Biden and Trump debate on live broadcast, millions watch Turkey commercials

The 90-minute live debate, held ahead of the US Presidential election on November 5, was the first program where Trump and Biden faced each other since the 2020 election debate.

In the debate, which began at 04:00 AM Turkish time, the two leaders faced off on many different topics ranging from the economy to health, and from foreign policy to the immigration issue.

THE TWO LEADERS ONLY LOOKED AHEAD

According to the report in Patronlar Dünyası, Trump and Biden did not shake hands when they entered the stage at the beginning of the debate. According to White House correspondents, the two leaders did not speak to each other during commercial breaks either, only looking ahead.

In the debate between 81-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Trump, it was observed that Biden occasionally forgot his sentences and could not complete his speech, while Trump used this situation to frequently bring up Biden's health condition.

Biden's voice sounding hoarse during the program was explained by White House sources as him having a 'cold'.

TURKEY COMMERCIALS DRAW ATTENTION DURING THE DEBATE

It was notable that the first commercial broadcast on CNN International screens before the debate started and during the first break was Turkey's tourism advertisement.

Additionally, a Turkey commercial appeared on screens again during the first break of the debate, and millions following the debate watched these commercials once more.

The most fundamental topic of discussion in the debate was the economy and economy-related issues.

THE FIRST QUESTION WAS ABOUT INFLATION IN THE US

The first question asked to US President Joe Biden by CNN anchors was about inflation in the US. The anchor said, 'A shopping trip that used to cost 100 dollars now costs 130 dollars,' and asked what they planned to do to combat inflation.

Biden said that Trump was at the root of the problems in the economy, that the former president left office with a terrible economy, and added: “We created 40 thousand new jobs and tried to lower housing prices.”

It was also notable that Biden, referring to Trump's businessman role, said, “We will not let companies get away with everything.”

Trump, in his speech where he responded to Biden's criticism, said, “I created the best economy in the history of the country. We also managed the Covid period quite well.”

COVID DEFENSE FROM TRUMP

To Biden's words, “The economy he calls the best only benefited the wealthiest, providing them with billions of dollars in tax cuts,” Trump gave the following response:

“The tax cuts I implemented allowed us to have the best economy. By applying less tax to companies, we earned more revenue. Companies brought trillions of dollars back to the US, but then Covid happened.”

Responding to Biden's statement, “During my presidency, no US soldier died anywhere,” Trump said that the process of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which took place during the Biden era, was managed very poorly, that the US is now like a third-world country, that no one takes it seriously, and that Biden is responsible for this.

BIDEN TRIED TO EVADE THE AGE QUESTION

It was observed that Trump avoided adopting a radical and hawkish language and attitude as he did in the past throughout the debate, and that he evaded the subject by giving soft answers on controversial topics such as abortion.

It was notable that US President Joe Biden responded to the CNN anchor, who reminded him that he would be 86 years old when he leaves office if elected for a second term and asked, ‘Are you worried about this?’, by talking about the investments he brought to the US and chip production in the country.

Trump said his health is very good, that he has had two separate tests, one physical and one cognitive, and that the results were very good, and that he expects a similar test from Biden.

Trump also said, to prove his health is good, “I play golf. You know that golf requires both intelligence and physical strength. I have two championships and I challenge him.”

Regarding Israel, Trump did not answer when asked if he would support a Palestinian state, but criticized Biden for trying to prevent Israel from winning the war against Hamas and said that Biden is now “like a Palestinian.”

BIDEN SAID “THE US IS A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS”

Immigrants constituted the largest part of Trump's criticisms of Biden and the Biden administration. He said that Biden opened the country's borders and that murderers, terrorists, and criminals from all over the world are flooding into the country. Trump called this “Biden migrant crime” and said it was very stupid and idiotic.

Joe Biden, in response to Trump's criticisms regarding immigrants, said that the US is a nation of immigrants and that being the world's largest economy depends on this. Biden also reminded that the only terrorists who crossed the border and killed American soldiers were Al-Qaeda members who entered the country during the Trump era.

It was notable that Biden frequently accused Trump of lying throughout the debate.

STRIKING REFERENCE FROM TRUMP TO THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

One of the most important topics of the debate was the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump stated that this was a war that should never have happened and said the following:

“Soldiers and veterans cannot stand this guy and say he is a very bad commander. If there were a real president, Russia could not have invaded Ukraine. If I were president, they couldn't have. What gave Putin this courage was the way Biden left Afghanistan. No commander was fired after that disgrace.”

Biden, on the other hand, recalled Trump's words, “Let Putin do whatever he wants,” and argued that it was actually Trump who gave courage to Russia.

Trump also had criticisms regarding the economic burden the Russia-Ukraine war placed on the US economy:

“This was a war that should never have started. The US gave 200 billion dollars to Ukraine. Every time Zelensky came, he took 6 billion dollars and left. He is the best salesman in the world. This war should never happen. This money should never have been spent. People died stupidly.”

Biden responded to these criticisms of Trump with the accusation of not being able to read and understand foreign policy:

“Putin has a Soviet dream. Do you think he will stop in Ukraine? We are not giving money to Ukraine; we are giving weapons and equipment produced here. NATO, which you criticize, is our most important institution.”

BIDEN REFERRED TO TRUMP SLEEPING WITH A PORN STAR, TRUMP REFERRED TO PEDOPHILIA AND DRUG ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BIDEN'S SON

There were also low blows from time to time in the debate. While Biden said that Trump is a criminal, he reminded that Trump is in court for having sexual intercourse with a porn star and paying hush money. Trump said that these cases are a political operation against him and that the American people who see this have increased their support for him. Trump also made an implicit reference to the pedophilia and drug accusations regarding Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, saying, “His son is also a criminal.”

BIDEN: THIS GUY WILL TAKE US TO WORLD WAR 3

Biden saying “Those who will vote for Trump will be voting against democracy” and “This guy will take us to World War 3” were other notable points.

The January 6 Capitol Riot was also one of the important topics of the debate. While Biden blamed Trump by saying that he begged for 3 hours in the Oval Office that day for it to be prevented and reversed, Trump said that he only made a peaceful call, and that if Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had called the National Guard to duty, there would have been no problem, but she did not do so.

Trump also said about those who participated in those protests, “There were such innocent people that you would be ashamed of yourself if you saw them.”

To the question “Will you accept the results if you lose the election?”, which CNN International anchors insisted on asking three times, Trump replied, “If it is a fair and equitable election, and if the election is not rigged, yes, I will accept it.”