President Joe Biden made several verbal missteps Thursday in the opening minutes of his debate with his Republican rival, Donald Trump, as both took the stage seeking to define their presidential rematch. Biden had a raspy voice, struggling repeatedly to clear his throat, and had a halting delivery as he tried to defend his economic record and criticize Trump. Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.
Biden and Trump launch into their 90-minute debate without shaking hands in their first direct interaction since 2020. Trump complained that migrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the street. Biden has stuck to his talking points on immigration, highlighting 40% drop in arrests for illegal immigration since issuing an executive order suspending asylum.
Quick Read
- Trump on Migrants: Claimed that migrants entering the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the street. Also reiterated unsubstantiated claims about migrants coming from “mental institutions” and “insane asylums.”
- Migrant Crime: Trump leaned heavily on discussing migrant crime and boasted about having the “safest border in history,” a highly questionable claim.
- Biden on Immigration: Highlighted a 40% drop in arrests for illegal immigration since his executive order suspending asylum. Biden seeks to gain ground on immigration, a rising national priority.
- Public Opinion: Only 3 in 10 Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, according to a June AP-NORC poll. Approval is higher among Democrats (6 in 10) but much lower among Independents (2 in 10) and Republicans (fewer than 1 in 10).
- Biden’s Debate Moment: Lost his train of thought while discussing tax rates and billionaires, trailing off before being cut off by moderator Jake Tapper. Trump interjected with a critical comment about Biden “beating Medicare to death.”
The Associated Press has the story:
In first half-hour of debate, a raspy Biden delivers rambling answers while Trump counters with energy & falsehoods
Newslooks- ATLANTA (AP) —
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.
Rewind: Biden trails off
Joe Biden lost his train of thought during Thursday’s debate while trying to make a point about tax rates and the number of billionaires in America.
Biden trailed off and looked down before mumbling about COVID and saying something to the effect that “we finally beat Medicare.”
When he tried to come back to finish his point, moderator Jake Tapper cut him off because his time was up.
Trump quickly interjected: “He’s right he did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
President Joe Biden made several verbal missteps Thursday in the opening minutes of his debate with his Republican rival, Donald Trump, as both took the stage seeking to define their presidential rematch.
Biden had a raspy voice, struggling repeatedly to clear his throat, and had a halting delivery as he tried to defend his economic record and criticize Trump. Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.
“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said, as his time ran out on his answer.
Trump picked right up on it, saying, “That’s right, he did beat Medicaid, he beat it to death. And he’s destroying Medicare.”
Trump falsely suggested Biden was weakening the social service program because of migrants coming into the country.
Biden, the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, entered the debate with the chance to reassure voters that he’s capable of guiding the U.S. through a host of challenges as he moved to sharpen the choice voters will face in November. Trump, 78, had the opening to try to move past his felony conviction in New York and convince an audience of tens of millions that he is temperamentally suited to return to the Oval Office.
