President Biden and former President Trump attacked each other Thursday night in a debate that raised new fears among Democrats about Biden’s mental fitness.
Both men tried to make appeals to voters as concerns hung over both men. But it was Biden’s halting answers in the first 30 minutes of the debate that largely overshadowed everything else.
The debate took place at a time when Trump narrowly leads in most, but not all, national polls. The Hill/Decision Desk headquarters’ average of national polls shows Trump with nearly 45% support, while Biden has nearly 44%.
Here are five memorable moments from the debate.
Biden stumbles with his answers early on
In a moment that probably did more than any other to define the debate’s narrative, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought when he confused the terms Medicare and COVID.
Trump later took aim at the president’s slurred comments.
“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” Trump said, as the two men discussed the topic of immigration.
CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Biden on why voters should “trust” him to secure the border, pointing to the record number of migrants crossing into the US. As Biden touted his support for a bipartisan border security agreement and his recent border crackdown, he appeared to stumble over his words before concluding his response.
“I’m going to continue to act until we get to the full ban — from the full initiative relative to what we’re going to do with more border patrols and more asylum officers,” Biden said before Trump responded.
A source familiar with Biden’s campaign told The Hill that the president caught a cold during the debate, explaining his slow start and hoarse voice.
Biden criticizes Trump over veterans: ‘My son was not a loser’
Biden became angry with Trump after the former president attacked his record on veterans issues, lashing out at Trump about 30 minutes into the debate.
“My son served in Iraq,” Biden said, referring to his oldest son, Beau. “He lived near burn pits. He came back with glioblastoma. … He [Trump] called veterans suckers and losers. My son was not a loser. He wasn’t a sucker. You are the loser. You are the sucker.
Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015, believed to be due to exposure to burn pits during Army National Guard service in Iraq.
Trump denied calling fallen veterans “suckers and losers,” saying the quote was made up.
“That was a made-up quote. ‘Suckers and losers.’ They invented it. It was in a third-rate magazine that is failing – like many of these magazines. He [Biden] invented this. He put it in commercials. We had 19 people say I didn’t say that.”
Despite his claims to the contrary, however, Trump’s own former chief of staff John Kelly previously confirmed that Trump called fallen veterans “suckers” in 2018. Trump reportedly made the comment after saying he did not want to visit a cemetery for Americans who fell in World War I. soldiers in France.
Biden and Trump call each other criminals
Trump quickly responded to Biden after the president called him a “convicted criminal.”
“The only person on this stage [who] is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said, before Trump responded.
Trump then called out Hunter Biden, the president’s son, after he was found guilty on federal gun charges earlier this month.
“When he talks about a convicted criminal, his son is a convicted criminal, of the highest level,” he responded, adding that he believes Hunter will be convicted more times. Hunter faces a tax crime trial in September.
Trump then labeled Biden a criminal.
“Joe could be a convicted felon with all the things he did, he did horrible things,” Trump said. “This man is a criminal. This man, you’re lucky, you’re lucky, I didn’t do anything wrong. We have a fraudulent and disgusting system.”
Biden: Trump has “alley cat morals”
The president criticized Trump for his legal troubles and alleged past affairs at a point in the debate that turned personal when Trump claimed his numerous legal cases were politically motivated.
“The crimes you’re still charged with, and think about all the civil penalties you have,” Biden said. “How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties or for molesting a woman in public? For doing a lot of things.
“For having sex with a porn star… while your wife was pregnant?” He continued. “What are you talking about? You have the morals of a stray cat.”
Trump reacted, denying the case that was at the center of his criminal trial in New York. The former president was found guilty of illegally covering up payments made to hide his affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“We had a terrible judge, a horrible Democrat judge,” Trump said. “The prosecutors were all high-ranking Democrats, appointed people. Both civil and criminal. He [Biden] basically went after his political opponent because he thought it would hurt me.”
Trump faces three remaining criminal trials over allegations related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and hide classified documents, although none are expected to be decided before the election. Civil lawsuits earlier this year found the former president liable for sexual assault, corporate fraud and defamation.
Trump engages with Biden over abortion
The two candidates exchanged arguments about their positions on abortion, one of the most debated issues before the elections.
Trump praised his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. Wade – the landmark Supreme Court decision that protected the nation’s right to abortion. He emphasized his belief that the issue should be left to the states, while maintaining that he supports exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
He also said he supported the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, the medication used in the majority of abortions nationwide.
“I agree with their decision to do this and I will not block it,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, Biden has repeatedly reiterated his support for Roe. He said overturning the historic decision was a “terrible thing”.
“The idea that states are capable of [ban abortion] It’s a little like saying we’re going to return civil rights to the states,” he said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
