Trump-Biden debate: Little new insight into policy goals
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in Thursday's presidential debate.
Hosted by CNN, it was the earliest-ever debate in a presidential race, taking place before the Republican and Democratic conventions in July and August -- when both Trump and Biden will officially accept their party's nominations.
Key Headlines
- Jun 28, 2024, 2:34 AM GMT
- Jun 28, 2024, 2:21 AM GMT
- Jun 28, 2024, 2:13 AM GMT
- Jun 28, 2024, 2:07 AM GMT
- Jun 28, 2024, 1:22 AM GMT
- Jun 27, 2024, 11:11 PM GMT
Fact-checking the first 2024 Presidential Debate
ABC News is fact-checking both Biden and Trump's claims in real time.
MORE | Fact-checking the first 2024 Presidential Debate between Donald Trump, Joe Biden
Biden calls Trump a 'convicted felon' and Trump brings up Hunter
Almost 45 minutes into the debate, President Joe Biden finally referenced former President Donald Trump's recent felony conviction in New York.
During a discussion about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Biden said: "The only person on this stage that's a convicted felon is the man I'm looking at right now," referring to Trump.
538 ANALYSIS | How Trump's guilty verdict will impact the 2024 presidential election
Trump then sought to pivot from his own legal troubles by referring to Biden's son, Hunter, as a "convicted felon."
He was referencing the younger Biden's felony conviction this month on three firearms charges. Trump also repeated long-running claims related to the Bidens and Ukraine, a frequent attack point for Republicans.
The first half hour
In first half hour of debate, a raspy Joe Biden has delivered rambling answers that sometimes trail off as he defends his policies and record.
Donald Trump has countered with falsehoods on issues including the economy, abortion and NATO members' defense spending.
The two have also exchanged deeply personal attacks.
Trump deflects when asked about Jan. 6, violating oath
Debate questions are turning to Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during the certification of the Electoral College vote count.
Trump was asked by host Jake Tapper whether he violated his oath to protect and defend the Constitution.
Asked about the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump quickly pivoted to immigration and taxes. Pressed on his role, he said he encouraged people to act "peacefully and patriotically," then attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The rioters on Jan. 6 engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police and used makeshift weapons, including flagpoles, a table leg, hockey stick and crutch, to attack officers. Police officers were bruised and bloodied as they were dragged into the crowd and beaten. One officer was crushed in a doorframe and another suffered a heart attack after a rioter pressed a stun gun against his neck and repeatedly shocked him.
More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses stemming from the riot. Of those, more than 850 have guilty people have pleaded guilty to crimes, including seditious conspiracy and assaulting police officers. About 200 others have been convicted at trial.
Biden pushes back on Trump's NATO comments
Joe Biden pushed back at Donald Trump bragging about pushing European allies to put more money into defense. "This is a guy who wants to pull out of NATO," Biden said, adding that he "got 50 other nations" to support Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Biden forcefully responded to Trump's NATO comments, saying: "He has no idea what the hell he's talking about."
About 6 in 10 Americans see NATO membership as a very or somewhat good thing for the U.S., while about one-quarter say it's neither good nor bad and only about 1 in 10 say it's very or somewhat bad, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in February.
