President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will share a stage in Atlanta Thursday as they face off in the season’s first presidential debate. The format for the evening will be unique, with no audience and both men speaking into microphones that will be muted when it’s not their turn to prevent them from speaking over each other.
Trump supporters have been doing everything they can to lower expectations by complaining about the moderators, inflating the time Biden spent preparing, and concocting wild conspiracy theories that Biden will be “jacked up” on drugs. But those same supporters have to be concerned about Trump’s recent rally performances, in which his usual word salad has seemed more like word coleslaw when he was forced to speak without a teleprompter.
Biden’s last major primetime appearance before the public was a powerful State of the Union address in March, but since then, there have been months in which media has harped endlessly on Biden’s age and outlets have edited videos to make him seem incompetent.
With a huge percentage of the public expected to tune in, this is a critical night for both candidates. Join us for the blow by blow.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:46:24 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
And with that, this disaster is over.
It didn’t have to be this way. But CNN’s decision to do no fact checking, and their refusal to even try and keep Trump on topic made the whole thing an exercise in extreme frustration.
Trump’s team is going to spin this as a complete victory — and it was. Over CNN, who gave him permission to simply lie, fantasize, and exaggerate without consequence.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden came prepared as if there was going to be, what’s it called? A debate. You know, that thing where people ask questions and you answer them, and your opponent says things and you respond. And your answers are supposed to be at least vaguely related to the questions.
It was as if Biden were trying abide by the rules of golf, while Trump was … doing whatever it is that allowed him to win those last two club championships. And now all the pundits get to tell us how Trump dominated the evening.
Don’t worry, somewhere around next Thursday they’ll get around to mentioning that everything Trump said was bullshit.
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UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:39:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Two minute closing statements.
Biden is, unfortunately, still trying to pack too much into his response. Really, there’s no point in trying to get numbers into this or talk about serious policy.
Trump is, naturally, going to just continue lying for the next two minutes. “For three and a half years we’re living in hell. … This is 100x Charlottesville. The whole country is exploding because of you.” Trump is completely incoherent at this point. Wandering between space age materials, health care, the VA, we’re a failing nation, and I have the highest approval ratings. I defy anyone to transcribe it.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:32:50 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Every single round of this might as well be “Mr. Trump, will you now lie to us for two minutes?”
Thank of all the time CNN could have saved pretending to make up questions.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:31:29 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:30:56 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden defends the American economy, American military, and American position in the world after Trump wanders into claiming that Biden will start World War III.
What was the question? Oh, yeah. It was asking Trump “will you accept the results of this election?”
He. Will. Not. Answer. A. Question. And he will especially not answer this question.
Now Trump claims that Ukraine is losing the war, all because of Biden.
CNN tries a third time, and finally gets Trump to run into the Big Lie.
Biden calls him on it, calls Trump “such a whiner.” And finally gets in the last word as they go to the second break.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:25:54 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump seriously defends his ability by saying that he “won two club championships” and that you have to be “very smart” to win a golf tournament,
Then they both fall into talking about how far they can hit a golf ball. The worst moment of the evening.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:21:18 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:20:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump calls Biden a “Manchurian candidate” and claims “he gets money from China.”
Oh yeah, the question was what are you going to do about addiction. There is absolutely no connection between what CNN asks and what Trump says.
“And human trafficking in women!” shouts Trump.
Then it goes to Biden, and Biden tries to answer the question. This is now the established pattern.
Trump gets a third time to answer a question about addiction and … he goes to talking about “catch and release” in Mexico and Putin holding a reporter hostage.
Trump will not answer a question. This may be the most ridiculous political event in history.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:16:44 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hey, Biden remembers that there was a question about child care!
Trump is going to ignore it again. Again. He’s never going to answer a question. Why should he? He can just make any claim he wants?
Biden is going to raise taxes by four times! Historians say I’m the best president ever! This is ridiculous.
President Biden gets to try to lay out facts and deal with numbers, and policy. Trump gets to just lie without consequence.
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UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:13:35 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump’s tactic is simply to never bother answer the question he was asked,
This whole format is a joke. CNN is not only not correcting Trump when he absolutely lies, they’re doing nothing to get him to answer the questions. They might as well not have questions.
They could just give Trump a rally and it would be the same thing, because he’s not bothering to answer a thing. Trump is just going to talk.
F**k, CNN. This isn’t a debate. It’s just blocking off minutes for Trump to lie.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:10:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden is asked about keeping Social Security solvent and immediately hits it firmly by saying that the only thing needed is to make the wealthy pay their fair share.
CNN’s rigid format won’t allow either Biden or Trump to just give a good answer and stop. So Biden gets pushed into talking more about Social Security and Medicare.
Trump is just waiting to lie. He’s got it teed up. You can see if coming. And…
He goes to Hunter Biden’s laptop, Russia, Russia, Russia, and then claims that immigrants are going onto Social Security. Which isn’t true.
Biden’s clearly pissed every time Trump talks about veterans. Gets his chance to reverse the “worst president in history” tag on Trump.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:06:15 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hey. They asked about the climate crisis! What do you know.
Trump doesn’t answer the question, instead talks about how police groups are supporting him. Claims that Biden called Black people “super predators” makes the false claim about getting HBCUs funded, and, of course, talks about his poll numbers.
He is not going to talk about the climate crisis and CNN is not going to make him.
Trump claims we he had the “best environmental numbers ever” and that his “environmental people gave me those numbers right before I came on stage.”
Trump goes on to lie about about the Paris accords, Black universities, insulin … and then claims how he has such a big heart that he has to stop migrants.
Again, Trump is throwing out so many lies so far. Biden needs to stop trying to address them all.
Biden gets his mic cut trying to answer Trump’s lie about insulin.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:00:36 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
As they were heading for break, Biden was reminding people that Trump’s own officials didn’t support him. Which is actually a great point.
They’re coming back, and Biden is asked about Black unemployment and the disparity between Black income, incarceration, etc. Biden had to struggle past his stutter for a moment, but gets in some of the steps he has made to help Black families.
Biden: “I don’t blame you for being disappointed,” Biden says before laying out some steps he has taken. A good response to using his remaining time.
Trump claims that cost of food has “doubled, tripled and quadrupled.” Says that Biden is killing people with his “green new scam” and that his “big kill” on “Black people” that are coming in that are taking “Black jobs and Hispanic jobs.”
Biden does a good job when responding to Trump. He’s genuinely better after Trump says something outrageous.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:52:20 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden tries to remind people that all the stuff Trump is denying is things that people saw with their own eyes. And that most of Trump’s cabinet and staff from his term now want nothing to do with him.
And with that, it’s time for a break.
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UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:50:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden talking to Charlottesville and Trump’s “very fine people” moment, and his threats for retribution. Expect Trump to lie again.
Trump says, of course, that “that story has been 100% wiped out,” because he’ll just say it.
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UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:48:52 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump is now absolutely repeating the lie that got him impeached the first time.
Biden is going straight into the millions of dollars Trump owes for his civil trial for sexual assault and his his having sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant.
Trump, of course, just lies some more. Because there’s no guardrails on this thing.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:35:08 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:34:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump was asked about Ukraine, but instead claims that “our veterans and our soldiers can’t stand this guy” and claims that “they like me more than about any of them.”
Trump is spending his time claiming that “there was no terror” at all under him, insists that his buddy would not have attacked Ukraine, etc. etc.
Biden does a good job in reply, walking back through the events on Iran, Ukraine, etc.
CNN asks him again about Putin’s terms. Trump says he will have the war “settled before I take office” if he’s elected.
Biden goes straight to “Putin is a war criminal” who wants all of Ukraine. And warns against the threat of what happens if Putin isn’t stopped in Ukraine.
On to Israel...
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:28:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump claims that Biden’s immigration policies has caused “hundreds of thousands of people to die” and that “people are coming in and killing our citizens at a rate we’ve never seen before.”
This is an absolutely fantasy. “We're literally an uncivilized country now.”
Trump is not answering the question.
Biden: “Every single thing he said was a lie.” Ends with hitting Trump on the “suckers and losers.”
Trump claiming that was a made-up quote. “No one has taking better care of our soldiers than me.” Trump claims that Biden made up the quote.
When Biden is really mad, he does better. Keep poking him, Trump.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:23:52 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden gets hit by the immigration question. Trump has already made this part of every response and now he’s getting an open invitation to repeat his statements again.
Biden really needs to just answer “That was all lies” and move on.
Because that’s all that Trump is doing is lying. Hey … there. Biden did it.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:20:51 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden gets another swing at abortion and ends with simply says he supports Roe v. Wade.
Trump again insists that Democrats want to kill babies up to “after being born.”
Trump and Biden going back and forth on this, with Biden looking stronger than he has at any other point tonight.
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UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:19:22 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump gets asked about abortion. “This is something everybody wanted,” says Trump. Claims that “every legal expert” wanted it moved back to the states.
“I believe in the exceptions” but “gotta get elected also.”
Now Trump goes into the nonsense of “eight mention, ninth month, even after birth” Claims that Democrats wanted to kill the baby after birth.
Biden starts off strong on dealing with abortion, having his best answer so far. But he opens the door for Trump to attack him again on immigration, which weakens Biden’s point.
Trump is actually doing Biden’s work here as he continues taking credit for killing Roe.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:14:47 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump making a series of false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic, and then swings into the “no one respects us” “w’e’re like a third world country” etc. Just lines from his rally speeches.
Biden moves quickly to talk about the debt that Trump created, but his effort to deal with everything at once is only causing him to trip over his own feet. Again, he needs to slow it down and not try so hard to squeeze everything into every response.
Trump is getting to repeat all his talking points, including his attacks on Biden, because he’s not trying to give factual answers. He’s just attacking Biden.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:09:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump has already going to “so many other things” and is claiming that the only jobs that Biden has created are “for illegal immigrants.”
Biden needs to slow it down and not try to hit every single point in every single answer.
Trump gets asked about tariffs, claims that the other countries will pay for the deals. So far the format is not working to hold Trump to account for anything he says.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:06:03 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Right away, CNN hits Biden with the issue of inflation. Biden’s moving quickly to point out that the economy he was handed from Trump was a disaster and that he had to move quickly to keep things from moving to complete chaos.
Biden’s voice is a bit hoarse and he’s speaking very quickly, clearly trying to get in as much as he possibly can within two minutes. Meanwhile, Trump is just standing by looking smug.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:03:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden and Trump have taken the stage. Neither seems to have made a move to shake hands.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:01:36 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
If you’re suffering through any of CNN’s pre-debate punditry, you’ll know that President Joe Biden has to climb a mountain, tame a lion, defeat death at chess, and do a hundred push-ups one-handed to prove his fitness.
Donald Trump has to stand on stage and not go into a screaming fit. That’s his only requirement.
The disparity in what pundits are demanding of the two men could not be greater.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 12:59:29 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
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Trump supporters have been doing everything they can to lower expectations by complaining about the moderators, inflating the time Biden spent preparing, and concocting wild conspiracy theories that Biden will be “jacked up” on drugs. But those same supporters have to be concerned about Trump’s recent rally performances, in which his usual word salad has seemed more like word coleslaw when he was forced to speak without a teleprompter.
Biden’s last major primetime appearance before the public was a powerful State of the Union address in March, but since then, there have been months in which media has harped endlessly on Biden’s age and outlets have edited videos to make him seem incompetent.
With a huge percentage of the public expected to tune in, this is a critical night for both candidates. Join us for the blow by blow.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:46:24 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
And with that, this disaster is over.
It didn’t have to be this way. But CNN’s decision to do no fact checking, and their refusal to even try and keep Trump on topic made the whole thing an exercise in extreme frustration.
Trump’s team is going to spin this as a complete victory — and it was. Over CNN, who gave him permission to simply lie, fantasize, and exaggerate without consequence.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden came prepared as if there was going to be, what’s it called? A debate. You know, that thing where people ask questions and you answer them, and your opponent says things and you respond. And your answers are supposed to be at least vaguely related to the questions.
It was as if Biden were trying abide by the rules of golf, while Trump was … doing whatever it is that allowed him to win those last two club championships. And now all the pundits get to tell us how Trump dominated the evening.
Don’t worry, somewhere around next Thursday they’ll get around to mentioning that everything Trump said was bullshit.
Daily Kos has a goal to recruit over 100,000 GOTV volunteers to connect and turnout over a million voters to defeat Trump and his MAGA cronies. Our GOTV efforts will cost us nearly $200,000. Can you pitch in $5 right now to defeat Trump?
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:39:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Two minute closing statements.
Biden is, unfortunately, still trying to pack too much into his response. Really, there’s no point in trying to get numbers into this or talk about serious policy.
Trump is, naturally, going to just continue lying for the next two minutes. “For three and a half years we’re living in hell. … This is 100x Charlottesville. The whole country is exploding because of you.” Trump is completely incoherent at this point. Wandering between space age materials, health care, the VA, we’re a failing nation, and I have the highest approval ratings. I defy anyone to transcribe it.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:32:50 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Every single round of this might as well be “Mr. Trump, will you now lie to us for two minutes?”
Thank of all the time CNN could have saved pretending to make up questions.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:31:29 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:30:56 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden defends the American economy, American military, and American position in the world after Trump wanders into claiming that Biden will start World War III.
What was the question? Oh, yeah. It was asking Trump “will you accept the results of this election?”
He. Will. Not. Answer. A. Question. And he will especially not answer this question.
Now Trump claims that Ukraine is losing the war, all because of Biden.
CNN tries a third time, and finally gets Trump to run into the Big Lie.
Biden calls him on it, calls Trump “such a whiner.” And finally gets in the last word as they go to the second break.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:25:54 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump seriously defends his ability by saying that he “won two club championships” and that you have to be “very smart” to win a golf tournament,
Then they both fall into talking about how far they can hit a golf ball. The worst moment of the evening.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:21:18 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:20:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump calls Biden a “Manchurian candidate” and claims “he gets money from China.”
Oh yeah, the question was what are you going to do about addiction. There is absolutely no connection between what CNN asks and what Trump says.
“And human trafficking in women!” shouts Trump.
Then it goes to Biden, and Biden tries to answer the question. This is now the established pattern.
Trump gets a third time to answer a question about addiction and … he goes to talking about “catch and release” in Mexico and Putin holding a reporter hostage.
Trump will not answer a question. This may be the most ridiculous political event in history.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:16:44 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hey, Biden remembers that there was a question about child care!
Trump is going to ignore it again. Again. He’s never going to answer a question. Why should he? He can just make any claim he wants?
Biden is going to raise taxes by four times! Historians say I’m the best president ever! This is ridiculous.
President Biden gets to try to lay out facts and deal with numbers, and policy. Trump gets to just lie without consequence.
We need to work just as hard to defeat the MAGA GOP now as we did in 2020. Unfortunately, we have seen our revenue drop over the last few years, making our work more difficult. Please support Daily Kos with a donation of $5 today.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:13:35 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump’s tactic is simply to never bother answer the question he was asked,
This whole format is a joke. CNN is not only not correcting Trump when he absolutely lies, they’re doing nothing to get him to answer the questions. They might as well not have questions.
They could just give Trump a rally and it would be the same thing, because he’s not bothering to answer a thing. Trump is just going to talk.
F**k, CNN. This isn’t a debate. It’s just blocking off minutes for Trump to lie.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:10:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden is asked about keeping Social Security solvent and immediately hits it firmly by saying that the only thing needed is to make the wealthy pay their fair share.
CNN’s rigid format won’t allow either Biden or Trump to just give a good answer and stop. So Biden gets pushed into talking more about Social Security and Medicare.
Trump is just waiting to lie. He’s got it teed up. You can see if coming. And…
He goes to Hunter Biden’s laptop, Russia, Russia, Russia, and then claims that immigrants are going onto Social Security. Which isn’t true.
Biden’s clearly pissed every time Trump talks about veterans. Gets his chance to reverse the “worst president in history” tag on Trump.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:06:15 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hey. They asked about the climate crisis! What do you know.
Trump doesn’t answer the question, instead talks about how police groups are supporting him. Claims that Biden called Black people “super predators” makes the false claim about getting HBCUs funded, and, of course, talks about his poll numbers.
He is not going to talk about the climate crisis and CNN is not going to make him.
Trump claims we he had the “best environmental numbers ever” and that his “environmental people gave me those numbers right before I came on stage.”
Trump goes on to lie about about the Paris accords, Black universities, insulin … and then claims how he has such a big heart that he has to stop migrants.
Again, Trump is throwing out so many lies so far. Biden needs to stop trying to address them all.
Biden gets his mic cut trying to answer Trump’s lie about insulin.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 2:00:36 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
As they were heading for break, Biden was reminding people that Trump’s own officials didn’t support him. Which is actually a great point.
They’re coming back, and Biden is asked about Black unemployment and the disparity between Black income, incarceration, etc. Biden had to struggle past his stutter for a moment, but gets in some of the steps he has made to help Black families.
Biden: “I don’t blame you for being disappointed,” Biden says before laying out some steps he has taken. A good response to using his remaining time.
Trump claims that cost of food has “doubled, tripled and quadrupled.” Says that Biden is killing people with his “green new scam” and that his “big kill” on “Black people” that are coming in that are taking “Black jobs and Hispanic jobs.”
Biden does a good job when responding to Trump. He’s genuinely better after Trump says something outrageous.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:52:20 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden tries to remind people that all the stuff Trump is denying is things that people saw with their own eyes. And that most of Trump’s cabinet and staff from his term now want nothing to do with him.
And with that, it’s time for a break.
Daily Kos can't survive on ad revenue alone. Other sites put up paywalls. We believe in keeping news accessible to everyone, but it's HARD. Support our work by giving $3.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:50:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden talking to Charlottesville and Trump’s “very fine people” moment, and his threats for retribution. Expect Trump to lie again.
Trump says, of course, that “that story has been 100% wiped out,” because he’ll just say it.
The need for progressive news and activism has never been greater than right now. Click here to start a $5 monthly recurring donation to Daily Kos.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:48:52 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump is now absolutely repeating the lie that got him impeached the first time.
Biden is going straight into the millions of dollars Trump owes for his civil trial for sexual assault and his his having sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant.
Trump, of course, just lies some more. Because there’s no guardrails on this thing.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:35:08 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:34:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump was asked about Ukraine, but instead claims that “our veterans and our soldiers can’t stand this guy” and claims that “they like me more than about any of them.”
Trump is spending his time claiming that “there was no terror” at all under him, insists that his buddy would not have attacked Ukraine, etc. etc.
Biden does a good job in reply, walking back through the events on Iran, Ukraine, etc.
CNN asks him again about Putin’s terms. Trump says he will have the war “settled before I take office” if he’s elected.
Biden goes straight to “Putin is a war criminal” who wants all of Ukraine. And warns against the threat of what happens if Putin isn’t stopped in Ukraine.
On to Israel...
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:28:39 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump claims that Biden’s immigration policies has caused “hundreds of thousands of people to die” and that “people are coming in and killing our citizens at a rate we’ve never seen before.”
This is an absolutely fantasy. “We're literally an uncivilized country now.”
Trump is not answering the question.
Biden: “Every single thing he said was a lie.” Ends with hitting Trump on the “suckers and losers.”
Trump claiming that was a made-up quote. “No one has taking better care of our soldiers than me.” Trump claims that Biden made up the quote.
When Biden is really mad, he does better. Keep poking him, Trump.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:23:52 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden gets hit by the immigration question. Trump has already made this part of every response and now he’s getting an open invitation to repeat his statements again.
Biden really needs to just answer “That was all lies” and move on.
Because that’s all that Trump is doing is lying. Hey … there. Biden did it.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:20:51 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden gets another swing at abortion and ends with simply says he supports Roe v. Wade.
Trump again insists that Democrats want to kill babies up to “after being born.”
Trump and Biden going back and forth on this, with Biden looking stronger than he has at any other point tonight.
Daily Kos is the largest independent, progressive news outlet and activism hub in the country. Can you please support our work with a $5 monthly recurring donation?
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:19:22 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump gets asked about abortion. “This is something everybody wanted,” says Trump. Claims that “every legal expert” wanted it moved back to the states.
“I believe in the exceptions” but “gotta get elected also.”
Now Trump goes into the nonsense of “eight mention, ninth month, even after birth” Claims that Democrats wanted to kill the baby after birth.
Biden starts off strong on dealing with abortion, having his best answer so far. But he opens the door for Trump to attack him again on immigration, which weakens Biden’s point.
Trump is actually doing Biden’s work here as he continues taking credit for killing Roe.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:14:47 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump making a series of false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic, and then swings into the “no one respects us” “w’e’re like a third world country” etc. Just lines from his rally speeches.
Biden moves quickly to talk about the debt that Trump created, but his effort to deal with everything at once is only causing him to trip over his own feet. Again, he needs to slow it down and not try so hard to squeeze everything into every response.
Trump is getting to repeat all his talking points, including his attacks on Biden, because he’s not trying to give factual answers. He’s just attacking Biden.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:09:46 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump has already going to “so many other things” and is claiming that the only jobs that Biden has created are “for illegal immigrants.”
Biden needs to slow it down and not try to hit every single point in every single answer.
Trump gets asked about tariffs, claims that the other countries will pay for the deals. So far the format is not working to hold Trump to account for anything he says.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:06:03 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Right away, CNN hits Biden with the issue of inflation. Biden’s moving quickly to point out that the economy he was handed from Trump was a disaster and that he had to move quickly to keep things from moving to complete chaos.
Biden’s voice is a bit hoarse and he’s speaking very quickly, clearly trying to get in as much as he possibly can within two minutes. Meanwhile, Trump is just standing by looking smug.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:03:27 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Biden and Trump have taken the stage. Neither seems to have made a move to shake hands.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 1:01:36 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
If you’re suffering through any of CNN’s pre-debate punditry, you’ll know that President Joe Biden has to climb a mountain, tame a lion, defeat death at chess, and do a hundred push-ups one-handed to prove his fitness.
Donald Trump has to stand on stage and not go into a screaming fit. That’s his only requirement.
The disparity in what pundits are demanding of the two men could not be greater.
UPDATE: Friday, Jun 28, 2024 · 12:59:29 AM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Ad revenue alone can't support Daily Kos operations, and hasn't for more than a decade. Please support our work with a $5 monthly recurring donation.