The first Presidential debate before the 2024 Election proved to be spectacle, for both parties. President Biden struggled, Donald Trump presented misinformation and the American voters were left confused.
Here are the most cringe-worthy moments from the debate.
President Biden Stumbles:
President Joe Biden struggled early in the debate. His voice was a bit hoarse which made it bit difficult for some to initially understand his messages. At one point, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and paused for a few seconds before continuing. Although it could have been a moment where Biden wanted to ensure his facts were correct, it was an optical issue.
Trump Lied, Often:
Trump spewed a lot of misinformation from beginning to end. He claimed the Biden Administration had the largest deficit in U.S. history, when the largest deficit actually occurred under Trump’s term. He also spoke untruthfully about the Jan. 6 attack. He claimed that a “small number of people went to the Capitol and in many cases were ushered in by the police.” But it was not a “small number” of people and is considered the deadliest attack for political power in over 200 years.
Trump also lied about calling U.S. Troops “suckers and losers.” Although he claimed he never said it, a former senior U.S. Army officer and a former senior U.S. Marine Corps officer confirmed that he called troops buried at Aisle-Marne American Cemetery in France “suckers and losers.”
Trump Mentions Black Jobs:
Trump has always had an issue with “othering” Black Americans and that continued during the debate. When claiming that immigrants were taking jobs from Americans, Trump said the term “Black jobs.” “They’re taking Black jobs now — and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people,” he said. There’s no such thing as a “Black job” and it further revealed Trump’s true disconnection with Black Americans.
Golf Battles:
While most Americans were watching the debate to hear about key issues, both candidates decided to ramble about golf. President Biden offered to battle Trump in a driving contest and Trump responded by downplaying Biden’s golf game. “I’ve seen your swing,” Trump said. “I know your swing. Let’s not act like children.” It was arguably the most cringe-worthy moment of the entire debate.
CNN Moderators:
Dana Bash and Jake Tapper served as moderators of the debate. However, the two did little to control the flow or fact-check the candidates in real time. In several moments, the moderators failed to force the candidates to directly answer the questions. While CNN initially revealed that the moderators would not serve as umpires, Trump’s blatant lies without any fact-checking allowed him to have an edge. According to CNN, Trump lied 30 times in 90 minutes.