Trump vs Biden US Presidential Debate 2024 Highlights: Economy, climate issues, Ukraine and Israel wars feature in debate between Biden, Trump

Supporters have started to reinstate support for President Biden who is holding his first rally after last night’s debate. 

Hours before Gov, Roy Cooper was set to share a stage with the President in Raleigh, he said, “Well, the president didn’t have a good night, but neither did Donald Trump with lie after lie and his dark vision for America."

The common notion is “he had a bad night”, “he was up against a liar” and “don’t judge him based on one debate." 

The Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's petition for immunity from charges related to trying to overturn the 2020 election, is expected on Monday, the final day of its current term.

US Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday announced July 1 as the final day of the court's current term, which began in October. However, the court announced it will issue more decisions Monday – making it certain that the decision on Trump’s fate will be handed down that day.

According to a Reuters report, in April, the court's justices showed support for the former US  presidents having standard protection from criminal charges for certain acts carried out  in office, However, they seemed unwelcoming about Trump's most far-reaching bid for "absolute immunity."

The Biden campaign has put out a 38-second-reel of snippets from the debate, spotlighting what it hopes will be most striking -- Donald Trump's false debate answers.

The former president made many false claims while answering debate questions, but Biden's poor performance overshadowed most of them.

One of the snippets from the reel spotlights Trump's proclamation that 'I didn't have sex with a porn star.' It shows another moment in which he lies about Biden 'making up the Charlottesville story' that Trump condemned violence 'on many sides.”

According to the BBC's report, he was referring to his response as president to a 2017 rally by white supremacists in which one anti-racism protester died and more than a dozen others were injured.

It also shows Trump putting on his card appointing Supreme Court justices who passed a decision to strike down national protections for abortion. Another clip is of the former president changing the topic when asked if he will accept the results of the 2024 election.

Amid speculation that President Biden might avoid another debate after his underwhelming performance in the first one, his campaign appears to want to silence those doubters.

A CNN correspondent posted on 'X' that the president remains committed to participating in the second of the two scheduled debates with Donald Trump.

The duo is next scheduled to take the debate stage on 10 September. It will be hosted by ABC News.

NEW, as just reported on @CNN: Not only does @POTUS not plan to drop out, Biden remains committed to a second debate in September, an adviser tells me

— Kayla Tausche (@kaylatausche) June 28, 2024

According to a BBC report, in a post-debate flash poll by CNN, most voters said Donald Trump outplayed Joe Biden, with more than two-thirds saying Trump walked away as winner.

But the vast majority, 81%, of those polled said the debate would not have an impact on their vote at the election in November.

Another 14% reconsidered who to vote for but didn’t change their mind and  5% said it actually changed their minds about it.

It's a small number but it could still be enough to sway the vote given how tight the race is now between Trump and Biden.

In 2020, Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232, and secured less than 5% more of the popular vote. Many of his victory margins were so small that even a small swing could have possibly changed the outcome, BBC reported.

A group of US voters who were unable to choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump before Thursday's presidential debate delivered their verdicts after the contest and it was almost universally bad news for Biden.

Of the 13 "undecided” voters who spoke to Reuters, 10 described Biden’s performance against Trump collectively as feeble, befuddled, embarrassing and difficult to watch.

Gina Gannon, a retiree who voted for Trump in 2016 before ditching him for Biden in 2020, said, "Joe Biden looked very weak and confused right from the start. It concerns me that our global enemies see Joe Biden in this manner. I am absolutely voting for Donald Trump now.

Seven of the nine voters who were dismayed by Biden's performance told Reuters they were now leaning towards Trump, because they no longer believe Biden can perform his duties as president. 

The issues of age and mental capacity exploded onto the campaign trail in February following a report by a Department of Justice special counsel that suggested Biden was suffering memory lapses.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously cheered on Biden's prospects for re-election. However, on Friday, a senior defence figure in the ruling coalition lamented Biden's performance and urged Democrats to find another candidate.

"The fact that a man like Trump could become president again because the Democrats are unable to put up a strong candidate against him would be a historic tragedy that the whole world would feel," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann of the liberal FDP party, told the Rheinische Post paper, according to a Reuters report. 

While the first US presidential debate of the 2024 race dwelled little on foreign policy, a shaky performance by President Joe Biden will have America's allies steeling for the return of Donald Trump, analysts say.

 'Mr. Trump didn't win but Mr. Biden might have imploded,' said Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat and now research director at the Canon Institute for Global Studies, a think tank.

For Japan and South Korea, among the closest US allies in Asia, relations with Trump's administration were at times strained by his demands for more payments towards military assistance as well as trade tensions.

'Unlike eight years ago, we are much more prepared, as are other European and Asian allies. Still, Mr. Trump is unpredictable,' he said.

Peter Lee, research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said the debate had put into 'much more stark relief' the possibility of a second Trump administration.

According to a Reuters report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia has no comment on the US presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as it is an internal U.S. matter. 

Russia loomed large in the debate as both men tried to show who was tougher on foreign policy.

“I don’t think you would expect the Russian president to set his alarm clock and wake up in the early hours to watch a debate in America," he replied.

"This event is not on our agenda," Peskov added. "We have lots of issues which are important for our country, which are topical for us. These are the issues our president deals with. Debates in the United States are not our priority."

Trump said if the US had a 'real president' who was respected by Putin, he would never have invaded Ukraine on Biden's watch.

Biden responded: 'Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He has no idea what the hell he's talking about.'

Putin said earlier this month he did not believe the outcome of the election would make much difference for Russia.  

Here's a look at some of the false claims made during Biden and Trump's first debate:

JANUARY 6 ATTACK

TRUMP: “They talk about a relatively small number of people that went to the Capitol and in many cases were ushered in by the police.”

THE FACTS: That's false. The attack on the US Capitol was the deadliest assault on the seat of American power in over 200 years. As thoroughly documented by video, photographs and people who were there, thousands of people descended on Capitol Hill in what became a brutal scene of hand-to-hand combat with police.In an internal memo on March 7, 2023, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said that the allegation that “our officers helped the rioters and acted as ‘tour guides’” is “outrageous and false.” A Capitol Police spokesperson confirmed the memo’s authenticity to The Associated Press. More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot. More than 850 people have pleaded guilty to crimes, and 200 others have been convicted at trial

TAXES AND REGULATIONS

TRUMP, on Biden: “He wants to raise your taxes by four times.”

THE FACTS: That’s not accurate.Trump has used that line at rallies, but it has no basis in fact. Biden actually wants to prevent tax increases on anyone making less than $400,000, which is the vast majority of taxpayers.More importantly, Biden’s budget proposal does not increase taxes as much as Trump claims, though the increases are focused on corporations and the wealthy. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for individuals are set to expire after 2025, because they were not fully funded when they became law

CLIMATE CHANGE

TRUMP, touting his environmental record, said that “during my four years, I had the best environmental numbers ever” and that he supports “immaculate” air and water.

THE FACTS: That’s far from the whole story. During his presidency, Trump rolled back some provisions of the Clean Water Act, eased regulations on coal, oil and gas companies and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord. When wildfires struck California in 2020, Trump dismissed the scientific consensus that climate change had played a role. Trump also dismissed scientists’ warnings about climate change and routinely proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency. Those reductions were blocked by Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

ABORTION

TRUMP: “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, after birth.”

THE FACTS: Trump inaccurately referred to abortions after birth. Infanticide is criminalized in every state, and no state has passed a law that allows killing a baby after birth.Abortion rights advocates say terms like this and “late-term abortions” attempt to stigmatize abortions later in pregnancy. Abortions later in pregnancy are exceedingly rare. In 2020, less than 1% of abortions in the United States were performed at or after 21 weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abortions later in pregnancy also are usually the result of serious complications, such as fetal anomalies, that put the life of the woman or fetus at risk, medical experts say. In most cases, these are also wanted pregnancies, experts say

COVID-19

BIDEN: Trump told Americans to “inject bleach” into their arms to treat COVID-19.

THE FACTS: That’s overstating it. Rather, Trump asked whether it would be possible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute,” he said at an April 2020 press conference. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful.” -- AP

Above all, Joe Biden's allies wanted him to demonstrate strength and energy on the debate stage Thursday night to help put to rest questions about the 81-year-old Democrat's physical and mental acuity. But on the biggest stage in US politics, Biden did not meet their modest expectations.

And by the end of the 90-minute showdown, the Democratic president's allies — party strategists and rank-and-file voters alike — descended into all-out panic following a debate performance punctuated by repeated stumbles, uncomfortable pauses, and a quiet speaking style that was often difficult to understand.

Publicly and privately, Democrats questioned whether the party could or should replace him as the party's presidential nominee against the 78-year-old former President Donald Trump this fall, reported AP.

“I’m not the only one whose heart is breaking right now. There’s a lot of people who watched this tonight and felt terribly for Joe Biden,” former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said on MSNBC. "I don’t know if things can be done to fix this.”

Trump made a statement during the presidential debate hosted by CNN that the Paris accord was going to cost US $1 trillion and China, Russia and India nothing. However, a factcheck done by The New York Times rebuffs the statement. The media outlet says that China also contributes to developing countries, through a separate "South-South" cooperation fund. Biden government has been pressuring China to donate more.

It should be noted that the US promised to donate $11.4 billion annually by 2024 to support vulnerable countries in developing clean energy. As per the Paris agreement, wealthier or developed nations had agreed to help poor countries most threatened by climate change.

During the concluding statement, Trump lauded his record during his first term as president and termed Biden a "complainer" and further said, “whole country is exploding because of you, because they don’t respect you," according to CNN. Meanwhile, democrat Biden emphasized on taxes and promises to curb inflation.

US President Joe Biden delivered a shaky, halting performance during the debate hosted by CNN. Republican rival and former US president Donald Trump slammed Biden with a series of false attacks. The debate also did not fall short of personal insults. The duo traded barbs on abortion, immigration, economy and even their golf games.

Regarding climate crisis, Donald Trump said, "I want immaculately clean water, air. When I was the Prez, we had it. We had the best numbers ever. During my four years, I had best environmental numbers."

Joe Biden says,"I passed extensive climate policy....I immediately joined Paris Peace Accord."

Defending himself, Trump says, "It would have cost a million dollars to US while other countries like India had to pay nothing."

US President Joe Biden admitted that inflation is adversely affecting black families and their childcare expenses. Making poll promise, Biden says he would ensure that there is enough funding for childcare. He says more needs to be done for jobs.

When asked about disappointed black voters, Biden says, "Inflation is hitting them badly. Every black family was given 10,000 dollar tax credit. We are going to do a lot more for black families."

Trump slammed Biden saying he caused the inflation. "They can't buy groceries anymore. They can't live anymore. I gave him a  country with no inflation. All money is thrown out of the window. People who escaped war and came here are taking up the jobs of the black, hispanics."

When asked about the felony charges Trump was convicted of, the former US president says, "My retribution is going to be success. But his son is a convicted felon. Joe could be a convicted felon. This man is a criminal. We had a system that is rigged."

Trading barb, Biden says, "Its outrageous...The crimes you are charged of...molesting a woman in public. What are you talking about?"

When asked about the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, former US president Donald Trump says, "One should remember at that time we had a great border, We were energy independent, Now, we are laughed at. What happens to US reputation ?"

Hitting back Joe Biden says, "He enouraged the Capitol attack...He went to every court in the country and they said he is responsible for what was done. He wants them all out."

When asked about the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, former US president Donald Trump says, "One should remember at that time we had a great border, We were energy independent, Now, we are laughed at. What happens to US reputation ?"

Hitting back Joe Biden says, "He enouraged the Capitol attack...He went to every court in the country and they said he is responsible for what was done. He wants them all out."

Commenting on the Israel-Hamas war, US President Joe Biden says, "Everyone in UN security council have endorsed the plan I have put forward...We have provided Israel with everything when they needed. We saved Israel. We are the biggest supporter of Israel. Hamas cannot be allowed to continue. They should be eliminated and we should be careful about using certain weapons."

Biden responds to Russia Ukraine war saying, "The fact is that Putin is a war criminal. He wants to reestablish the Soviet empire. He wants all of Ukraine. What will happen to NATO countries? We give Ukraine weapons and all NATO countries have funded the supply of weapons to Ukraine"

When asked if Putin's terms are acceptable to Trump, he emphasises saying, "No, they are not acceptable. It's a war that should have never started. He has given about 200 billion dollar to Ukraine. Zelenskyy is the biggest salesman ever. We should not be spending the money being run for the war. I would have saved the money by settling down things between Putin and Zelenskky."

US President Joe Biden hit back at Trump saying, "We got 100,000 people out of Afghanistan. Do whatever you want - this is what he would tell Putin. He would support Soviet Union. They have lost 500,000 troops."

Commenting on Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said, “Biden did nothing to stop Russia. In fact, he encouraged Russia from going into the war.” Further, Trump said there was no terror during his administration,mentioning about the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Hamas attack on Israel.

US President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump have kicked off the first general election debate. The former president Trump began the debate by boasting about the state of the economy during his tenure and handling Covid-19 pandemic.

With few minutes to go for one of the most crucial debates of 2024 to begin, US Presidential presumed nominees Donald Trump and President Joe Biden would be in a tightspot to prove their respective points but how significant is this presidential debate from the American voters point of view.

Americans certainly know these candidates well by now, but this debate is still viewed as a high-stakes event for both Biden and Trump.

According to a new AP-NORC poll, about half of Americans say the debate is “extremely” or “very” important for the success of Biden’s campaign and about 4 in 10 say it’s highly important for Trump’s campaign. About 3 in 10 Americans say it is at least “very” important for both campaigns.

Most Democrats think the debate is extremely or very important for the success of the Biden campaign. About half of Republicans say the same thing about the importance of the debate for the Trump campaign. Independents are less likely to see the debate as important for either candidate: About one-third say the debate is highly important for each campaign.

(with inputs from AP)

With around half an hour left for the CNN presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump to begin, a former Republican presidential candidate has claimed that he witnessed a sea of supporters of Trump while he was coming to the debate.

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he hasn’t been asked by Trump to serve in an administration but says he’d be happy to do so. Ramaswamy told reporters in the spin room ahead of the debate that he’d be “honored” to serve in some capacity, like White House chief of staff.

Ramaswamy also noted that he saw copious Trump supporters on his way to the debate and said the former president’s backers would “walk on hot coals” to support him.

(with inputs from AP)

Former president and Republican nominee for the US Presidential elections 2024, Donald Trump, has arrived in Atlanta for a debate with President Joe Biden. His plane landed at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia. As per reports, Trump’s wife Melania Trump, the former First Lady was not accompanying him in the plane but as per Forbes, she could still attend the debate which is being hosted by CNN.

President Joe Biden has arrived at Atlanta for a debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump. Biden got down from his Air Force One and was greeted by local Democratic party leaders who applauded as Biden walked on the tarmac. President Biden spent his last week at Camp David with his advisors, where he was reportedly preparing for the debate with Trump, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

In the lead-up to the presidential debate on Thursday, President Joe Biden's campaign has launched an offensive against Project 2025, a comprehensive policy and staffing blueprint developed by allies of former President Donald Trump.

This initiative, assembled by the Heritage Foundation along with other conservative groups, outlines a significant restructuring of the government if a new Republican administration takes office.

The Biden campaign's newly unveiled website critiques Project 2025, associating it directly with Trump. It claims the plan would "gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office."

The campaign argues that although Project 2025 is not Trump's official platform—his campaign refers instead to Agenda47, which emphasizes reducing immigration and promoting economic growth—it still raises alarm among Democrats about the potential implications of a second term for Trump.

"Project 2025 is the plan by Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican allies to give Trump more power over your daily life, gut democratic checks and balances, and consolidate power in the Oval Office if he wins. Trump’s campaign advisors and close allies wrote it – and are doing everything they can to elect him so he can execute their playbook immediately," the Campaign website says.

Read more here

The White House Correspondents' Association said on Thursday CNN has rejected multiple requests to include White House pool reporters inside the studio during the first presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump.

The press pool, made up of representatives of major news organizations including Reuters, accompanies the president on foreign and domestic trips and normally has access to any event where he speaks or appears in public, with the goal of keeping the U.S. public informed.

It is extremely rare for them to be barred from an event in the United States.

"WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio," Kelly O'Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement.

"The pool is there for the 'what ifs?' in a world where the unexpected does happen," she said, and to provide "context and insight by direct observation and not through the lens of television production," she said.

"These reporters are there to see what is said and done when the microphones and cameras are off, and provide independent observation," she wrote, with duties "separate from the production of the debate as a news event."

O'Donnell said both the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to the WHCA's request.

CNN has only agreed to allow one White House print pool reporter to enter the studio during a commercial break to "briefly observe the setting."

The network will also allow still photographers from other outlets to cover the candidates inside the studio and will provide a television feed of the debate to other networks.

CNN has put in place many other rules for the first showdown including two commercial breaks, no props and muted microphones except when the candidates are recognized to speak.

The network said in a statement it is a member of the WHCA and respects the role the group plays to further press freedom and access. But the debate was being held without an audience in a CNN studio and is closed to the press, CNN said.

"Precedent matters for future debates," O'Donnell said, alluding to Biden and Trump's face off again in September.

The National Association of Black Journalists has also asked CNN to accredit reporters from local Black-owned news organizations, after none of Atlanta's Black newsgroups got credentials to be on-site for the debate.

(Reuters)

With less than two hours to go for the first US presidential debate, ex-President Donald Trump has insulted President Joe Biden with a purported ad video on Truth Social media platform. The ad is a direct blow to the Biden Campaign who have also targeted Trump in a series of tweets on X platform.

Trump's video attack:

As both candidates prepared to take the stage in Atlanta, Georgia, Trump shared a video on his Truth Social account branding Biden as boring.

The video is from Fox News’ satirical weekend panel show, ‘Saturday Night with Jimmy Failla.’ It features a fabricated medication called "Bidenica," purportedly a sleep aid made from Joe Biden's press conferences.

The narrator in the video suggests, "If you’re having trouble sleeping, ask your doctor about Bidenica." The video shows actors falling asleep and snoring while listening to the president’s speeches, with the narrator adding that the "patented blend of confusion and forgetfulness" will calm the most overactive brains.

Read the full report here

Ahead of a faceoff between US President Joe Biden and his nemesis Donald Trump, the age factor has come in to haunt both the candidates as the former is 81 years old and the latter recently celebrated his 78th birthday. While Biden has been trolled moreover for his age due to public gaffe and even Republican candidate Trump has taken multiple potshots at him.

Both men enter the debate in Atlanta with political vulnerabilities that present a mix of risk and opportunity. The debate takes place far earlier than normal - more than four months before the Nov. 5 Election Day - and against a backdrop of national opinion polls showing the two men in a dead heat.

The clash also arrives at a moment of profound polarization and deep-seated anxiety among voters about the state of American politics. Two-thirds of voters said in a May Reuters/Ipsos poll that they were concerned violence could follow the election, nearly four years after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, 78, will take the stage as a felon who still faces a trio of criminal cases, including charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former president, who has suggested he will punish his political enemies if elected, will need to demonstrate to undecided voters that he does not pose a mortal threat to democracy, as Biden asserts.

Biden, 81, is under intense pressure to avoid verbal stumbles and deliver a forceful debate performance, after months of Republican assertions his faculties have dulled with age.

Read the full report here

Partisan media outlets have fixated this week on Thursday night’s first presidential debate — and how their preferred candidate could prevail.

Many conservative media outlets have parroted former President Donald Trump by questioning the fairness of the debate, which CNN will host, as well as President Joe Biden’s fitness for it.

Several publications piled on Trump’s long-standing criticism that CNN is biased against him. Many also repeated Trump’s baseless claim that Biden would be under the influence of performance-enhancing drugs during the event.

Liberal outlets criticized Trump and his campaign for making the claims about CNN and for the barbs about medication, saying both were lobbed out of desperation. They also suggested the debate could show Americans that Trump was an erratic candidate.

Read the full story here

As President Joe Biden and Donald Trump get ready for CNN’s presidential debate, in an uncertain world order, wherein issues like immigration, abortion, Israel-Gaza war, Russia-Ukraine war, China’s trade threat looms large over the US.

Even both the presidential candidates have had a fare of court beatings, when Trump became the first former president to be convicted in a hush money trial and President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden also got convicted in a federal gun trial.

Here is a look at some of the memorable moments from the US Presidential debates over the years:

A stalking vibe: Trump vs. Clinton in 2016

Donald Trump changed the landscape of debate etiquette in 2016, ratcheting up the use of ad hominem attacks and made-for-TV one-liners. But it was perhaps his body language during a debate with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that generated the most attention.

At one point Clinton, the Democratic nominee, addressed the audience, turning away from Trump, her Republican opponent. Trump walked closely behind her, giving a pained or scornful look to the camera or to Clinton.

Many observers said it looked as though Trump were a predator looming over his prey. The point was accentuated by their height difference. Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party, stood at about 5-foot-4, while Trump, at 6-foot-3, towered over her.

In her memoir written after her loss, Clinton said she should have been more aggressive during the debates.

The debate of interruptions: Biden vs. Trump in 2020

The first time that Biden and Trump debated was one big back-and-forth, with the moderator barely getting a word in edgewise.

With no rule to cut off candidates’ microphones — a measure that CNN will employ during Thursday’s debate — Biden and Trump constantly talked over each other.

As Biden tried to respond to a question about abolishing the filibuster and increasing the number of Supreme Court justices, he was repeatedly heckled by Trump. Biden, exasperated, finally told the president: “Will you shut up, man?”

The moderator, Chris Wallace, threw up his hands and declared that the line of discussion had ended. Commentators widely viewed the debate as among the least professional — and for curious voters, the least informative — in recent history.

Read the full story here

With just four hours to go for the most awaited debate of 2024, President Joe Biden and his arch rival Donald Trump are poised to target specific regions through their speeches and debates on CNN. Being touted as a precursor to the US presidential polls of November, it would be enigmatic to ascertain the tilt of the debate.

The candidates have Georgia on their mindAtlanta, the debate's host city, offers symbolic and practical meaning for the campaign, but each side believes that what happens there will resonate far and wide. In 2020, Biden secured Georgia’s 16 electoral votes with a margin of less than 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast. 

Trump pushed the state's Republican leadership to overturn his victory based on false theories of voter fraud, memorably being caught on tape saying he wanted to "find 11,780 votes.” 

He now faces state racketeering charges.Both campaigns held a flurry of events in Atlanta leading into the debate, including competing events at Black-owned local businesses. 

Trump called in Friday to a gathering at Rocky’s Barbershop in the Buckhead community to talk about his matchup with Biden and question whether CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash would treat him fairly.

Heading out of the debate, both Biden and Trump will travel to states they hope to swing their way this fall. Trump is heading to Virginia, a one time battleground that has shifted toward Democrats in recent years.

Biden is set to jet off to North Carolina, where he is expected to hold the largest-yet rally of his campaign in a state Trump narrowly carried in 2020.

(With inputs from AP)

When President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump take the debate stage on Friday, both will be cautious to avoid any gaffes and keen to deliver a memorable one-liner that could capture the headlines.

Over the past two decades, these debates have highlighted pivotal moments in America's political history, showcasing the contrasting styles and policies of the contenders.

From the intense and often chaotic exchanges between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in 2020 to the policy-driven debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012, each debate has left a lasting impact on the electoral process. 

Let's delve into the past five presidential debates, examining the key moments, strategies, and outcomes that have shaped recent US elections, scheduled for November 5.

1.  2020 Presidential Debates: Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump

The 2020 presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump featured two major events. The first debate took place on September 29, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio, and was moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News. This debate was characterised by frequent interruptions, especially by Trump, leading to a chaotic atmosphere. Major topics included the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy, and race relations.

The second debate occurred on October 22, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee, moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News. This debate was more structured due to the introduction of a mute button, allowing for clearer discussion on pandemic response, climate change, and national security.

Read the full story here

While national polls show a tied race, Joe Biden has trailed Donald Trump in polls of most battleground states and recently saw his financial edge erased after Trump was criminally convicted over trying to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

"Biden needs a change in the status quo, and this debate is his best opportunity yet to do it," said Jacob Rubashkin, an elections analyst at the nonpartisan website Inside Elections.

"Right now, voters are looking at this race more like a referendum on Biden than a choice election, and that's dangerous territory for him to be in. But in the debate he can drive home the contrast angle - and Trump will be in the spotlight as well."

Neither Biden nor Trump is popular and many Americans remain deeply ambivalent about their choices. About a fifth of voters say they have not picked a candidate, are leaning toward a third-party candidate or may sit the election out, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

"They're horrible candidates," said Kathy Elder, a 59-year-old sales manager who voted for Trump in 2016 before switching to Biden in 2020.

Elder will be watching Thursday's debate to try to decide which way to go this year, but she said she cringes whenever they speak – for different reasons.

When it comes to Biden, she said, "Can he speed this up and actually talk?" As for Trump, she said, "What the hell is going to come out of his mouth?"

Biden and Trump have made little effort to disguise their mutual dislike. During their first debate in 2020, Trump aggressively talked over Biden in a performance that turned off many voters.

(Reuters)

Former President Donald Trump is all set to take on the Democratic nominee and the incumbent President Joe Biden in CNN's 90 minutes presidential debate which will be the first for this US election season.

In the run up to the US presidential election scheduled for November 2024, the upcoming debate would be watched keenly by public and observers across the globe as the current global geopolitical situation hangs in the balance and US’ hold might be plunging to open up a new multipolar world order.

The political pundits have opined that Biden might illustrate Trump's role in threatening abortion access, portray him as a danger to democratic norms and remind voters of Trump's often chaotic 2017-2021 term in office. Whereas Republican nominee Trump is set to focus on the high levels of inflation and record numbers of migrants who have entered the country illegally under Biden's watch, and will also question his world leadership at a time of war in Gaza and Ukraine.

Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump will take the same stage on Thursday for the first time since 2020, in an election rematch between the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency.

The 90-minute televised debate, the first between a sitting president and a former one, will air at 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Friday) on CNN and is expected to draw a huge audience. A record 84 million watched Trump's first debate in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

Both men enter the debate in Atlanta with political vulnerabilities that present a mix of risk and opportunity. The debate takes place far earlier than normal - more than four months before the Nov. 5 Election Day - and against a backdrop of national opinion polls showing the two men in a dead heat.

The clash also arrives at a moment of profound polarization and deep-seated anxiety among voters about the state of American politics. Two-thirds of voters said in a May Reuters/Ipsos poll that they were concerned violence could follow the election, nearly four years after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Trump, 78, will take the stage as a felon who still faces a trio of criminal cases, including charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

The former president, who continues to falsely claim that his defeat was the result of fraud and has suggested he will punish his political enemies if returned to power, will need to convince undecided voters that he does not pose a mortal threat to democracy, as Biden asserts.

Biden, 81, is under intense pressure to avoid verbal stumbles and deliver a forceful debate performance, after months of Republican assertions his faculties have dulled with age.

(Reuters)

Thursday's faceoff will be the first time a current president debates a former.

Historically, incumbents sometimes struggle during opening debates. They're used to being surrounded by White House advisers who offer little pushback. In 2012, then-President Obama's seemingly detached first debate performance against Mitt Romney allowed the Republican to gain momentum.

Romney, though, had an awkward moment during the second debate.

Answering a question about gender pay equity, the former Massachusetts governor talked about going to women's groups to get help finding qualified female applicants for top state posts.

"They brought us whole binders full of women,” he declared. Obama turned that into an attack line at subsequent rallies, gleefully saying, “We don't have to collect a bunch of binders to find qualified, talented, driven young women.”

If Biden's debate skills are rusty this time, his opponent's might be as well. Trump skipped all the GOP primary debates this time, meaning he's not done one since squaring off with Biden twice in 2020.

Trump interrupted so frequently when they first debated four years ago that Biden eventually cried out, “Will you shut up, man?” — a visceral moment if there ever was one.

Trump is remembered that night for instructing members of the far-right Proud Boys group from the stage to “stand back and stand by.” Some members of the extremist group took it as a sign of encouragement.

The second Biden-Trump debate of 2020 saw producers cut the mics to discourage interrupting, making it less chaotic. It featured Biden wistfully declaring, “I am anxious to have this race. I'm anxious to see this take place.” It did. And now it's happening again.

(AP)

Former President Donald Trump is leading with 10 points against Democrats President Joe Biden in the run up to the November 2024 polls of the US President, a survey by a polling agency has showed.

The Rasmussen Reports survey, which Donald Trump posted about on his social media platform Truth Social, suggested that 46% of the voters are likely to back the 78 years old ex-president while 36% voters supported the incumbent 81 years old President Biden. Trump is likely to utilise this mileage of the opinion polls in the upcoming CNN Presidential Debate.

Investors watching the first live debate of the 2024 election race on Thursday hope to hear US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump argue thoughtful positions on fiscal policy, tariffs and taxes, while closely monitoring their mental acuity. Many on Wall Street are looking for the ageing candidates to prove they are sharp enough for four years in the White House.

"The nightmare scenario for investors would be if neither candidate seems up for the job," said Robert Phipps, director at Per Stirling in Austin, Texas. His concern is if Biden, 81, seems too old or "lethargic" or 78-year old Trump engages in "too many nonsensical rants."

While markets tend to be politically indifferent according to Phipps, the big fear is change, which introduces uncertainty. Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital in Chicago wants to see "a rational inside-the-lines debate." (Reuters)

• The 90-minutes-long debate will take place without an audience, meeting one of the demands from Biden’s team.
• The debate will start at 9 pm Eastern time and will see two commercial breaks.
• The candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.
• Only Trump and Biden will be on the stage.
• The candidates will stand at podiums, with Biden on the right and Trump on the left of viewers’ screens. Their positions were determined by a coin flip, which Biden won, according to New York Times.
• Trump will get the final word during closing statements, as decided by a coin flip.
• Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be the moderators.

In his last scheduled rally before he takes the stage for a presidential debate, former President Donald Trump mocked President Joe Biden over his preparations, suggesting his opponent might be using medical supplements.

“Right now, crooked Joe has gone to a log cabin to ‘study,’” Trump said at a rally in Philadelphia, pantomiming quotation marks with his hands. “He’s sleeping now, because they want to get him good and strong. So a little before debate time, he gets a shot in the a**.”

Vice President Kamala Harris says “everything is at stake” with reproductive health rights in November’s election as the Biden campaign steps up its focus on contrasting the positions taken by Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on the issue before their debate.

Biden and his allies are trying to remind voters that the landmark decision in 2022 was made by a high court that included three conservative justices nominated during Trump’s White House tenure. “Every person of whatever gender should understand that, if such a fundamental freedom such as the right to make decisions about your own body can be taken, be aware of what other freedoms may be at stake,” Harris said in a joint MSNBC interview with Hadley Duvall, an abortion rights advocate from Kentucky who was raped by her stepfather as a child.

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not participate in 2024’s first US presidential debate, after missing a deadline to meet criteria set by hosting news organization CNN.

CNN, a division of Warner Bros Discovery and host of the June 27 debate, said only President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump had met its conditions to take part ahead of a 12 a.m. ET (0400 GMT) Thursday deadline.

“Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand,” Kennedy said in a statement. “My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.”

US voters see Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as the better candidate for the economy but prefer his Democratic rival President Joe Biden’s approach on preserving democracy, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Biden’s approval rating, measured across all respondents in the poll, rose marginally to 37% from 36% in May when it tied the lowest reading of his presidency. Many Democrats worry Biden could be stung by voter concerns over his age – at 81 he’s the oldest US president to hold the office – and disapproval within his party of his support of Israel’s war against Hamas. When asked which of the two candidates had a better approach for the economy – the No. 1 concern for respondents – registered voters picked Trump 43% to 37%.

Voters have been stung by several years of fast-rising consumer prices, though inflation has slowed considerably in recent months and the jobless rate has been below 4% for more than two years. The Republican had a more significant edge – 44% to 31% – on immigration. Immigrants made up 13.9% of the country in 2022, the highest share in over a century. Trump has taken aim at immigrants in the country illegally. Trump was favored 40% to 35% on foreign conflicts and terrorism.

The first 2024 US presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump will take place on Thursday, June 27 at 9 pm ET (Friday, June 28, 6:30 am IST). CNN will host the 90-minute debate at its studios in Atlanta without a live audience.

You can watch the debate live on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, CNN Max, and CNN.com without needing a cable login. CNN will share its feed with other broadcast and cable news networks for a simulcast.

Some free options to stream the debate include CNN.com, C-SPAN.org, the C-SPAN Now app, PBS.org, and Plex TV’s NBC News Now channel. Paid streaming services like Sling TV Blue, Hulu With Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo will also carry the debate.

USA Today will stream the debate live on YouTube on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. The debate will be available to watch on demand after it concludes.

• Trump and Biden will for the first time share the stage since their last debate weeks before the 2020 presidential election.
• Thursday’s broadcast on CNN will be the earliest general election debate in history.
• It’s the first-ever televised general election presidential debate hosted by a single news outlet after both campaigns ditched the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which had organized every matchup since 1988.
• Aiming to avoid a repeat of their chaotic 2020 matchups, Biden insisted — and Trump agreed — to hold the debate without an audience and to allow the network to mute the candidates’ microphones when it is not their turn to speak.
• There will be two commercial breaks, another departure from modern practice.
• The candidates have agreed not to consult staff or others while the cameras are off.

As they come face to face, Joe Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the US through a range of challenges. The 78-year-old Donald Trump, meanwhile, could use the moment to try to move past his felony conviction in New York and convince an audience of tens of millions that he’s temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.

“Debates tend not to change voters’ perception in ways that change their vote: They ordinarily reinforce, not persuade,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on presidential communications. “What makes this debate different is that you have in essence two incumbents about whom voters have very well-formed views. But that doesn’t mean that those perceptions are right or match what voters will see on stage.”

Donald Trump and his closest allies are preparing a radical reshaping of American government if he regains the White House.

His plans will include cracking down on immigration, directing the Justice Department to prosecute his adversaries, increasing presidential power, upending America’s economic policies, retreating militarily from Europe and unilaterally deploying troops to Democratic-run cities.

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Can he stay disciplined?

Navigating the criminal records Donald Trump’s extraordinary legal baggage creates opportunity and risk for both candidates on stage. Joe Biden’s campaign has signaled an increasing willingness to lean into Trump’s criminal record in recent days.

But aside from a few jabs, Biden himself has largely distanced himself from Trump’s prosecutions to avoid the appearance of political interference. Trump, who has been alleging for years without evidence that Biden is responsible for prosecuting him, won’t make it easy for the president to toe that line.

Can Trump be boring?

Having already locked up his base, former president Donald Trump has an opportunity with persuadable swing voters and moderates who fueled Biden’s victory four years ago and now express concerns about both candidates.

But to win over the so-called “double haters,” Trump cannot simply lean into the red-meat talking points, personal insults and conspiracy theories that typically dominate his public appearances. Instead of more talk of retribution or lies about the US election system, he’ll need to offer an optimistic vision for the future and a clear contrast with Biden on traditional kitchen-table issues like health care and education. In short, Trump needs to be somewhat boring in this outing.

Can Biden perform?

US President Joe Biden’s seeming low bar for success has been created, at least in part, by the 78-year-old Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who have relentlessly mocked the Democratic president for apparent stumbles connected to his age for years. Trump’s allies have questioned whether Biden can even stay awake and stand up for the entire 90 minutes.

Democrats are hopeful that Biden can bring the same energy he did in his State of the Union address earlier in the year. But a face-off on live television against an opponent who delights in verbal combat is very different from a scripted speech before Congress.

The Joe Biden who will defend his presidency at a nationally televised debate on Thursday night remains a practitioner of old-school politics in a new-school era. The hostility, the anger, the polarization, the “beating up” that define today’s national debate, yes, he knows all about that.

But after more than half a century in Washington, he still has the instincts of a backslapping cloakroom pol, eager to make deals and work across the aisle where possible at a time when that rarely seems rewarded anymore.

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The narrative trap

Biden might be tempted to focus on Trump’s recent conviction in New York for his involvement in a hush money scheme. However, political consultants warn that this could backfire, reinforcing Trump’s narrative of being a victim of political persecution. Trump, meanwhile, must avoid statements that reinforce Biden’s portrayal of him as a threat to democratic norms.

No audience feedback

In a significant departure from previous debates, there will be no studio audience, which could impact both candidates’ performances. Trump, who thrives on crowd energy, might find the format challenging. Conversely, Biden, who is experienced in delivering speeches without an audience, might adapt more easily.

Closing statements and debate format

CNN has structured the debate to minimise interruptions, including turning off candidates’ microphones when it’s not their turn to speak. This rule could test Trump’s ability to stay composed and respectful.

In a historic face-off, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the two oldest candidates ever to run for US president, are set to meet on Thursday (Friday IST) for a televised debate.

The fitness question

The fitness of both candidates to serve is expected to be a central topic. Trump, 78, has consistently claimed that Biden, 81, is physically and mentally unfit for office. Biden, on the other hand, has called Trump “unhinged” and a danger to democracy, citing Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The temperament test

Both Biden and Trump are known for their strong tempers and impatience, traits that could influence their debate performance. In the 2020 presidential debates, Biden’s ability to rattle Trump led to a perceived poor performance by Trump, who repeatedly interrupted and argued with the moderator. Trump, who has a history of aggressive debate tactics, will need to balance assertiveness with decorum.

Disinformation danger

Trump is notorious for making exaggerated or false claims during his speeches, necessitating extensive fact-checking. Biden, too, has been known to embellish stories.