
The former president used his closing argument to attack Biden as having failed to change anything as president.
“Like so many politicians, this man is just a complainer. He said, we want to do this, we want to do that, we want to get rid of this tax, that tax. But he doesn’t do anything,” Trump said.
And then he shifted to his tried-and-true tactic of tying that to all his favored campaign subjects:
All he does is make our country unsafe by allowing millions and millions of people to pour in. Our military doesn’t respect him. We look like fools in Afghanistan. We didn’t stop Israel. It was such a horrible thing that would have never happened. It should have never happened.
Trump concluded by saying: “We’re in a failing nation, but it’s not going to be failing any more. We’re going to make it great again.”
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