Donald Trump and Joe Biden are squaring off on the debate stage in Atlanta, Georgia, in their first head-to-head of the 2024 election cycle.
Broadcast live from CNN’s studios with the network’s anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash serving as moderators, the debate promises to be every bit as bad-tempered as their two face-offs in the run-up to the Covid-blighted 2020 election.
Biden arrived at the venue accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden. Melania Trump is not in attendance.
The former president fired off an opening salvo on Wednesday, saying that the president should be thrilled there will be no fact-checkers present because he is a “lying machine”.
There was no handshake between the two candidates as they took the stage.
Meanwhile, new polling shows Trump up by just five points in a head-to-head matchup with Biden among likely voters in Texas. Trump received 48 percent to Biden’s 43 percent in the poll conducted between 11 and 20 June by the University of Texas at Tyler.
Biden says Trump once called veterans losers and suckers and then said to him “You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:31
Watch: Biden is struggling and Trump sees an opening to spout untruths about abortion, the border, and veterans
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:27
Debate moves on to abortion
Trump turns the question of Roe v Wade around and goes after Democrats.
“The problem they have is they’re radical, because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth,” he says.
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:20
Biden delivers rambling response to Medicare question
The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg reports: “Biden just lost his train of thought. Losing his train of thought will lose him the election. It’s the one thing he could not do tonight and he did it in the first 15 minutes.”
Daniel Dale, fact-checker at CNN writes: “Biden made false claims about his drug policies in Medicare. It’s a $35/month cap on insulin, not $15/month. And it’s a $2,000 per year annual cap starting next year, not $200.”
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:17
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:12
First question is on the economy and inflation
Biden answers first and touts his achievements in building the economy back after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump claims he got the country out of the pandemic recession. This did not happen until after he left office.
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:10
The debate is getting underway
CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have run through the rules and Joe Biden and Donald Trump have taken the stage.
There is no handshake between the candidates.
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 02:03
Melania Trump a no-show at husband’s first debate
Melania Trump will break a long-standing tradition by not attending the 2024 presidential debate on Thursday evening.
Donald Trump’s wife was nowhere to be seen when he de-boarded his plane in Atlanta, Georgia ahead of his first debate against President Joe Biden since 2020. Now, it is confirmed she will not be attending the debate to support her husband, CNN reports.
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 01:56
RFK Jr admits he has ‘perception problem’
Having not met the requirements to be on the debate stage in Atlanta tonight, independent candidate Robert F Kennedy, Jr, mounted a passionate defense of his independent campaign in an interview with Dr Phil aired on Thursday.
Josh Marcus watched the interview.
Oliver O’Connell28 June 2024 01:41
