US Elections 2024: Joe Biden, Donald Trump complete presidential debate — inflation, Jan 6, crime in focus | Top Updates | Today News

US Elections 2024: Current United States President Joe Biden and Republican presidential hopeful and former President Donald Trump faced off in their first debate on July 27 in Atlanta, hosted by CNN.

Their unpopular rematch in a live televised, no-audience debate saw a raspy-voiced Biden begin by confronting Trump even as his rival attacked the economy and “leaned into falsehoods” on illegal immigration and his role in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, according to an AP report.

There are widespread concerns that 81-year-old Biden is “too old” to be president, as he seemed to lose his train of thought during the debate; while 78-year-old Trump attempted to dodge acknowledgement of his felony conviction in New York amid fears about his “bombast” style of office, it added.

No Handshake, Debate Begins

The two candidates strode on stage and walked directly to their lecterns, avoiding a handshake.

The first question went to Biden, pressed to defend rising inflation since he took office, which he pinned on the situation he inherited from Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden needed to clear his throat twice during his first answer, sounding hoarse, and Trump smirked as Biden started speaking.

The current president and his predecessor hadn’t spoken since their last debate weeks before the 2020 presidential election. Trump skipped Biden’s inauguration after leading an unprecedented and unsuccessful effort to overturn his loss that culminated in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection by his supporters.

No Audience For Debate

Thursday’s broadcast on CNN, moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, marked 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. The debate’s two commercial breaks offered another departure from modern practice, while the candidates have agreed not to consult staff or others while the cameras are off.

Trump and his aides have spent months chronicling what they argue are signs of Biden’s diminished stamina. In recent days, they’ve started to predict Biden will be stronger on Thursday, aiming to raise expectations for the incumbent.

Biden’s team too predicted that he would rise to the occasion, and expressed hope that Trump would be forced to address his positions they believe are anathema to voters.

“Joe’s ready to go. He’s prepared. He’s confident,” his wife, Jill Biden, told donors ahead of the debate. “You know what a great debater he is.”