Donald Trump and Joe Biden: The key moments in the first US presidential election debate
Joe Biden and Donald Trump have held the first presidential debate, where the president struggled to speak and the Republican was dogged by his criminal trials.
Held in Atlanta, Georgia, the CNN-hosted debate marked a rematch four years in the making.
With one candidate’s microphone turned off while the other was speaking, Mr Trump and Mr Biden slugged at each other’s record in office for 90 minutes.
Read the Trump v Biden debate as it happened live here
The mediators divided the debate in to subjects, but both candidates evaded questions and stuck to their favoured topics.
Here’s the key topics Mr Biden and Mr Trump clashed on….
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Biden and Trump squabble about golf handicaps
Economy
With a hoarse voice – which his aides later briefed was because of a cold – Mr Biden started the debate by blaming Mr Trump for the state he left the economy in when he left office.
Mr Trump, however, praised his own record, saying: “We have the greatest economy in the history of our country, and we have never done so well.”
He claimed he ran a higher deficit to stop another Great Depression during the COVID pandemic, before accusing Mr Biden of doing a “poor job,” saying inflation is “killing” the country, and adding: “It’s probably the worst administration in history.”
Moderators noted Mr Trump’s administration approved $8.4tn in new debt, while so far Mr Biden has approved $4.3 trillion in new debt.
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Biden appears to stall
When asked about tax cuts he passed that are set to expire in 2025, Mr Trump said they “spurred the greatest economy we’ve ever seen just prior to COVID,” and added: “The country was going like never before, and we were ready to start paying down debt”.
Read more: In command Trump and stumbling Biden face off in first presidential debate
Mr Biden then attacked Mr Trump over having the largest national debt of any president and insisted he would fix the tax system. But while saying his administration was “making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I was able to do with the COVID,” Mr Biden stumbled.
He continued to say “excuse me – with dealing with everything we have to do with – look – if we finally beat Medicare,” before pausing until the end of his allotted time.
Mr Trump picked right up on it and fired back: “That’s right, he did beat Medicaid, he beat it to death. And he’s destroying Medicare.”
Joe Biden appeared to freeze during the debate, and aides said he had a cold Pic: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Abortion & Roe v Wade
Mr Trump has taken credit for appointing Supreme Court judges who revoked the Roe v Wade ruling in 2022. It underpinned federal protections for the rights to abortions, and has been a fixture of Mr Biden’s re-election campaign.
When asked about a recent Supreme Court ruling decision to approve abortion medication despite state bans, Mr Trump supported it and insisted returning power on abortion to state governments was what “everyone wanted”.
After discussing how “the states are working it out”, Mr Trump added: “I believe in the exceptions. I am a person that believes, and frankly, I think it’s important to believe in the exceptions.”
Mr Biden then told Mr Trump “it’s been a terrible thing what you’ve done” in overturning Roe v Wade, and said he was making it harder for women in large swathes of the country to get access to basic health care.
The president also said he supported abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy and that “no politician should be making that decision” on when one should take place.
“A doctor should be making those decisions,” he added. “That’s how it should be run. That’s what you’re going to do. And if I’m elected, I’m going to restore Roe v Wade.”
Watch a special programme with reaction to the US presidential debate on The World with Yalda Hakim on Sky News from 6pm
Trump claimed that removing Roe v Wade and leaving abortion rights to states was what ‘everyone wanted’ Pic: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Immigration
While time was allotted for immigration as a topic on its own, Mr Trump hammered Mr Biden on the issue throughout the debate, including after the Democrat’s first answer on abortion.
Read more: Trump and Biden vow tough action in rival Texas visits
“There have been many young women murdered by the same people,” the former president said. “He allows to come across our border.”
Later on, Mr Biden was asked why he should be trusted on immigration after a record number of illegal migrants have crossed the border from Mexico under his current administration.
He pointed to how he brought in “significant increased number of asylum officers”, and attacked Mr Trump’s record in office
After another rambling answer, Mr Trump said: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
He then claimed that under his administration, the US “had the safest border in the history of our country.” In a terse moment, Mr Biden spoke about Mr Trump’s previous comments on veterans, where he was alleged to have called those who died in war “suckers and losers”.
The president got personal in evoking his son, Beau Biden, who served in Iraq before dying of brain cancer, and told Mr Trump: “My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
‘My son was not a loser… You’re the sucker. You’re the loser’ Pic: Reuters
Foreign policy
Another topic Mr Trump returned to often was the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
After 20 years in the Middle Eastern country, the Taliban seized control almost immediately after American troops withdrew.
Near the start of the debate, he said: “It was the most embarrassing day in the history of this country’s life.”
Later, Mr Trump attempted to link Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the fall of Kabul, claiming that Vladimir Putin “watched” the US withdrawal.
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Vice President Kamala Harris says Biden had a ‘slow start’
In a sprawling answer, he claimed: “When Putin saw that, he said: ‘You know what? I think we’re going to go in and maybe take my’ – this was his dream. I talked to him about it, his dream.
“The difference is he never would have invaded Ukraine. Never. Just like Israel would have never been invaded in a million years by Hamas.”
Mr Biden said, “I never heard so much malarkey in my whole life” before defending his record on foreign policy, pointing to how “we got over 100,000 Americans and others out” of Afghanistan and to Mr Trump’s comments on NATO.
On Israel, both candidates vowed support. Mr Biden touted his May ceasefire offer, while Mr Trump said of the president: “He’s become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian.”
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People attend a debate watch party at Union Pub on Capitol Hill in Washington Pic: REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Democracy and January 6
When asked about what he would say to voters who were concerned about a possible second term for Mr Trump after the January 6th riots, the former president again touted his economic and immigration records.
When asked the question again by the moderators, Mr Trump then made false claims about former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and about an offer of sending the National Guard.
Mr Biden said Mr Trump “didn’t do a damn thing” to stop his supporters marching on Capitol Hill while the 2020 election results were being certified, saying the rioters “should be in jail… and he wants to let them all out”.
He then called Mr Trump a “convicted felon” over being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
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Mr Biden added: “Think of all the civil penalties you have. How many billions of dollars do you own civil penalties for? For molesting a woman in public?
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The former president denies ‘sex with a porn star’, mentioned by Joe Biden in the first US presidential debate of 2024.
“For doing a whole range of things, of having sex with a porn star on the night and while your wife is pregnant? I mean, what are you talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat.”
Mr Trump repeated false claims the 2020 election was “rigged and disgusting” and added: “I did not have sex with a porn star.”
Moderators directly asked the former president towards the end of the debate whether he would condemn any form of political violence and whether he would accept the result of the upcoming election.
“The answer is, if the election is fair, free… and I want that more than anybody,” he said, before changing the subject mid-sentence – stopping just short of saying outright that he would accept the result.
US President Donald Trump is putting “heavy” pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations have told Sky News.
One US source said: “The US pressure on Israel has begun, and tonight it will be heavy.”
The source, who is not authorised to speak publicly, was referring to the White House dinner on Monday night between Trump and Netanyahu.
A second Middle Eastern diplomatic source agreed that the American pressure on Israel would be intense.
Benjamin Netanyahu gave Donald Trump a letter saying he had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Pic: AP
Netanyahu arrived in Washington DC in the early hours of Monday morning and held meetings on Monday with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser.
The Israeli prime minister plans to be in Washington until Thursday with meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Trump has made clear his desire to bring the Gaza conflict to an end.
However, he has never articulated how a lasting peace, which would satisfy both the Israelis and Palestinians, could be achieved.
His varying comments about ownership of Gaza, moving Palestinians out of the territory and permanent resettlement, have presented a confusing policy.
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‘Israel has shifted towards economy of genocide’
Situation for Palestinians worse than ever
Over the coming days, we will see the extent to which Trump demands that Netanyahu accepts the current Gaza ceasefire deal, even if it falls short of Israel’s war aims – the elimination of Hamas.
The strategic objective to permanently remove Hamas seems always to have been impossible. Hamas as an entity was the extreme consequence of the Israeli occupation.
The Palestinians’ challenge has not gone away, and the situation for Palestinians now is worse than it has ever been in Gaza and also the West Bank. It is not clear how Trump plans to square that circle.
Read more:
Explainer – What is the possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal?
Israeli soldier describes arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza
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‘Some Israeli commanders can decide to do war crimes’
Trump’s oft-repeated desire to “stop the killing” is sincere. Those close to him often emphasise this. He is also looking to cement his legacy as a peacemaker. He genuinely craves the Nobel Peace Prize.
In this context, the complexities of conflicts – in Ukraine or Gaza – are often of secondary importance to the president.
If Netanyahu can be persuaded to end the war, what would he need?
The hostages back – for sure. That would require agreement from Hamas. They would only agree to this if they have guarantees on Gaza’s future and their own future. More circles to square.
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Trump 100: We answer your questions
Was White House dinner a key moment?
The Monday night dinner could have been a key moment for the Middle East. Two powerful men in the Blue Room of the White House, deciding the direction of the region.
Will it be seen as the moment the region was remoulded? But to whose benefit?
Trump is a dealmaker with an eye on the prize. But Netanyahu is a political master; they don’t call him “the magician” for nothing.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Trump makes decisions instinctively. He can shift position quickly and often listens to the last person in the room. Right now – that person is Netanyahu.
Gaza is one part of a jigsaw of challenges, which could become opportunities.
Diplomatic normalisation between Israel and the Arab world is a prize for Trump and could genuinely secure him the Nobel Peace Prize.
But without the Gaza piece, the jigsaw is incomplete.
World
IDF presence in Gaza ‘only issue’ still to be resolved in push for Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Sky News understands
Only one issue remains unresolved in the push to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, according to Sky sources.
Intense negotiations are taking place in Qatar in parallel with key talks in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations have told Sky News that disagreement between Israel and Hamas remains on the status and presence of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza.
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Gaza ceasefire deal in progress
The two sides have bridged significant differences on several other issues, including the process of delivering humanitarian aid and Hamas’s demand that the US guarantees to ensure Israel doesn’t unilaterally resume the war when the ceasefire expires in 60 days.
On the issue of humanitarian aid, Sky News understands that a third party that neither Hamas nor Israel has control over will be used in areas from which the IDF withdraws.
Benjamin Netanyahu briefed reporters on Capitol Hill about the talks on Tuesday. Pic: AP
This means that the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – jointly run by an American organisation and Israel – will not be able to operate anywhere where the IDF is not deployed. It will limit GHF expansion plans.
It is believed the United Nations or other recognised humanitarian organisations will adopt a greater role.
On the issue of a US guarantee to prevent Israel restarting the war, Sky News understands that a message was passed to Hamas by Dr Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American who has emerged as a key back channel in the negotiations.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Read more from Sky News:
Trump puts pressure on Netanyahu
Netanyahu backs Trump for peace prize
Potential Gaza deal explained
The message appears to have been enough to convince Hamas that President Trump will prevent Israel from restarting the conflict.
However, there is no sense from any of the developments over the course of the past day about what the future of Gaza looks like longer-term.
Final challenge is huge
The last remaining disagreement is, predictably, the trickiest to bridge.
Israel’s central war aim, beyond the return of the hostages, is the total elimination of Hamas as a military and political organisation. The withdrawal of the IDF, partial or total, could allow Hamas to regroup.
One way to overcome this would be to provide wider guarantees of clear deliverable pathways to a viable future for Palestinians.
But there is no sense from the negotiations of any longer-term commitments on this issue.
Two key blocks have been resolved over the past 24 hours but the final challenge is huge.
The conflict in Gaza erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 20 hostages are believed to remain alive in Gaza.
Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
World
‘Widespread sexual violence’ took place during Hamas’s 7 October attacks, report by Israeli experts says
A newly released report led by Israeli legal and gender experts presents detailed evidence alleging “widespread and systematic” sexual violence during the Hamas-led terror attack on 7 October.
Warning: This story contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence
The findings, published by the Dinah Project, argue that these acts amount to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), and assert that “Hamas used sexual violence as a tactical weapon of war”.
The report draws on 18 months of investigation and is based on survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and interviews with first responders, morgue personnel and healthcare professionals.
According to the Dinah Project, the documented patterns – such as forced nudity, gang rapes, genital mutilation, and threats of forced marriage – indicate a deliberate and coordinated use of sexual violence by Hamas operatives during the attack.
Reported incidents span at least six locations, including the Nova music festival, and several kibbutzim in southern Israel.
A destroyed car near the police station in Sderot, following the 7 October attacks by Hamas. Pic: AP
One section of the report describes victims “found fully or partially naked from the waist down, with their hands tied behind their backs and/or to structures such as trees and poles, and shot”.
At the Nova music festival and surrounding areas, the investigators found “reasonable grounds to believe” that multiple women were raped or gang-raped before being killed.
The report’s findings are consistent with earlier investigations by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Read more:
What is the possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal?
Israeli soldier describes arbitrary killing of civilians in Gaza
The UN’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict previously concluded that there were “reasonable grounds to believe” CRSV took place during the attack.
Destroyed vehicles near the grounds of the Supernova electronic music festival. Pic: AP
Significantly, the Dinah Project urges the international community to officially recognise the use of sexual violence by Hamas as a deliberate strategy of war and calls on the United Nations to add Hamas to its list of parties responsible for conflict-related sexual violence.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The nature and scale of sexual violence on 7 October have been a subject of intense controversy, with some accusing parties of weaponising the narrative for political ends.
This report seeks to confront what its authors call “denial, misinformation, and global silence,” and to provide justice for the victims.
Hamas has denied that its fighters have used sexual violence and mistreated female hostages.
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