On Thursday night, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The 90-minute debate, hosted by CNN in Atlanta and the candidates, addressed a range of topics, including the economy, abortion, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Trump’s recent criminal convictions, and appealing to Black voters.
President Biden’s performance was marked by a hoarse voice and halting answers, and he seemingly appeared to lose his train of thought at times. Trump, although confident, doubled down on falsehoods throughout the debate. While these discussions generally center on candidates’ policies on major issues, much of the focus for this first debate shifted to how the 81-year-old president and his 78-year-old predecessor would handle another term in the Oval Office.
Here are some of the major takeaways from Thursday night’s debate.
“Black Jobs”
As expected, there were several moments that raised eyebrows throughout the debate, but none more than Trump’s response when asked about his appeal to Black voters. “The fact is that his big kill on the Black people is the millions of people that he’s allowed to come in through the border,” the former president said. “They’re taking Black jobs now, and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people. They’re taking Black jobs, and they’re taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re gonna see something that’s going to be the worst in our history.”
The NAACP asked on X what so many of us were thinking: “What exactly are Black and Hispanic Jobs!?!” Needless to say, #BlackJob quickly became a trending topic online. “We’re still trying to figure out what a #BlackJob is? Because if it’s showing up every day to build a democracy that continues to undermine us, we’ve been doing that since 1619. Quote this with your “Black job,” the NAACP also posted on X.
Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights and the repeal of Roe v. Wade was a big topic throughout the debate. Biden pledged to restore Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protected abortion rights until it was overturned in 2022. Trump, who has said he wouldn’t sign a federal abortion ban but would allow states to regulate abortions and prosecute violations of restrictive laws, praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe. He added that he would support exceptions to abortion bans for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. “It’s bringing it back to the vote of the people, which is what everybody wanted, including the founders,” Trump said. “Everybody wanted it brought back. And many Presidents had tried to get it back. I was the one to do it.”
Biden retorted, “The idea that the founders wanted the politicians to be the ones making decisions about women’s health is ridiculous.” When asked about his stance on abortion pills, following the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the pregnancy termination pill mifepristone, Trump said he wouldn’t block the medications. However, he repeatedly and inaccurately criticized Biden’s vow to restore Roe, claiming it would allow doctors to “take the life of the baby in the ninth month, and even after birth,” which is false. Abortions after birth would be infanticide, a crime in all states, and abortions later in pregnancy are rare.
The Inflation Blame Game
Inflation and the job market were among the most frequently discussed topics in the debate. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden for his administration’s handling of these issues. “I gave him a country with no, essentially no inflation. It was perfect. It was so good; all he had to do was leave it alone. He destroyed it,” Trump asserted.
Pandemic-related stimulus policies implemented by both Trump and Biden were partly blamed for the rise in the inflation rate, according to NBC News. Biden, on the other hand, pointed to the economy he inherited in 2021, arguing that his administration has been working to “put things back together” after the former president’s early COVID-19 policies.
“There was no inflation when I became president,” Biden countered. “You know why? The economy was flat on its back.” He added, “there’s more to be done,” emphasizing that his administration is “working to bring down the price around the kitchen table, and that’s what we’re going to get done.” Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the inflation rate when Biden took office in January 2021 was 1.4%, but it spiked to about 9.1% in June 2022 before decreasing to 3.3% in May 2024.
Personal Attacks
As anticipated, former President Donald Trump swiftly brought up President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who was recently convicted on gun charges in Delaware.
“Fifty-one intelligence agents said that [Hunter’s] laptop was Russia disinformation. It wasn’t. That came from his son Hunter. It wasn’t Russia disinformation,” Trump asserted during the debate. While Biden generally avoided mentioning Trump’s ongoing legal troubles, he took a jab at Trump mid-way through the debate, calling him a “convicted felon” with the morals “of an alley cat.”
Trump has been convicted of 34 felony charges in New York related to hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump responded by bringing up Hunter Biden’s legal issues again. “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon at a very high level,” Trump said. “His son is convicted, going to be convicted probably numerous other times.”
Although the debate covered various policies, little new ground was broken. Instead, much of the focus was on how the 81-year-old president and his 78-year-old predecessor would handle another term in the Oval Office. The next presidential debate will take place in September.