Analysis/Reaction coming from AFN on Friday
Joe Biden pointed to a plan from some House Republicans to cut $1.5 trillion in Social Security benefits by raising the retirement age as proof that Donald Trump wants to cut the program.
Republican leaders in Congress have backed off slashing Social Security benefits, but many see the current state of the program as untenable in the long term.
When former President Donald Trump was asked what he would do about climate change, he said that the U.S. had “absolutely immaculate, clean water” and air when he was president.
Joe Biden retorted: “He hasn’t done a damn thing” for the environment.
Climate change isn’t an area where Americans think Trump performed especially well as president. Nearly half of Americans said Trump hurt the country on climate change while he was president, while relatively few Americans — only about 1 in 10 — said Trump’s presidency helped the country. About 4 in 10 say he neither helped nor hurt.
They’re more likely to see a positive effect from Biden’s presidency, but it’s not an overwhelming endorsement. Nearly half say Biden neither helped nor hurt the country on climate change, while about 3 in 10 say he helped a lot or a little and roughly 2 in 10 say he hurt the country.
Almost 45 minutes into the debate, President Joe Biden referenced former President Donald Trump’s recent felony conviction in New York.
During a discussion about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Biden said: “The only person on this stage that’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” referring to Trump.
Trump then sought to pivot from his own legal troubles by referring to Biden’s son, Hunter, as a “convicted felon.”
He was referencing the younger Biden’s felony conviction this month on three firearms charges. Trump also repeated long-running claims related to the Bidens and Ukraine, a frequent attack point for Republicans.
Debate questions are turning to Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol during the certification of the Electoral College vote count.
Trump was asked by host Jake Tapper whether he violated his oath to protect and defend the Constitution.
Asked about the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump quickly pivoted to immigration and taxes. Pressed on his role, he said he encouraged people to act “peacefully and patriotically,” then attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal offenses stemming from the riot. Of those, more than 850 have guilty people have pleaded guilty to crimes, including seditious conspiracy and assaulting police officers. About 200 others have been convicted at trial.
Joe Biden pushed back at Donald Trump bragging about pushing European allies to put more money into defense. “This is a guy who wants to pull out of NATO,” Biden said, adding that he “got 50 other nations” to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
Biden forcefully responded to Trump’s NATO comments, saying: “He has no idea what the hell he’s talking about.”
About 6 in 10 Americans see NATO membership as a very or somewhat good thing for the U.S., while about one-quarter say it’s neither good nor bad and only about 1 in 10 say it’s very or somewhat bad, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in February.
The questioning during Thursday's debate turned to foreign policy beginning with the Russian war in Ukraine, which is now in its third year.
Former President Donald Trump suggested Russia never would have attacked Ukraine if he had been in office.
“If we had a real president, a president that knew that was respected by Putin, he would have never he would have never invaded Ukraine,” he said.
Trump has a long history of positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s toughness, including calling Putin’s tactics in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine “genius” and “very savvy.”
Trump expresses no such warmth for Ukraine or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, most recently calling him a “salesman” this month for the Ukrainian leader’s military aid requests to the United States.
Former President Donald Trump complained that migrants who arrive in the country illegally are housed in “luxury hotels” while veterans are on the street.
As expected, he also leaned heavily on discussing migrant crime. He also said migrants are coming into the U.S. illegally from “mental institutions” and “insane asylums.” He has not provided evidence for that claim, which he has frequently made at rallies.
Trump also said he had the “safest border border in history” — a highly questionably claim and a familiar talking point.
President Joe Biden has stuck to his talking points on immigration, highlighting 40% drop in arrests for illegal immigration since issuing an executive order suspending asylum.
He’s trying to gain ground on immigration, which has risen as a national priority, not just among Republicans.
Just 3 in 10 Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, according to an AP-NORC poll from June. About 6 in 10 Democrats approve of Biden’s approach to the issue, but only about 2 in 10 Independents and fewer than 1 in 10 Republicans agree.
Joe Biden lost his train of thought during Thursday's debate while trying to make a point about tax rates and the number of billionaires in America.
Biden trailed off and looked down before mumbling about COVID and saying something to the effect that “we finally beat Medicare.”
When he tried to come back to finish his point, moderator Jake Tapper cut him off because his time was up.
Trump quickly interjected: “He’s right he did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
President Joe Biden blamed Donald Trump during the debate for the deluge of state abortion restrictions since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
As president, Trump appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped form the majority that overturned the constitutional right to abortion — and he has taken credit for that during his campaign.
Highlighting Trump’s connection to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its impact on pregnant people across the U.S. has become a cornerstone of Biden’s campaign. Biden has also warned that a second Trump term could lead to nationwide abortion restrictions.
Trump said on the debate stage that he believes in abortion ban exceptions “for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”
Those exceptions are at the heart of a case the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday. Under Idaho’s abortion ban, women have been unable to get abortions in medical emergencies because the state only has an exception to save the life of the mother — not to save her health.
With the economy as the first issue of the debate, Joe Biden detailed what he described as an American economy “in freefall,” while Trump bragged about the state of the economy while he was in office, as well as his handling of the pandemic.
About 3 in 10 Americans said the economy was the most important problem facing the country in a May Gallup poll, but that included a range of economic issues.
About 1 in 10 pointed specifically to the high cost of living or inflation. About 2 in 10 Americans said immigration was the top problem facing the country, and another 2 in 10 said the government/poor leadership were the most important problem.
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The Republicans seen as Donald Trump’s most likely picks for his running mate will be among those speaking on his behalf to the media after Thursday's debate. Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will be advocating for Trump in the post-debate analysis, according to a person familiar with the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly. They’re all seen as being on Trump’s shortlist for a potential running mate and their performances tonight are expected to be a factor in their audition for the role. |
The two candidates strode on stage and walked directly to their lecterns, avoiding a handshake.
The first question went to Biden, pressed to defend rising inflation since he took office, which he pinned on the situation he inherited from Trump amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden needed to clear his throat twice during his first answer, sounding hoarse, and Trump smirked as Biden started speaking.
