{"id":2285137,"date":"2024-06-28T06:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T10:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-stumbles-and-other-takeaways-from-cnn-debate-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T06:36:25","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T10:36:25","slug":"biden-stumbles-and-other-takeaways-from-cnn-debate-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-stumbles-and-other-takeaways-from-cnn-debate-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden stumbles and other takeaways from CNN debate &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-stumbles-and-other-takeaways-from-cnn-debate-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2285137&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the\u200b first presidential\u200c debate since 2020, President \u2062Joe Biden and \u2063former\u200b President \u2063Donald Trump\u200c rekindled their rivalry, touching on \u200dseveral\u2063 contentious topics. Biden struggled to demonstrate his mental sharpness, raising concerns about his capability to\u2062 govern. Trump, on the other hand, adopted a less aggressive stance than in past\u2064 debates, \u2062focusing on critiquing Biden&#8217;s\u2062 performance without reverting to previous \u200ctactics that had backfired.<\/p>\n<p>The debate, held without an audience in Atlanta\u2063 and moderated by CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper and \u200dDana Bash, was characterized by strict \u200bcontrol over speaking times. Both candidates \u200cexchanged criticisms \u2063over issues like the\u200b economy,\u200b abortion, immigration, and foreign policy. Trump criticized Biden&#8217;s handling of military matters and blamed him \u2063for international \u2063crises, while Biden accused Trump of\u200c being \u200cdetrimental to military personnel&#8217;s\u2062 morale and ineffective\u2064 in his abortion policies, despite\u2062 Trump asserting\u2063 state rights in abortion\u2062 matters.<\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s\u200b performance was\u2062 noted to be\u2063 less energized \u2062than necessary, and his articulation on health care\u2062 and immigration was weak, causing Trump to question\u2064 his comprehension of the issues discussed. The campaigns now move towards more debates and advertisements as\u2064 they gear toward the election, with \u200dboth opting out of the traditional third debate by the Commission on Presidential Debates.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The first presidential debate between President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe Biden\">Joe Biden<\/a> and former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> since 2020 set a new tone in the rematch between the two candidates.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Biden proved unable to dispel concerns that his mental acuity has sagged, which has prompted another round of consternation over his ability to govern or even win the election. Trump managed to avoid be overly aggressive, which led to backlash four years earlier, while still attacking Biden.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cnn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>CNN<\/a>-sponsored debate in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/atlanta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Atlanta<\/a> featured zero audience members and 90 minutes of Biden and Trump trading barbs over the economy, abortion, immigration, and foreign policy. CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash kept control over the debate as they muted the microphones of the two men whenever they went over the time allotted to respond to questions.<\/p>\n<p>This was the earliest-ever debate between presidential candidates, with the second debate not scheduled until Sept. 10 on ABC News. Both Biden and Trump decided to sideline the Commission on Presidential Debates and are skipping a traditional third debate.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3061125\/trump-biden-duke-it-out-viral-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRUMP AND BIDEN DUKE IT OUT WITH VIRAL ADS AHEAD OF DEBATE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before the September debates, here are the <em>Washington Examiner\u2019s <\/em>top takeaways.<\/p>\n<h2>Biden wasn\u2019t as energetic as he needed to be<\/h2>\n<p>Biden\u2019s voice at the beginning of the debate came off as hoarse and weak at a time when the president desperately needed to show the American public that at 81, he still has the energy to serve in office for another four years. <\/p>\n<p>Within the first 30 minutes of the debate, Biden\u2019s struggles were immediately clear to those watching the debate. When discussing healthcare, Biden inexplicably claimed, \u201cWe finally beat Medicare,\u201d prompting Trump to respond, \u201cHe\u2019s right. He did beat Medicare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later on, Trump claimed, \u201cI really don\u2019t know what he said on this, and I don\u2019t think he knows what he said either,\u201d in response to Biden\u2019s previous immigration comments. The Trump retort helped to make Biden appear fragile and incompetent, which commentators online concurred. \u201cThe bar was low for Biden and he\u2019s still underperforming,\u201d national Republican strategist Brian Seitchik told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>The split-screen between the two candidates did not favor Biden who struggled to complete full thoughts and barely smiled, while Trump appeared sharper in his appearance and his remarks. A source familiar with knowledge told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Biden was struggling with a cold.<\/p>\n<p>Biden did get in a few sharp attacks at Trump in the debate, telling his rival he was a \u201cchild,\u201d a \u201csucker\u201d and a \u201closer.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2>Biden and Trump go at it on abortion<\/h2>\n<p>Trump reiterated his support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>legal abortion<\/a> in the case of rape, incest, and in the case of the mother\u2019s health, championed individual states deciding when to limit access to the procedure, and said he wouldn\u2019t prohibit abortion medication access. But he did concede: \u201cSome people don\u2019t [support exceptions to abortion bans], follow your heart, but you have to get elected also,\u201d Trump warned.<\/p>\n<p>Trump sought to put Biden on the defense over abortion, which has cost the GOP key elections during the 2022 midterm elections and the 2023 off-year elections. \u201cSo that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth. Because some states, Democrat-run, take it after birth,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>Biden pushed back against Trump\u2019s accusations that Democrats were \u201cradical\u201d over their alleged support for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-circuit-breaker-on-election-night\/\" title=\"The question looms: just how does it come to be that three quarters of Republican and nearly one third of Democrat voters all believe that the election was stolen from Trump?\">late-term abortion<\/a>. \u201cWe are not for late-term abortion. Period,\u201d Biden retorted. The president also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3062661\/debate-fact-check-biden-did-back-going-beyond-roe-and-legal-late-term-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>claimed<\/a> he would \u201crestore <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>\u201d after it was struck down in <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden campaign seeks to make the 2024 election a referendum on abortion given the party\u2019s past success but Biden\u2019s debate performance could overshadow his attacks against Trump\u2019s abortion stance. <\/p>\n<h2>Trump and Biden clash over who is better for military<\/h2>\n<p>The former president slammed Biden over military members who allegedly dislike the incumbent when asked about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Russia<\/a>\u2019s invasion of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ukraine<\/a>. \u201cFirst of all, our veterans and our soldiers can\u2019t stand this guy. They can\u2019t stand him. They think he\u2019s the worst commander in chief, if that\u2019s what you call him, that we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Trump told Biden bluntly.<\/p>\n<p>Trump blamed Biden for Russian President Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine, leading to massive deaths, along with the embarrassing American withdrawal from Afghanistan. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe whole world is blowing up under him,\u201d Trump criticized Biden. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-states-boost-unemployment-for-unvaxed-workers-fired-over-vaccine-status\/\" title=\"Red States Boost Unemployment For Unvaxed Workers Fired Over Vaccine Status\">president resorted<\/a> to one of his oft-used phrases to hit back. \u201cI\u2019ve never heard so much malarky in my whole life,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n<p>The president would also reference a 2018 report that Trump referred to military veterans as \u201csuckers\u201d and \u201closers.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son was not a loser, was not a sucker,\u201d Biden said in reference to his late son Beau, who served in the military. \u201cYou\u2019re the sucker. You\u2019re the loser.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Trump brushes off legal problems <\/h2>\n<p>Despite being convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up an extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, Trump is still maintaining his innocence. \u201cI didn\u2019t have sex with a porn star,\u201d Trump claimed onstage. This came after Biden accused Trump of having \u201cthe morals of an alley cat\u201d for cheating on Melania Trump, who was not at the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Biden eventually called Trump a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">convicted felon<\/a>\u201d roughly 45 minutes into the debate. Trump sought to flip questioning about his felony conviction from the hush money trial on Biden and his son Hunter who was convicted on three federal charges related to a 2018 purchase of a revolver. Hunter Biden, according to Trump, \u201cis a convicted felon at a very high level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office,\u201d Trump said of Joe Biden. \u201cThis man is a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Will Trump accept the results of the election? <\/h2>\n<p>During the 2020 cycle, Trump famously refused to say he would unequivocally accept the results of the election. That refusal was among the chief criticisms against Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot following Trump\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n<p>This cycle, Trump again did not clearly state he would accept the results of the election when pressed by the moderators at least three times. \u201cWell I shouldn\u2019t have to say that but of course I believe that,\u201d Trump said when asked. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>Later on, Trump said, \u201cIf it\u2019s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would have much rather accepted these but the fraud and everything else was ridiculous,\u201d Trump added. He then pivoted to condemning Biden over the four criminal indictments he is facing. \u201cThe only reason I\u2019m here is he\u2019s so bad as a president that I\u2019m going to make America great again,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n<p><em>Naomi Lim contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first presidential debate since 2020 between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump marked a significant tone shift. Biden struggled to alleviate worries about his mental sharpness, sparking fresh doubts about his governance capabilities and electoral prospects<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2285138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/trump-biden-2024-debate.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[28183,3620,32651,10191,32076],"class_list":["post-2285137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-stumbling","tag-biden","tag-cnn-debate","tag-takeaways","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/trump-biden-2024-debate.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2285137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2285137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2285137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2285137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}