Atlanta: During a presidential debate on Thursday, Donald Trump accused President Joe Biden of siding with Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict. Trump claimed Biden is hesitant to support Israel in fully addressing the war against Hamas.
"He doesn't want to do it. He's become like a Palestinian—but they don't like him because he's a very bad Palestinian, he's a weak one," Trump stated at the CNN headquarters debate.
The debate comes at a crucial point in their unpopular presidential rematch. Biden, the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, aimed to reassure voters of his capability to lead the U.S. through various challenges. In contrast, Trump, 78, sought to move past his felony conviction in New York and demonstrate his suitability to return to the Oval Office.
Biden started the debate with a raspy voice and struggled with his delivery while defending his economic record and criticizing Trump. At one point, Biden seemed to lose his train of thought, drifting from tax policy to health policy, and awkwardly interjecting with "COVID" before trailing off.
“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said as his time ran out, to which Trump retorted, “That’s right, he did beat Medicaid, he beat it to death. And he’s destroying Medicare.” Trump falsely accused Biden of weakening social services due to illegal immigration.
Both candidates faced a public weary of partisan politics and dissatisfied with both leaders. The debate highlighted their sharply different visions on core issues like abortion, the economy, and foreign policy, and underscored their deep hostility towards each other.
The debate began without a handshake, with each candidate defending their record and blaming the other for the country's troubles. Personal animosities surfaced when Biden invoked his late son, Beau, criticizing Trump for allegedly calling fallen soldiers “suckers and losers.” Biden stated, “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.” Trump denied making such comments and criticized Biden for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
On inflation, Biden blamed the situation he inherited from Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating, “When Trump left office, things were in chaos.” Trump disagreed, saying, “Everything was rocking good” during his term. The debate also covered the pandemic’s toll, with Biden noting the death toll had reached 1 million over a year after Trump left office.
Trump highlighted his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, returning abortion restrictions to individual states. Biden countered that the decision had been settled for 50 years and accused Trump of making it harder for women to access healthcare.
Trump criticized Biden’s foreign policy, blaming him for conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. “This place, the whole world, is blowing up under him,” Trump said, to which Biden replied, “I never heard so much malarkey in my whole life.”
This debate, broadcast moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, was notable as the earliest general election debate in history and the first televised by a single news outlet. Both candidates agreed to no audience and muted microphones when it was not their turn to speak, a departure from previous debates. Following the debate, Trump planned to visit Virginia, while Biden was set to rally in North Carolina.
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