I am certain that you all have seen and heard and read as much of and about the 6/27/24 debate between Pres. Biden and ex-Pres. Trump as you want (or more than you wanted). I watched and took notes madly (ouch, my hand!); I don’t know shorthand, so it’s not a transcript, just excerpts. Afterwards, I listened to the commentary of panelists on CNN, and their reactions and observations were identical to mine: surprise and dismay at Pres. Biden’s performance. (A radio caller the next day lamented that we now refer to candidates’”performances” as if they were entertainers--true!) Evidently, he was suffering from a bad cold, which explained his hoarseness (making his usual soft speech very hard to understand), and perhaps exacerbated his stuttering problem. The following day he spoke at a rally and sounded strong and clear. At the debate, Biden was organized with ready lists to respond to certain questions, but his mumbling speech meant that I often couldn’t actually catch his words. Trump, on the other hand, spoke clearly but had nothing new—or specific-- to say. He kept repeating his slogans, which were either falsehoods or assertions without evidence, stated in tidy sound bits:: migrants who come over the border are murderers, America is no longer respected in the world, etc. He often ignored the moderators’ question and continued to expound on the prior topic. (Remember that there was no audience; microphones were muted if the speaker went over his time limit; the two men had no notes.)
Q: Inflation
T: “During CoVid we spent what was necessary and never got credit. Biden’s mandates were a disaster! The only jobs he created were for illegal immigrants.”
B: Trump raised the deficit more than any president since Hoover.
T: “He inherited almost no inflation…The worst administration in history.”
Q: national debt. Your administration approved more debt…why should high earners and corporations pay less tax?
T: “We were ready to use the oil and gas right under our feet…More people died from CoVid under his administration than under ours…. The entire world doesn’t respect us anymore. We’re like a third world nation. Why did he allow millions to cme here from mental institutions and prisons?”
B: If millionaires paid more, we could do some useful things…
T: “He’s destroying Medicare and Social Security with all those millions and millions of people coming in. We are no longer respected. Other countries think we’re stupid. What this man has done is criminal.”
Q: Abortion
T: “Everyone wanted to give it back to the states….Now the states are working it out…I had an exception for rape and incest and the life of the mother…But you have to get elected.”
B: “It’s a terrible thing what you’ve done!....It’s like turning Civil Rights back to the states.”...
T: “Many young women have been murdered by the people he allowed across the border.”
Q: Do you support legal limits?
B: (Roe vs. Wade should be upheld)
T: “He’s willing to rip the baby out in the ninth month and kill it!”
B: “That’s not what Roe vs. Wade is. For 51 years it was the law.”
Q: A record number of immigrants crossed the border under your administration.
B: “The border patrol has increased under my presidency….He was separating babies from their mothers.”
T: “We had the safest border ever. He opened the border to terrorists from all over the world.”
Q: (to Trump, re: deportation of undocumented immigrants)
T “We’re living in a rats’ nest. They’re killing people everywhere at a level never seen before. It’s called Migrant Crime… They’re living in luxury hotels in New York City while our veterans are on the street.”
B: “Every single thing he said is a lie.” Veterans are covered by insurance now. “He called veterans suckers and losers.”
T: “That’s a made-up quote! Nineteen people including generals have said that I didn’t say it. Biden should apologize to me.”
B: “We’ve done more for vets than anyone in American history.”
Q: Ukraine – Are Putin’s terms acceptable?
T: “Our veterans and soldiers can’t stand this guy. …If we had a real president, Putin would never have invaded Ukraine. …The withdrawal from Afghanistan was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.” … “Putin would never have invaded Ukraine (if I’d been president). … I wouldn’t let anyone do business with Iran, and they went broke.”
B: “I’ve never heard so much malarky in my life…. We got a hundred thousand Americans out of Afghanistan.”
Q: (repeats above question: Are Putin’s terms acceptable?)
T: “No, but the war would not have started under me. ..I’ll have that war settled before I take office on January 20.”
B: Putin is a war criminal. Do you think he’ll stop with Ukraine? (He’ll go on to invade Poland and other NATO countries.)
Q: Gaza
B: (his remarks indecipherable to me)
T “The Europeans have spent a hundred billion less than us. Why? They are closer. We have an ocean in-between!....”
B: This is the guy that wants to get out of NATO. …He has no idea what they hell he’s talking about.” Japan and others support Ukraine.
Q: ( )
T: The Europeans don’t want to pay. I got them to put up more money, so billions of dollars flowed in.
Q: January 6th
T: “On January 6th we had a great border. We had the lowest regulations ever…. We were respected all over the world….I said ‘peacefully and patriotically.’ … I could see what was happening. I offered to send the National Guard, but Pelosi turned it down."
B: (Trump saw it happening but stayed in his office and did nothing.)
T: (Referring to convictions of January 6th rioters) “You’ve destroyed the lives of so many people.” “In Seattle they left because I was sending in the National Guard.”
B: Everyone who has been convicted (for January 6th riots) deserves it.”
Q: You have been convicted of 34 felonies…. you have said you will “go after” your political opponent.
T: “My retribution will be success…. His son is a convicted felon at a high level…. This man is a criminal…. We have a system that is rigged and disgusting.”
B: Think how much money you’ve been fined.
T: “The case will be appealed and won. The public understand. My poll numbers went up and we took in hundreds of millions” (in donations after he was convicted).
Q: Will a vote for Trump be voting against American democracy?
B: Yes. (Refers to what Trump said after the riots in Charlottesville, people wearing shirts with swastikas): “What American president says ‘There are fine people on both sides’?”
T: “He made up that story. Every reasonable anchor has debunked that story.”
(a short commercial break)
Q: Black voters are disappointed at lack of progress.
B: Black unemployment is low, and there are more black businesses. I’ve cut in half black child care costs…$8,000 to family ACA but Trump wants to get rid of it…He wants to cut police…
T: Biden caused inflation.
Q: Effects of climate change…will you take action?
T: What he said about police is wrong. Almost every police group supports me…. Biden called blacks “superpredators.” …Tim Scott gave me the idea of college funding. Millions of people passing into our country will take jobs.
Q: (repeats the question on climate change)
T: “I want immaculately clean water and air.…”
B “I don’t know where the hell he’s been. He hasn’t done a damn thing for the environment.”
T: ….”The Paris Accord was a rip-off of the U.S. They were treating us horribly…. The migrants are taking over our schools, hospitals, and social security….”
B: “By 2035, we’ll have cut pollution in half. “ …. Climate Corps, like the Peace Corps, for young people….
Q: Social Security has ten years left…What one thing will you do (to save it)?
B: “Make the very wealthy pay their fair share. …That’ll keep it solvent…Trump wants to cut social security and Medicare.”
T: “I’ve never seen anyone lie like this guy…. He’s destroying social security because millions of people are pouring into this country and he’s putting them on social security.”
B: "We have the most successful economy in the world…He’s been voted by a hundred and fifty presidential history scholars as the worst president in history…."
Q: child care cost
T: (repeats that the quotes B attributed to him were made up.) “I fired people who were no good. This guy has never fired anybody…. He’s the worst president in the history of our country. He wants our country to be destroyed by open borders.”
B: We are the most admired country in the world….(Will give tax credits for child care.)
T: (asserts again that he is rated the best president) “He wants to raise everybody’s taxes four times.”
B: “He’ll increase the tax on middle-class people.”
Q: opioid crisis rising…. 100,000 die each year. How will you help?
T: We have the largest deficit in history with China. The tariffs I imposed on China—he hasn’t repealed. China is destroying our country’s (economy).
Q: (repeats question)
T: We were doing well before CoVid came along. We bought incredible dogs (for sniffing drugs)….
B: (Machines for identifying Fentanyl.) We had this bill, but he ordered Republicans to kill it.
T: He ended Catch and Release in Mexico. I got it all for nothing! Now we have a hostage (referring to Evan Gershkovitch). I’ll have him out by my first day in office. I got 58 people out and paid nothing.
Q: (regarding Age)
B: I was criticized as too young…the second youngest person in Congress. (repeats what he has accomplished; says that Trump sent jobs overseas). I’ve never heard a president talk this way before (Trump’s assertion that we are in a horrible place). Other countries envy us.
T: (Reports that he “aced” mental tests and is very strong.) “I’m in as good a shape as I was twenty-five years ago.”
Q: Will you accept the results of this election and say that political violence in unacceptable?
T: “It’s totally unacceptable! I’ll accept (the results) if the election is fair…. If he was a great president, I wouldn’t be here now. I wouldn’t be under indictment (says that Biden brought these cases against him). We’re a failing nation right now. His policies are insane. He’s going to drive us into World War III.
B: Right now we are needed to protect the world.
Q: (repeats question to Trump about election)
T: (repeats response to Biden) “The war (in Ukraine) would never have started, with me…. Russian would have never attacked.”
Q: (repeats the question a third time)
T: “If it’s a fair and legal election, absolutely. There’s nothing I‘d rather do. I wasn’t going to run until I saw what horrible job (Biden was doing).”
B: “You’re a whiner. No court said any of your claims had merit.”
Two minutes each for closing statements:
B: (lists many deeds and plans, e.g., drug costs, child care)
T: “All he’s doing is allowing millions of people to pour in….(Under me) Iran was broke (so couldn’t fund Hamas). “The whole country is exploding because they don’t respect you. I had the highest approval rating in the history of ratings.
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Below are notes on the post-debate discussions on CNN. I may have some names wrong.
John King: Biden’s performance was dismal, say all the Democratic experts. Trump broke the fact-check machine more times than I can count and he refused to answer questions.
Abby Philip: Trump lied so much. Biden’s answers were often not coherent. He solidified the perception that he is incapable of the job.
David Axelrod (former advisor to Obama): “Biden scored on policies. His manner and voice at the beginning was shocking, but he improved. Trump could not resist the temptation to lie and be petty.”
David Olan (former Trump advisor): A debacle for Biden.
Van Jones (Former advisor to Obama): “It was the old man versus the con man. Biden failed his task, which was to restore confidence. It was personally painful to watch.”
John King: “Trump was lying and ducking questions. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Scott Jennings (former advisor to Bush): “I’m worried about the president. This one night was asked for by the Biden team!”
John King: Biden needs a second debate, but Trump may not agree.
Scott Jennings: Trump was good on Afghanistan and immigration. He should have been positive rather than negative. People will remember Biden’s looking downward, shuffling, losing his train of thought.”
Alyssa Griffin: By the way, our allies are watching.
Van Jones: Trump looked good with terrible policies. Biden had good policies, looked awful.
Alyssa: No young person would vote for Biden on this basis.
Scott A vote for Biden is a vote for Kamala.
-- : Trump was building a house of lies. Biden’s job was to knock it down.
Audie Cornish (formerly on NPR): The White House has explained the Biden had a cold.
This debate is early, but is it early enough? Is there anybody among the Democrats who could go to him and say, you need to withdraw?
MJ Lee (White House correspondent): Trump looked young and on the offensive. Biden looked old and on the defensive.
David Axelrod: It’s more than personal loyalty here—democracy is n the line.
John King: Who can tell Biden?
Kate Bedingford: Jill Biden will be direct…But wait and see what viewers say…
In interviews with viewers in Michigan, a young woman said:
“I kept hearing that Biden was the worst, without particulars, and that he, Trump, was the best, without any particulars.”
--
David Axelrod: Biden is not a great communicator, but is functioning as president; he meets with foreign leaders all the time.
--: But for most people this debate just confirms their feeling that this is a poor choice.
David Champan: Biden has spent his entire life in politics, he’s not going to just withdraw.
Von Jones: Some people feel they have no choice: their rights are on the line.
David Axelrod: (referring to the old joke about not outrunning a bear)
Trump just has to “outrun” Biden.
--------------------
On Deadline White House, MSNBC, the following day
David Jolly: “Last night made this about age.”
Biden did a remarkable service to our country(4 yrs. ago)- he stopped Donald Trump.
50 million watched the debate. Another 50 million will see clips.
Tim Miller: Donald Trump is the most unfit ever for president. “If we’re going to save our democracy, we must do better than “Biden is good, Trump is bad,” even though it’s true.”
Ruth Ben-Ghat (professor and author): “Trump came to the debate to indoctrinate people to his fake reality…..He lied with such vigor, he’s hailed as the winner.” But if you are his opponent and you spend all your (debate) time refuting him, you have no time to make your case.
Nicole Walker: Trumps’ lies were fact-checked on CNN, but not on Fox.
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