June 26, 2024, might be remembered as a significant evening in Atlanta, where CNN hosted the first of two debates between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The 90-minute event could be pivotal for U.S. voters. It presented a chance for President Biden, at 81, to showcase his three-year accomplishments, while former President Trump, who lied more than 30 times during the debate, sidestepped accountability for his purported efforts to disrupt the 2020 election.
At Georgia Tech’s “Spin Room,” situated across from the CNN studios, Democrats deliberated on potential successors for Biden post-debate, highlighting three governors: Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Wes Moore of Maryland. Meanwhile, Republicans expressed enthusiasm but declined to comment on Trump’s inability to address key policy questions even though they have been pushing their 2025 far-right playbook on policy Project 2025. (A Must Read for Voters)
Let’s explore the inaccuracies from Trump and the missed opportunities Biden had while we fact-check statements from both candidates in the debate.
TRUMP: “They talk about a relatively small number of people that went to the Capitol and in many cases were ushered in by the police.”
This is incorrect. The assault on the U.S. Capitol represented the most lethal attack on the center of American governance in over two centuries. Videos, photographs, and eyewitness accounts extensively document the event, where thousands converged on Capitol Hill, culminating in violent hand-to-hand clashes with law enforcement.
In an internal memo dated March 7, 2023, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger addressed allegations that officers assisted rioters and acted as ‘tour guides’ as “outrageous and false.” The authenticity of the memo was confirmed by a Capitol Police spokesperson to The Associated Press. Over 1,400 individuals have faced federal charges related to the riot, with over 850 pleading guilty and another 200 being convicted at trial.
TRUMP’s statement regarding then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on January 6th claimed, “I offered her 10,000 soldiers or National Guard, and she turned them down.” However, the facts show that Pelosi did not have authority over the National Guard. Moreover, as the Capitol was besieged, she and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requested military aid, including the National Guard’s assistance.
TRUMP: “The problem they have is they’re radical because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth, after birth.”
Trump incorrectly spoke about abortions occurring after birth. Infanticide is illegal in every state, and there are no laws permitting the killing of a baby post-birth. Advocates for abortion rights argue that such terms, including “late-term abortions,” are used to vilify abortions that take place later in pregnancy, which are extremely uncommon. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that less than 1% of abortions in the United States were conducted at or beyond 21 weeks of gestation.
Former President Trump commented on the situation of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia, stating: “He should have been released a long time ago, but Putin is probably demanding billions and billions of dollars because this guy pays it every time.”
However, it is incorrect to claim that President Biden pays a fee “every time” to secure the release of hostages and wrongfully detained Americans. Additionally, there is no evidence to suggest that Putin is requesting any money for Gershkovich’s release. Similar to the Trump administration, the Biden administration has also conducted prisoner swaps to bring home hostages and detainees, not monetary transactions.
TRUMP: “We had the greatest economy in history.” This statement is not accurate. Firstly, his presidency saw a massive recession triggered by the pandemic. In 2020, the government borrowed $3.1 trillion to stabilize the economy. Trump left the White House with a lower number of jobs than when he started.
But even if you take out issues caused by the pandemic, economic growth averaged 2.67% during Trump’s first three years. That’s pretty solid. But it’s nowhere near the 4% averaged during Bill Clinton’s two terms from 1993 to 2001, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In fact, growth has been stronger so far under Biden than under Trump.
Trump did have the unemployment rate get as low as 3.5% before the pandemic. But again, the labor force participation rate for people 25 to 54 — the core of the U.S. working population — was higher under Clinton. The participation rate has also been higher under Biden than Trump.
Trump also likes to talk about how low inflation was under him. Gasoline fell as low as $1.77 a gallon. But, of course, that price dip happened during pandemic lockdowns when few people were driving. The low prices were due to a global health crisis, not Trump’s policies.
Similarly, average 30-year mortgage rates dipped to 2.65% during the pandemic. Those low rates were a byproduct of Federal Reserve efforts to prop up a weak economy, rather than the sign of strength that Trump now suggests it was.
Trump’s reference to money appeared to be about the 2023 deal in which the U.S. secured the release of five detained Americans in Iran after billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets were transferred from banks in South Korea to Qatar. The U.S. has said that that the money would be held in restricted accounts and will only be able to be used for humanitarian goods, such as medicine and food.
President Biden had numerous opportunities to highlight his policies, such as Women’s Reproductive Rights, creating more jobs than any president since Franklin Roosevelt, a bipartisan Infrastructure bill, and Health Care. There were many other topics where he could have scored points, but he missed the mark.
Biden will confront several polls over the weekend and the following week to determine his standing in the race. Meanwhile, questions arise: Will Biden withdraw before the convention? Are there Democrats who will persuade him to concede the race? If that happens, who might they be? Is it possible for him to be substituted at the August convention? And if so, who would be a more suitable candidate?
It seems unlikely that a decision will be made quickly, as it is still early in the campaign, providing Biden with time to regroup. The sentencing of Trump in his New York trial is scheduled for early July, and its impact on his poll numbers remains to be seen.
President Biden has the potential to be effective for another four years by adhering to Ronald Reagan’s principle of surrounding oneself with competent individuals who can perform their duties effectively. Despite personal challenges, leaders like FDR, who was gravely ill during his second term without public knowledge, President John Kennedy, who despite his athletic image and enjoyment of activities like golf and sailing, battled with chronic pain due to spinal issues and osteoporosis, and President Reagan, who faced the early stages of dementia, are still regarded as some of the best leaders.
Ultimately, the decision will rest with the voters to determine if they prefer another four years of Biden or a return to the tumultuous term of the former President. Let’s observe how things unfold in the coming weeks before we start panicking.
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Washington based CEO & Founder of LJC. Media covering politics, sports, & entertainment A seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director, and podcast host. Digital Director and Washington Bureau Chief at News Talk Florida & The Daily Cable
