Biggest Winners and Losers of the Presidential Debate

Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off in their first presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, as they sought to win over undecided voters, as polls show the two candidates locked in a close race a little more than four months before the election.

Biden and Trump sparred over issues including the economy, the conflict between Israel Hamas, immigration and abortion during the debate, moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The debate notably took place earlier than in previous election seasons, as both Democrats and Republicans have yet to hold their nominating conventions, which are slated for later this summer.

Both candidates faced high stakes coming into the debate. Polls suggest many voters are unhappy with their choices ahead of the election, and both Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, have faced concerns about their age. The debate gave them an opportunity to quell concerns about their age and win over the voters who could determine the outcome of the election in the key swing states in November.

S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago and research associate at the university’s Center on Aging, previously told Newsweek that neither candidate is likely to have a perfect performance, noting that anyone could be expected to make normal human error during such an important debate.

Here is a look at some of the winners and losers in Thursday night’s debate.

Loser: Joe Biden

Biden needed a strong debate performance tonight. Recent polls have shown Biden gaining ground on Trump, but still trailing in some battleground states. Voters have expressed concerns about his age, despite a positive medical report from his physician Kevin O’Conner earlier this year.

However, Biden’s performance during the debate drew scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats alike during the debate. His voice sounded hoarse at several points throughout the debate

“That was painful. I love Joe Biden, I worked for Joe Biden. He did not do well at all. . . . I love that guy. That’s a good man. He loves his country. He had a test tonight to restore confidence from his base — he failed to do that,” said commentator Van Jones on CNN following the debate.

“Remember, the whole reason Biden wanted this debate was to show a contrast with Trump and to make this a referendum on Trump. Instead, only thing we’re talking about is Biden’s poor performance,” posted Amy Walter, the editor-in-chief of Cook Political Report, to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“The optics and Biden’s performance are so bad and concerning that I fear all substantive policy discussion will be forgotten,” posted Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump administration aide who has turned against the former president.

Winner: Donald Trump

Like Biden, Trump also needed a strong debate performance. His standing in the polls has weakened in recent weeks, following a Manhattan jury finding him guilty of falsifying business documents. The conviction has had a minor, yet notable, effect on his polls, as Biden has gained ground.

Trump appeared more alert throughout the debate and largely avoided fueling concerns about his age. Some Democrats noted that he performed stronger than Trump.

“Trump is officially whipping Biden’s a** right now…” posted commentator Marc Lamont Hill.

Still, he made several inaccurate claims throughout the night, including that the Biden administration supports abortions “after birth.” The Biden administration, nor has the Democratic Party, has not supported post-birth abortions.

“I can’t wait for the final tally of flat-out lies that came out of Trump’s mouth tonight,” posted George Conway, an anti-Trump lawyer.

Losers: Dana Bash and Jake Tapper

Bash and Tapper were already facing criticism for not fact-checking the candidates during the debate.

“I wonder if Jack Tapper and Dana Bash realize how much–through their silence and unwillingness to correct lie after lie spewed by a narcissistic felon on stage–they have just become the faces of the COLLAPSE of American media,” posted Mikel Jollett, a musician and author.

Lis Power, the director of media intelligence at Media Matters for America, posted, “I’m not sure “moderator” is an accurate term for the role that Tapper and Bash are playing here. Their questions could have been prerecorded and there’d be no substantive difference in what they’re doing.”

“Jake Tapper and Dana Bash could be replaced by cardboard cutouts and no one would be able to tell the difference,” posted John Iadarola, host of The Young Turks.

Still, distractions remained minimal throughout the night, in part due to CNN’s decision to turn off the candidates’ microphones when they were not speaking and to not have a live audience.

Winner: Israel

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has dominated the 2024 election cycle, as both Biden and Trump have sought to portray themselves as the strongest candidate to address the conflict.

The conflict has divided Americans following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack against Israel, which saw the militant group kill 1,200 people and take about 250 others hostage. Israel has since launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians the Associated Press reports, citing the Gaza Ministry of Health. Some Americans have expressed concerns that Israel has gone too far in their offensive.

However, Biden and Trump both emphasized their strong support for Israel during the debate, making likely it will continue to have the support of the next administration regardless of who is victorious in November.

“We’ are the biggest producer of support for Israel than anywhere in the world,” Biden said, adding that he is providing Israel the weapons they need. He also noted that Israel should be careful using certain weapons in large population centers.

Trump, meanwhile, described Biden as “weak” and “like a Palestinian” on Israel.

Winner: Ukraine

Biden continued his support for Ukraine, which has been defending itself a Russian invasion for more than two years. The U.S. has provided billions of dollars of aid to Ukraine under the Biden administration, despite pushback from some conservatives. The two sparred over whether Trump said he would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to do whatever he wants to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Trump responded, “I never said that,” and said Putin’s terms to end the war are unacceptable. He also raised concerns about how much money the U.S. has spent supporting Ukraine, but still said the war should have never happened.