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For full coverage of the first presidential debate of 2024, visit 2024 Election.
The latest developments of the first presidential debate of 2024 between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. All times EDT:
10:45 p.m.:The candidates' closing statements
President Joe Biden began his closing statement with a voice that was even scratchier than earlier and was at times hard to understand.
He said of his administration, “We’ve made significant progress from the debacle that was left by President Trump is in his last term” but also flubbed the price cuts on insulin he helped champion, saying $35 when he meant $15.
In his closing statement, former President Donald Trump tried again to lump Biden in with other career politicians, calling Biden “a complainer.”
He also said that the public and foreign leaders don’t respect Biden, saying, “The whole country is exploding because of you.”
- The Associated Press
10:38 p.m.:
10:33 p.m.: Things get odd near the end
New York Times reporters watching the debate noted that the topics got a little strange at the end.
Katie Rogers: These last minutes of this debate feel a little surreal. Topics: Golf handicaps. Indictments. Dueling presidencies. World War III. Voters were very unhappy with their choices going into this debate and it’s hard to imagine that this was a reassuring 90 minutes.
Alan Rappeport: Trump recalled the cognitive tests that he took as president and dared Biden to do the same.
The two candidates then talked about their physical and athletic attributes and debated who had a better golf handicap.
Trump then said, "Let's not be children." Biden replied, "You are a child."
10:25 p.m.: Immigration and crime
CNN's Jake Tapper stayed on the immigration topic, asking Trump if he would carry out his promise to conduct the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.
“Does that mean that you will deport every undocumented immigrant in America including those who have jobs, including those whose spouses are citizens, and including those who have lived here for decades, and if so, how will you do it?” Tapper asked.
Trump did not answer Tapper’s question, instead he focused on terrorism and crime.
“And because of his [Biden’s] ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in and they're killing our citizens and a level that we've never seen,” Trump said.
Experts from Cato Institute published a study on June 26 showing undocumented immigrants were “26 percent less likely than native‐born Americans to be convicted of homicide, and legal immigrants were 61 percent less likely.”
Biden rebutted by saying “Every single thing he said is a lie.”
10:24: p.m.: No chatting during commercial break
The White House pool reporter covering the debate, who could only enter the debate hall during commercial breaks due to CNN rules, reports that the candidates stared straight ahead and didn’t speak or look at each other during the pause for commercials.
10:20 p.m.: 'It's just so unsettling'
New York Times reporter Eduardo Medina, based in Durham, North Carolina, shares this reaction from a voter watching the debate: "Kristen Morris, 60, a nursing student in a suburb outside Charlotte, N.C., who is unenthusiastic about voting for Biden or Trump, said that “the hyperbole on both sides is just really, really hard to stomach.” Halfway through the debate, she said she was troubled by Trump’s lack of remorse about his role in the Jan. 6 riots. But she was also very concerned by Biden’s inability to coherently finish thoughts. “It’s just so unsettling,” she said of both candidates."
10:12 p.m.: Who can solve the U.S.-Mexico border crisis?
During Wednesday's presidential debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked the candidates about immigration: "Why should voters trust you to solve this crisis?"
While December saw record numbers of migrants illegally crossing the southern border, those numbers have since fallen. One reason for that is an executive order Biden announced in early June that temporarily restricts asylum eligibility at the U.S.-Mexico border whenever the number of migrants crossing unlawfully or without authorization reaches a daily average of 2,500.
President Joe Biden said his administration is working to change the situation at the border.
“We worked hard to get a bipartisan agreement that not only changed all of that … I’ve changed it in the way that now you’re in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally,” Biden said.
Biden was talking about his June executive order aimed at reducing illegal border crossings.
Trump answered by faulting Biden for getting rid of Title 42, a public health policy that allowed the United States to quickly expel migrants to their country of origin or Mexican border towns. The order was in place during the COVID pandemic.
“He decided to open up our border, opening up our country to people who are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions,” Trump said.
U.S. border agents encountered less than 2,400 migrants daily on Wednesday, down from 3,800 at the beginning of June.
10:10 p.m.:
9:59 p.m.: Trump’s hush money conviction mentioned for the first time
Almost 45 minutes into the debate, President Joe Biden finally referenced former President Donald Trump’s recent felony conviction in New York.
During a discussion about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Biden said: “The only person on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” referring to Trump.
Trump then sought to pivot from his own legal troubles by referring to Biden’s son, Hunter, as a “convicted felon.”
He was referencing the younger Biden’s felony conviction this month on three firearms charges. Trump also repeated long-running claims related to the Bidens and Ukraine, a frequent attack point for Republicans.
- The Associated Press
9:56 p.m.: Former President Trump blamed President Biden for the Ukraine war, saying, “If we had a real president, a president that knew that was respected by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, he would have never ... invaded Ukraine."
After Trump said he could settle the Russia-Ukraine conflict before taking office, Biden countered that Putin won’t stop with Ukraine. “What do you think happens to those NATO countries?” he said. Biden also defended the NATO alliance and took credit for the show of unity that followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “By the way, I got 50 other nations around the world to support Ukraine.”
9:55 p.m.: Politico's Alexander Ward notes, "A surprising amount of foreign policy in the first hour, and even more surprising that Afghanistan was discussed before Ukraine. But it's even more shocking that China — the country both men consider America's biggest threat — has barely featured. Perhaps it's because they both generally agree on the need to counter China in the South China Sea, the technological realm and the battle for global leadership."
9:50 p.m.: Impressions from the first half of the debate
Reuters has these takeaways from the initial questions to the candidates
NO HANDSHAKE, HOARSE VOICE
The two men, who make no secret of their disdain for each other, did not shake hands as they walked to their podiums at the start of the debate. Biden frequently referred to Trump as "this guy" during his remarks.
Biden, noticeably hoarse, accused Trump of leaving him a "terrible" economy in response to the moderators' first question about the rising prices paid by consumers.
Trump replied that Biden's handling of COVID was a "disaster" and said inflation was "absolutely killing us."
He blamed the pandemic for wrecking the economy and his shot at re-election. "Everything was rocking good," he said.
LOSING HIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Biden, 81, seemed to lose his train of thought while responding to a question about the national debt.
His voice trailing off several times, Biden first referred to "billionaires" as "trillionaires" before correcting himself.
Then, while arguing that the wealthy should pay more tax, he seemed unable to complete his sentence, pausing for an extended awkward moment, before ending his thought in a way that sounded nonsensical. Tax reform would create money to help "strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we're able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I was able to do with the, with the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we had to do with," Biden said before pausing.
"We finally beat Medicare," Biden said, likely referring to COVID-19.
Trump, 78, pounced.
"He's right. He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death."
9:44 p.m.: Candidates questioned on immigration and the country’s borders
Former President Donald Trump complained that migrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the street.
As expected, he also leaned heavily on discussing migrant crime. He also said migrants are coming into the U.S. illegally from “mental institutions” and “insane asylums.” He has not provided evidence for that claim, which he has frequently made at rallies.
Trump also said he had the “safest border border in history” — a highly questionably claim and a familiar talking point.
President Joe Biden has stuck to his talking points on immigration, highlighting 40% drop in arrests for illegal immigration since issuing an executive order suspending asylum.
He’s trying to gain ground on immigration, which has risen as a national priority, not just among Republicans.
Just 3 in 10 Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, according to an AP-NORC poll from June. About 6 in 10 Democrats approve of Biden’s approach to the issue, but only about 2 in 10 Independents and fewer than 1 in 10 Republicans agree.
- The Associated Press
9:36 p.m.:
9:28 p.m.: Issue of abortion
President Biden said former President Trump is to blame for the deluge of state abortion restrictions since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
As president, Trump appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped form the majority that overturned the constitutional right to abortion — and he has taken credit for that during his campaign.
Highlighting Trump’s connection to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its impact on pregnant people across the U.S. has become a cornerstone of Biden’s campaign. Biden has also warned that a second Trump term could lead to nationwide abortion restrictions.
9:25 p.m.: AP: Trump and Biden make multiple factual missteps
Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump made multiple factual missteps as the debate began on Thursday.
Biden started out his debate with a gaffe, claiming he had created 15,000 jobs. The correct number is more than 15 million, a dramatic undercount by someone trying to renew voters' confidence in his economic leadership.
Biden also said, "It's $15 for an insulin shot, as opposed to $400." But out-of-pocket insulin costs for older Americans on Medicare were capped at $35 in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law. The cap took effect last year, when many drugmakers announced they would lower the price of the drug to $35 for most users on private insurance.
Trump said the U.S. economy was ready to start paying down its national debt before the pandemic. That's not true. Budget deficits were increasing under Trump because his 2017 tax cuts didn't pay for themselves as he had promised they would. Trump inherited a budget deficit of $585 billion and it ballooned to $984 billion in 2019, only to climb above $3 trillion in 2020 after the pandemic hit, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
And Trump's claim that "millions" were admitted to the country from prisons and mental institutions is unsubstantiated. There is no evidence of that.
- The Associated Press
9:21 p.m.: New York Times fact checks Biden's jab at Trump about bleach
“All he said was, ‘It’s not that serious, just inject a little bleach in your arm.’”
– President Biden
The Times points out that Trump never said people should inject bleach to fight COVID-19. At a news conference Trump noted that the virus was killed by direct sunlight and disinfectants like bleach.
Trump said, “And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning."
9:15 p.m.: First question: the economy
Biden detailed what he described as an American economy “in freefall,” while Trump bragged about the state of the economy while he was in office, as well as his handling of the pandemic.
About 3 in 10 Americans said the economy was the most important problem facing the country in a May Gallup poll, but that included a range of economic issues.
About 1 in 10 pointed specifically to the high cost of living or inflation. About 2 in 10 Americans said immigration was the top problem facing the country, and another 2 in 10 said the government/poor leadership were the most important problem.
9:07 p.m. Trump’s likely VP picks are in the building
The Republicans seen as Donald Trump’s most likely picks for his running mate will be among those speaking on his behalf to the media after Thursday's debate.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will be advocating for Trump in the post-debate analysis, according to a person familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly.
They’re all seen as being on Trump’s shortlist for a potential running mate and their performances tonight are expected to be a factor in their audition for the role.
- The Associated Press
9:01 p.m.: Biden drinks ‘MAGA Tears’ before the debate
President Joe Biden took a jab at Donald Trump’s insinuations that he’s using drugs to enhance his debate performance.
Biden posted photos on social media and a message that he’s been drinking a canned beverage called “Dark Brandon’s Secret Sauce.” It’s just water in a can, but the ingredient label notes Trump’s 34 felony convictions and stresses that the main ingredient in the aluminum can is “MAGA Tears.”
While Biden has tried not to dignify Trump’s criticisms, his campaign is now selling the canned water for $4.60 apiece. Biden noted that his wife, Jill, took the photos of him holding the beverage.
- The Associated Press
8:01 p.m.
8 p.m.: This debate is a chance for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative and persuade undecided voters.
Biden, the Democratic incumbent, has the opportunity to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding the U.S. through a range of challenges.
Meanwhile, the 78-year-old Trump 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.
Thursday's debate in Atlanta will mark at least a couple of firsts — never before have two White House contenders faced off at such advanced ages, and never before has CNN hosted a general election presidential debate.
— The Associated Press
