Biden falters in high-stakes debate, Trump spews falsehoods
The contest was seen as a test of each man's fitness for office.
In a historic clash of personality and policy, Joe Biden and Donald Trump took the stage for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election.
The showdown provided a rare opportunity for both candidates to move the needle in what has been a stubbornly tight race for the White House, but at the end of the night, Biden's halting performance raised new concerns among Democrats and cause Republicans to celebrate.
The debate was a rematch for Biden and Trump, who faced each other twice in 2020, but a first-of-its-kind format and a vastly different political landscape presented new challenges for the two rivals.
Top headlines:
Trump falsely claims, 'We had the greatest economy in the history of our country'
False. Unemployment was near historical lows under Trump. However, growth in gross domestic product was well below what previous presidents achieved, and other metrics such as wages and business investment ranged from decent to mediocre.
The annual increases in GDP under Trump were broadly similar to what they were during the final six years under his predecessor, Barack Obama. And GDP growth under Trump was well below that of prior presidents.
-Analysis by Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFact
Onto immigration, the strongest issue for Trump
The third topic of the debate is immigration, and unlike abortion, this is Trump's strong suit. In our 538/Ipsos poll, voters said 56% to 44% that Trump would handle immigration better than Biden. That made immigration Trump's strongest issue out of all the ones we asked about.
-538’s Nathaniel Rakich
Biden stumbles, pauses for several seconds
Biden stumbled as he attacked Trump and defended his own record, pausing for several seconds.
The president was discussing domestic programs he hoped to be able to invest in with the money that would be gained by taxes the wealthiest Americans before trailing off and pausing, ultimately saying "we beat Medicare."
"He did beat Medicare, he beat it to death," Trump responded.
Abortion is one of Biden’s best issues
The second topic of tonight’s debate is abortion. This is good turf for Biden: Abortion rights are broadly popular and have become even more so since Dobbs. In our 538/Ipsos poll released this morning, likely voters said 57% to 43% that Biden would handle abortion policy better than Trump.
-538’s Nathaniel Rakich
First half of debate highlights Biden's age issue
After a stifled and stumbling opening statement, Biden has had some good replies to Trump when talking about policy -- especially on abortion and Jan. 6. But that will be little comfort for his campaign, which is fighting hard against the impression that Biden is too old to hold office. In a 538/Ipsos poll of Americans released today, 40% of Americans said they rated Biden's mental fitness to be president as "terrible," compared to 35% for Trump -- and fewer Americans rate him positively for his physical fitness to lead, too.
538's election forecasting model currently gives Biden and Trump each a 50-in-100 chance of winning the election. Biden's initial impression could prevent him from making sizable gains over those numbers, despite the rest of his performance.
-538's G. Elliott Morris