Key Takeaways From Donald Trump and Joe Biden Debate

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump sparred on issues including the economy, abortion and immigration during their first presidential debate Thursday night.

Biden and Trump took the stage in Atlanta on Thursday night, as both candidates aimed to win over undecided voters who could determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in key battleground states. CNN anchors Dana Bash and Jake Tapper moderated the debate.

Leading up to the debate, polls showed a close race, suggesting Biden and Trump are nearly tied for the national popular vote. Still, polls suggest Trump has a narrow lead in most of the battleground states, meaning both candidates faced high stakes as they sought to define themselves as the candidate best suited to lead the country for another four-year term.

Here is an overview of five key takeaways from the debate.

Biden Struggles to Quell Age Concerns

Biden and Trump both used the debate as an opportunity to dispel concerns about their age. Polls suggest many voters have questions about whether they are too old to serve another term, despite the candidates’ physicians not raising concerns about their mental fitness.

Biden faced backlash from both Democrats and Republicans over his performance. His voice sounded hoarse, particularly as the debate began, and his answers at times seemed muddled. As the debate approached the midpoint, he seemed a bit sharper. But he is still facing a wave of criticism over his performance, including new calls for him to step down from the campaign. A Biden aide, however, told Newsweek that the president was battling a cold during the debate.

When asked about age concerns, Biden said Trump is “three years younger” and less competent, touting his record on the economy. Trump, meanwhile, said he passed two cognitive tests, adding that he did not believe Biden would be able to pass one.

Trump Addresses Whether He Will Accept Election Results

Bash asked Trump whether he would commit to accepting the election results.

He said he would accept the results if the election is “fair” and “legal.” He has continued to claim the 2020 election was stolen via widespread fraud, despite a lack of evidence to support those claims.

Earlier in the debate, Tapper pressed Trump about the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol waged by Trump supporters. He asked Trump what he would say to voters who felt he contributed to the attack.

Trump largely doubled down on his actions leading up to the riot, saying he did nothing wrong. Instead, he blamed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for the lack of security ahead of the attack.

Trump Doubles Down on Abortion

Trump stood by his positioning on abortion during the debate, despite the issue becoming a sticking point for Republicans.

“What I did is I put three great Supreme Court justices on the court, and they happened to vote in favor of killing Roe v. Wade and moving it back to the states,” Trump said.

He also falsely claimed that Biden has supported abortion “after birth,” attempting to paint Democrats as more extreme on the issue. However, Biden and the Democratic Party have not endorsed such a policy.

Biden pledged to veto any national abortion ban.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that guaranteed abortion rights across the country, in 2022 thrust abortion rights into the national spotlight again. As Republican-led states rolled back reproductive rights, Democrats have seen success in recent elections running on abortion.

Biden has cast himself as a strong supporter of abortion rights, while Trump has said the issue should be left to the states. Still, as president, he largely embraced an anti-abortion agenda, and has offered mixed signals about whether he would support a federal abortion policy.

Biden Tacks to Center on Border

Perhaps no issue has been as much of a sticking point for Biden as immigration. He used the debate to tack to the center on the border, emphasizing a bipartisan border deal he reached with congressional negotiators that critics say Trump blocked for political purposes.

Biden said he will continue working to hire more Border Patrol agents, touting efforts to lower illegal immigration.

He still criticized Trump’s more conservative approach to immigration, including his administration’s family separation policy, saying it was “not the right way to go.”

Republicans have blamed a rise in migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on the Biden administration’s border policy, accusing the president of not taking it seriously. Biden, however, has touted steps to strengthen the border, such as more funding for Border Patrol. Trump faced scrutiny of his handling of immigration as president, with critics arguing some of his policies were inhumane.

In fiscal year 2023, there were 2.5 million encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border, up from 1.7 million in 2021, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, there has been a drop in the past few months. In May, there were 170,723 encounters, down from 206,690 in May 2023, according to the data.

Biden, Trump Offer Opposing Foreign Policy

Trump knocked Biden over his handling of several foreign policy issues, including conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.

Biden emphasized his support for Ukraine, vowing to continue his administration’s backing for the country as it defends itself against Russia. Meanwhile, Trump said Putin’s terms to end the war are not acceptable, but questioned the billions of dollars the U.S. has sent to Ukraine.

Both have cast themselves as Israel allies. Biden touted his plan for a ceasefire in the conflict, a proposal that received international support.

“The only thing I’ve denied Israel is 2,000-pound bombs. They don’t work very well in populated areas, and kill a lot of innocent people. We’re supplying Israel all the weapons they need and when they need them,” he said.

Trump, criticized Biden over his concerns about the death toll in Gaza, saying the U.S. should let Israel “finish the job.”

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 war has divided Americans following Hamas’ October 7 attack on 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 its offensive.