There were several heated moments and pointed jabs during the first 2024 presidential debate between President Biden and former President Trump on Thursday night.
Discussing a variety of topics, including immigration and the border, the war in Israel, and abortion, the candidates managed to land some punches and challenge one another on their respective records.
Here are the top five moments from the presidential debate, which was hosted by CNN.
1. ‘I didn’t have sex with a porn star’
During the debate, Biden hit Trump over the various criminal cases he is involved in, including the New York trial that ended with Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records. The records were related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who Trump allegedly had an affair with. However, Trump shot back at Biden, claiming, ‘I didn’t have sex with a porn star.’
2. Trump slams Biden Afghanistan withdrawal
‘He was so bad with Afghanistan,’ Trump claimed during the debate, calling it ‘such a horrible embarrassment.’
‘He should have fired those generals like I fired the one that you mentioned, and so he’s got no love lost, but he should have fired those generals,’ he added. ‘No general got fired for the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, Afghanistan, where we left billions of dollars of equipment behind. We lost 13 beautiful soldiers and 38 soldiers were obliterated.’
3. Biden denies wrongdoing, calling it ‘outrageous’
The president slammed Trump’s claims he could be prosecuted, brushing it off as ‘outrageous.’
‘Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done,’ Trump claimed.
‘This man is a criminal. This man — you’re lucky. You’re lucky. I did nothing wrong. We’d have a system that was rigged and disgusting. I did nothing wrong,’ he added.
Biden shot back, ‘the idea that I did anything wrong is outrageous.’
4. Biden says he is ‘not for a late-term abortion — period’
Biden pushed back on Trump after the former president said he would allow late term abortions to occur.
‘So 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. The former governor of Virginia: ‘put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it.’ So, he’s willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. Nobody wants that to happen — Democrat or Republican. Nobody wants that to happen,’ Trump said.
But Biden claimed, ‘You’re lying. That is simply not true.’
According to the president, he is ‘not for a late-term abortion — period. Period.’
5. Trump claims Biden ‘has become like a Palestinian’
While discussing Israel’s war with terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, Trump slammed Biden, who he said doesn’t want to let Israel ‘finish the job.’
‘He’s become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one,’ he said.
‘I’ve never heard so much foolishness,’ Biden responded.