US election 2024 - Biden vs. Trump: lies, a tricky slip of the tongue and the question of the longest one
"We are damned again to be dead": The mood in Joe Biden's camp is devastating, after the US President put in a clumsy performance in the first of two televised debates with Donald Trump. Instead of convincing voters that he can easily handle the most challenging job in the world for another four years, the 81-year-old confirmed all concerns regarding his physical and mental fitness. Biden stumbled over his words multiple times, lost the thread and stared blankly into space.
But Trump didn't shine either. While he appeared focused and agile and kept a relatively low profile, at least in comparison to his aggressive performance in the 2020 candidates' debate, he resorted to misleading claims and bald-faced lies. He deflected direct questions or gave nonsensical answers.
Seven Notable Moments in the Biden vs. Trump TV Debate
- A sentence that won't end
Biden's performance was marked by confusion, as he mixed up billionaires with millionaires, millions with billions, and looked down instead of into the cameras. Here's a tangled sentence from Biden:
"We'd be able to make sure that all the things that we have to do – childcare, elder care, making sure that we can strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we're able to provide for every single person ... an entitlement for ... for what I'll call Covid relief, um, with the handling of ... all the things that we have to do ..."
The President pauses, making for uncomfortable viewing. He then mutters something incoherent about healthcare before CNN moderator Jake Tapper rescues him and says, "Thank you, Mr. President."* Slick promise on a touchy subject
Abortion is typically a winning issue for the Democrats, as most US citizens, unlike Republicans, support a woman's right to choose. However, Biden couldn't capitalize on this advantage due to a careless remark. Abortions are necessary in some cases, Biden says, and then adds:
"There are many young women who are raped, and raped by their husbands, and I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen."* Thirty lies for the Challenger
There were no shortage of false claims in the debate, with Trump leading the charge in upholding his reputation. As expected, he insisted that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 election. This is, of course, unfounded. Trump also spread a particularly egregious lie during the discussion on abortion rights: Some democratically governed states allegedly allowed the killing of newborn babies, he claimed falsely. Trump also distorted facts on the economy and boasted about record-low unemployment rates during his tenure, which were actually achieved under the previous administration.
Biden wasn't always truthful either. He cited incorrect unemployment numbers and illegal immigration statistics and claimed that Trump wanted to abolish Social Security – which is not true.
At the end, Trump is way ahead in the lying contest. According to a quick check by CNN, Trump spread 30 falsehoods against Biden's nine in the debate.
- Trump makes a stunning admission
It's unclear what one thing has to do with the other, but in response to a question about what actions he would take to combat the harmful effects of global warming, Trump responds, "I want absolutely clean water. And I want absolutely clean air. And we had it! We had H2O. We had the best numbers ever. And we used all forms of energy, all forms, everything."
The US had water when Trump was in office. This statement is finally not a falsehood.
- Emotions are boiling over
One of the most heated moments of the debate arises when Biden brings up an incident from 2018. At that time, Trump was President and reportedly missed a planned visit to the US Military Cemetery Aisne-Marne in Paris during a France trip. Reports claim he referred to the buried soldiers as "suckers" and "losers." Biden remembers his son Beau, who served in Iraq and later died of cancer. Beau was not a "sucker" or "loser," but rather Trump was. Trump then denies having spoken disrespectfully about US soldiers.
- Who has the longest shot?
When the moderators bring up the topic of age, Biden and Trump start bickering about who can play golf better. "I've just won two club championships, not at the seniors, two regular club championships," boasts Trump. "To do that, you have to be pretty smart and be able to hit the ball far, and I can." Biden, on the other hand, can't hit the ball more than 50 meters, grumbles the 78-year-old.
The President counters the attack with the claim that Trump lies about his height and weight. Then Biden announces that he would very much like to compete with his predecessor in a competition about who has the longer drive. "When I was Vice President, I lowered my handicap to 6," Biden says. "And by the way," he adds, laughing as Trump laughs: "I've told you before that I'd be happy to play golf with you, if you carry your own bag. Do you think you can handle that?"
Trump ends the back-and-forth with the remark: "We shouldn't behave like children!"
- Win or cheat
Once again, Trump refuses to commit to accepting the outcome of the November election. Instead, he says he will acknowledge the result "if it's a fair and legal and good election" – which probably means: "If I win the election."
- Following his clumsy performance in the US Presidential debate against Donald Trump, Joe Biden's camp is in a state of concern, with many questioning his physical and mental fitness to serve another four years as the US President.
- During the first televised debate between the US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, CNN moderator Jake Tapper had to intervene to rescue Biden when he struggled to form coherent sentences, mixing up billionaires with millionaires, and millions with billions.
- Republican candidate Donald Trump also resorted to misleading claims and bald-faced lies during the debate, deflecting direct questions or giving nonsensical answers, as he has done in the past.
- In the debate, Donald Trump once again refused to commit to accepting the outcome of the US election, saying he would acknowledge the result "if it's a fair and legal and good election," which many interpreted as a threat to cheat or contest the results if he loses.
