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"High anxiety among Dems after the debate"
That's what my colleague Christopher Wiggins said about tonight's debate. It's true. Biden needed to come out strong, and he...well...he didn't. Trump performed like he needed to, so his camp is probably overjoyed. The DNC will now be rushing into panic mode for next few days and weeks. However, if we look at substance, Biden had data, legislation, policy, and more to back up his claims. Trump continued to lie to viewers and repeat his tiring exaggerations. That all doesn't matter. We'll just see what Biden's campaign does with what just happened. We already know Trump will be gloating probably for years to come — regardless of what happens in November.
Finally thoughts?
In a highly anticipated CNN debate, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden clashed on various issues, but the event was notably marked by Trump’s persistent falsehoods and Biden’s hoarse voice. Biden, who has a cold but tested negative for COVID-19, struggled with his voice throughout the debate.
Trump appeared more vigorous and animated, frequently making inaccurate statements on topics such as the economy, immigration, and foreign policy. He falsely claimed that the U.S. was in a much better economic state during his administration and made misleading comments about Biden’s handling of the Ukraine war. Trump also misrepresented his stance on abortion and gun control, drawing sharp rebukes from fact-checkers. Despite this, the moderators did not fact-check any of Trump’s statements during the debate.
Biden, despite his vocal strain, focused on highlighting his administration’s accomplishments and contrasting his policies with Trump’s. He emphasized his efforts to improve health care, protect abortion rights, and strengthen alliances. Biden also pointed out the progress made in job creation and economic recovery since the pandemic. However, Biden appeared more subdued compared to Trump’s animated demeanor.
Neither candidate addressed LGBTQ+ issues, despite ongoing rhetoric from right-wing extremists about the dangers posed by the LGBTQ+ community. The debate did not reinforce confidence in either candidate. Trump's fabrications, Biden’s strained voice, and the lack of fact-checking were the defining elements of the night.
What did we think?
Because of Biden’s raspiness and his occasional tripping over words, his opponents and even some supposedly objective observers will paint him as feeble. But Trump failed to answer many questions, usually pivoting to a different subject, and repeated many lies, saying the U.S. is failing and isn’t respected around the world, claiming there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election (for which Biden rightly said there was no evidence), and alleging that Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Hamas’s attack on Israel would not have happened had he been president — which, how could he know?
- Trudy Ring
Former President Donald Trump made several dubious claims, including boasting, “I took two tests, cognitive tests... I aced them,” and, “I just won two club championships.” Cognitive tests like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are designed to screen for cognitive dysfunction and are not measures of intelligence or mental fitness. Medical professionals have noted that "acing" such tests is not an achievement for someone without cognitive impairments. Additionally, there is no independent verification of Trump's alleged recent golf victories, casting doubt on his claims of physical prowess.
Trump also reiterated unfounded election fraud claims, stating, “If the election is fair, free, and I want that more than anybody.” Despite his assertions, numerous investigations, audits, and court cases have found no evidence to support widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Election officials from both parties have affirmed the integrity of the results. Furthermore, Trump's hyperbolic claim that Biden is “driving us into World War III” lacks evidence.
-Christopher Wiggins
LGBTQ+ rights are ignored on this debate stage
Yes, it's Pride Month, but so far there hasn't been discussion on LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S. This is even though there are over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been introduced across the country, with most targeting gender-affirming care.
Former President Trump compares immigrants to animals multiple times
Trump has compared immigrants to criminals repeatedly tonight, but he's also compared them to vermin. That language has called out by historians and advocates — and even Biden himself — as authoritarian rhetoric.
-Alex Cooper
Trump lied again about Charlottesville
Trump denied that he ever praised those who protested violently over the removal of Confederate monuments in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. However, he is on record as saying there were “some very fine people on both sides,” meaning the protesters and counterprotesters. He did say that “any neo-Nazis and the white nationalists” in the group “should be condemned totally,” but “you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists.” He also claimed that Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederate forces, was a great general — which Lee may have been, as a military strategist, but he fought, as his adversary Ulysses S. Grant said, for one of the worst causes for which anyone has ever fought.
-Trudy Ring
January 6 and Trump
When asked about his actions on January 6, 2021, Trump claimed, “On January 6, we had a great border, nobody coming through. Very few.” This statement is misleading, as border crossings had been a significant issue throughout his presidency, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Trump also repeated the debunked assertion that he had offered 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the Capitol, stating, “I offered her 10,000 soldiers or National Guard, and she turned them down.” According to multiple investigations and reports from the Department of Defense, there is no evidence to support that such an offer was formally made or turned down.
Trump further attacked President Joe Biden by claiming, “His son is a convicted felon at a very high level,” referencing Hunter Biden’s recent conviction on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony counts related to his purchase of a gun in 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine. Trump also stated, “Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things.” However, there are no charges against President Biden himself, making Trump’s suggestion that Joe Biden could be a “convicted felon” once out of office baseless.
President Biden condemned Trump’s remarks and highlighted his inaction during the January 6 insurrection. “He sat there for three hours, watching, begging, being begged by his vice president and a number of his colleagues on the Republican side as well, to do something to call for a stop to end it,” Biden said. The Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack found that Trump did not take immediate action to quell the violence, instead watching the events unfold on television. They reported that Trump resisted multiple pleas to intervene and stop the riot, emphasizing his inaction during the critical moments of the attack. Biden also stressed the danger of Trump’s rhetoric, stating, “The idea that you have a right to seek retribution against any American just because you’re president is wrong.” The debate also touched on the broader implications of the January 6 prosecutions, where more than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes, roughly 730 have pleaded guilty, and about 170 have been convicted at trial, according to the Associated Press. Trump has vowed to pardon those convicted if he is re-elected, stating that they have been “treated unfairly.”
-Christopher Wiggins
Another moment from the debate:
And speaking of burning...Trump tries to completely go around a question on the climate crisis
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Eventually, Trump said he's done a lot for the environment. Biden's response? “He’s not done a damn thing for the environment.” Biden specifically reminds viewers that Trump took the country out of the Paris Agreement, an international accord to help fight against the climate crisis. The U.S. rejoined after Biden took office.
-Alex Cooper
Best burn of the debate so far?
“This guy has no sense of American democracy,” Joe Biden said of Donald Trump.
MAGA will run with this debate
We're 45 minutes in and Donald Trump seems unusually polished — maybe thanks to how this debate is actually set up. Joe Biden, however, sounds hoarse. Regardless of the substance of what's said, MAGA is going to run with Trump's loud, somewhat restrained performance against Biden's voice. People who have been obsessed with Biden's age will argue this is more evidence he shouldn't be running.
-Alex Cooper
Biden says he'll restore Roe while Trump lies about abortion rights
Trump spewed falsehoods on abortion. He claimed Biden and Democrats want to allow infanticide, and he distorted comments made by former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on the issue. Northam was asked in 2019 about a bill proposed to loosen abortion restrictions in the state, and he “was giving a hypothetical example of what could happen if a mother whose fetus had severe deformities, or wasn’t otherwise viable, requested an abortion while in labor,” the Associated Press reports.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,” Northam responded, according to the AP. “The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
Trump also contended that “everyone” wanted Roe v. Wade overturned and that the regulation of abortion is where it belongs, back with the states. Actually, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe is wildly unpopular. And people who have unwanted or problem pregnancies would certainly beg to differ about the appropriateness of states making medical decisions.
-Trudy Ring
Trump and Biden on the troops
During an exchange in the CNN debate Thursday night, President Joe Biden refuted former President Donald Trump's claims that veterans were better off under the Trump administration. Biden emphasized the passage of the PACT Act, a significant law that expands health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service. He also criticized Trump for skipping a visit to a World War I cemetery in France and reportedly calling fallen soldiers "losers" and "suckers." Biden called out Trump directly, stating, “You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
The exchange reignited discussions about Trump's controversial comments on veterans. Trump denied saying it, claiming Biden should apologize for asserting that Trump said it. NBC News reported in 2023 that former Chief of Staff John Kelly confirmed that Trump had disparaged service members, describing them as “suckers” and “losers.”
Kelly's statement corroborated a 2020 report from The Atlantic detailing Trump's derogatory remarks about veterans, including late Senator John McCain and former President George H.W. Bush. In response, Trump claimed he fired Kelly and that "there is no love lost," while free associating on various unrelated topics such as Ukraine and Israel. Biden succinctly dismissed Trump’s comments, saying, “I’ve never heard so much malarkey in my whole life.”
-Christopher Wiggins
The elephant(s) in the room? 🐘 🐘 🐘 🐘
Is the debate an audition for Donald Trump and Joe Biden to star in 'Grumpy Old Men III'?
Is the debate an audition for Donald Trump and Joe Biden to star in 'Grumpy Old Men III'?The Advocate's John Casey gave some of his predictions on what could happen tonight. What's he gotten right so far?
So far in this debate
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump, the convicted felon found guilty of falsifying business records in New York ahead of the 2016 election to cover up an alleged affair, called President Joe Biden a “criminal.” Discussing the increasing national debt and deficit spending, Trump falsely claimed that Biden’s administration added to them in greater numbers than his own.
Trump’s tax cut, officially known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), was enacted in December 2017. This comprehensive tax reform significantly reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, altered individual income tax brackets, and eliminated or limited many deductions and exemptions. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the TCJA was projected to reduce federal revenue by approximately $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The reduction in the corporate tax rate alone led to an estimated $650 billion decrease in revenue over a decade. The CBO estimated that the TCJA would increase the federal deficit by $1.9 trillion over ten years, considering potential economic growth, or $2.3 trillion without accounting for macroeconomic feedback.
Trump’s claim that Biden’s administration has added to the national debt and deficit in greater numbers than his own is misleading. The significant increase in the deficit under the Biden administration can be primarily attributed to emergency spending related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the American Rescue Plan. While Trump’s tax cuts aimed to stimulate economic growth, they also significantly contributed to the national debt and deficit, according to the CBO's projections.
-Christopher Wiggins
What's he on?
President Joe Biden took to X, formerly known as Twitter, just minutes before the presidential debate to humorously address Republican conspiracy theories suggesting he would be drugged for the event. For months, Republicans have depicted Biden as a feeble old man, yet they have seemingly had concerns that former President Donald Trump might underperform and that Biden could exceed expectations. Their claims have included suggestions that Biden would receive shots, use cocaine, or get jacked up on Mountain Dew.
Biden tweeted, “I don’t know what they’ve got in these performance enhancers, but I’m feeling pretty jacked up. Try it yourselves, folks. See you in a bit,” along with a link to a fundraising site selling “Dark Brandon’s Secret Sauce.”
The link directs to a website item labeled as Biden’s "performance enhancer," which is actually just water, serving as a clever fundraising tool while poking fun at the unfounded allegations.
-Christopher Wiggins
Biden greeted by out lawmaker Robert Garcia
Prepping for tonight's debate
The stage is set for the first debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle, a highly anticipated event expected to draw millions of viewers. President Joe Biden, preparing at Camp David, has been huddling with experts, a tradition for presidents heading into high-stakes events. In contrast, former President Donald Trump has been busy with campaign appearances where he often speaks about nonsensical things and tells a string of lies.
Trump, a convicted felon twice impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, faces multiple legal battles, including federal criminal trials for retaining sensitive documents and his role in the January 6 insurrection, as well as a state case in Georgia for alleged interference in the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, California U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, a prominent gay lawmaker and campaign surrogate, posted a video from Atlanta showing a warm exchange with Biden, promising to share updates on social media. As anticipation builds, fireworks are expected.
-Christopher Wiggins
The Advocate team with you tonight
Hi all,
Welcome to The Advocate's live blog of the first presidential debate of 2024. I'm Alex Cooper, editor of Advocate.com. I'm joined today with our senior political editor Trudy Ring and our senior national reporter Christopher Wiggins. We'll be coming at you with some analysis throughout the debate on comments made by both Biden and Trump. Sit back, relax, and hopefully this will be as painless as possible.
Onward and upward,
Alex Cooper
What to expect from tonight's presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will engage tonight in the first presidential debate of 2024. It’s the earliest one ever and the first one between a current and former president, and there are some new wrinkles. There will be no audience, and each participant’s microphone will be muted while the other is speaking, so they can’t talk over each other.
The debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern on CNN. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate. Here’s what to expect.
Biden will likely highlight his record, such as passing the American Recovery Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, actions on climate change, and more. Biden needs to “make it clear who is on the side of the working families of this country,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders told CNN.
The moderators may well bring up Trump’s recent felony convictions and the other charges he faces, along with his comments about wanting to be a dictator and punish his political opponents. He will probably say the courts are persecuting him, and as for the “dictator” statement, he pretty much confirmed that even when the Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity tried to give him an out. Tapper and Bash also may ask about the Christian nationalist, anti-LGBTQ+ agenda laid out in Project 2025, a blueprint for the next conservative president. Biden, meanwhile, happens to be the most pro-LGBTQ+ president in history.