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Biden and Trump debate on live television: 'Porn star' argument becomes a talking point

Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump, who are competing in the November 5 presidential election in the US, faced off in their first live televised debate. During the broadcast, Biden brought up allegations regarding Trump's affair with a porn star, which Trump denied. Biden also appeared to have difficulty while walking down the stairs.

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Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump, who are competing in the November 5 presidential election in the US, faced off in their first live televised debate.

Although Trump did not establish a clear superiority over his opponent throughout the program, Biden failed to deliver a performance that would alleviate concerns regarding his age for a second term.

Biden and Trump took the stage at CNN's studio in Atlanta without greeting each other or shaking hands.

ECONOMY DEBATE

In the live broadcast moderated by Jack Tapper and Dana Bash, the two candidates were first asked about the state of the US economy.

Biden stated that the economy collapsed during the Trump administration and that the unemployment rate rose by 50 percent, saying, "We recovered the economy that was left to us in chaos, created 15 million new jobs, and created 800,000 new manufacturing positions."

Trump, on the other hand, argued that they had the greatest economy in the country's history during his presidency, which everyone admired, saying, "Other countries were taking us as an example. However, we were hit by COVID and we spent the necessary money to avoid falling into a Great Depression like we experienced in 1929."

Trump argued that they kept the economy on track despite COVID-19, and then claimed that Biden, who followed him, worsened the economy and raised inflation, particularly with the influx of irregular migrants.

Biden and Trump, who blamed each other for negatives ranging from tax cuts in the economy to the current account deficit, also had heated exchanges from time to time on the issue of abortion, which is highly debated on the country's agenda.

While the issue of irregular migrants at the country's southern border was another main domestic agenda item of the live debate, it was notable that Trump particularly pressured Biden on the "insecurity of the border and the influx of irregular migrants."

COUNTRY BORDERS

Trump brought up the subject of irregular migrants in almost every question asked to him, saying, "In our time, our borders were the safest in history. Now, it has become the most insecure border where murderers and terrorists flock."

Biden denied Trump's claims, stating that there was no data to confirm them, and expressed that the US has the world's largest economy due to its immigration policy, and that they are working in a bipartisan manner to regulate irregular migrants crossing the border.

While it was seen that the two rivals opposed each other's claims by nodding and smiling during the live broadcast, Biden's sluggish appearance throughout the debate and the hoarseness in his voice did not go unnoticed.

UKRAINE AND GAZA

In the context of foreign policy, Trump and Biden were asked about the war between Ukraine and Russia and Israel's attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Trump argued that US soldiers and veterans could not tolerate Biden, and reiterated his claims regarding Ukraine, saying, "If I were president, this crisis would never have happened in the first place. If I am elected president, I will end this crisis between Putin and Ukraine before I even take office."

Biden described Trump's speech as nonsense, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and that if he is not stopped in Ukraine, he will attack other NATO countries as well.

Regarding Gaza, while Biden stated that they continue to make efforts for ceasefire negotiations, he settled for saying that they have provided the greatest support to Israel during this process and that they have only stopped the shipment of high-capacity bombs that are not suitable for use in densely populated areas.

Trump also accused Biden of "not letting Israel finish the job," and brushed off the question of whether he would support an independent Palestine for peace to come to the region with a short answer: "We have to see."

There were no questions or answers regarding Israel being tried for genocide in Gaza or the humanitarian situation in the region.

'HUSH MONEY' AND 'HUNTER BIDEN' CASE

During the debate on the January 6 Capitol attack, personal attacks between Trump and Biden intensified.

While Trump accused the Democrats of not taking enough precautions against the January 6 Capitol raid despite his own suggestions, Biden referred to Trump's conviction by a jury in the "hush money" case, saying, "The only person on this stage who is a convicted felon is the man I'm looking at right now."

In response, Trump pointed to Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who was found guilty of illegally obtaining a weapon while addicted to drugs, saying, "His own son has been found guilty of high-level crimes. He himself will probably be found guilty of the deaths at the border and the events in Ukraine as soon as his term ends."

Biden replied to Trump, "What you're talking about is outrageous and false. No president in our history has ever talked about things like this. On the other hand, you still have accusations against you, from harassing women in public to the affair you had with a porn star while your wife was pregnant, what do you say to that?"

AGE AND HEALTH QUESTION

Biden answered the question about his age and health status by saying, "I spent half my career being criticized for being the youngest person in politics, I was the second youngest person elected to the US Senate, and now I am the oldest. This guy (Trump) is three years younger than me but much less capable. I think you should just look at the records. See what I've done."

Trump, on the other hand, responded to the same question by stating that he had taken cognitive tests showing his mental health twice and made them public, saying, "This guy (Biden) hasn't taken any. I would like to see him take just one, the easiest one."

Trump also pointed out that he has two separate golf championships, saying, "To do that, you have to be smart and be able to hit the ball from a long distance. I do that. Biden can't do that, he can't hit the ball 40 yards."

WORLD WAR III

When asked by the CNN host whether he would accept the election results in November regardless of the outcome and commit to rejecting political violence, Trump replied, "If the elections are fair and free."

Trump argued that he is running again because Biden is a very bad president and continued as follows:

"The only reason I'm here is because he's a very bad president. I will make America great again. We are a failing nation right now because of him. His policies are so bad that his military policies are crazy. These are his never-ending wars. He will drag us into World War III, and we are closer to World War III than anyone can imagine. We are very, very close to World War III, and (Biden) is taking us there."

Biden, on the other hand, pointed out that they have strengthened NATO, assessing, "Because we are a strong nation and we are needed right now, we need to protect the world. We need this for our own security."

At the end of the 90-minute live debate, Trump and Biden left the stage again without shaking hands.

HAD DIFFICULTY DESCENDING THE STAIRS

Biden had noted in his answer regarding his age and health status that he was the oldest person elected to the US Senate.

Biden, whose videos of him freezing and having difficulty moving have frequently become a topic on social media, was able to descend the stairs with difficulty this time after the debate.

Here are those moments: