The two presidential candidates laid out their competing visions in a high-stakes debate where both attempted to convince voters ahead of the November election.
The debate- which was held in Atlanta- got off to an icy start as the two candidates did not shake hands before walking to their podiums.
Both candidates are well-known to voters, broadly unpopular- according to polls- and offer dramatically different views on virtually every core issue.
Trump blames Biden for war in Ukraine
When asked whether he agreed to Putin’s terms for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump claimed Putin decided to invade after seeing how the Biden administration handled their exit from the war in Afghanistan.
Although confirming he would not accept Putin’s terms for ending the war, he claimed he would have the war “settled”, and reiterated previous claims that the US was providing Ukraine with too much financial aid.
Biden responded by calling Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and that he wouldn’t stop with Ukraine. He also noted that Nato produces “as much for Ukraine” as the US has and that America’s strength “lies in its alliances.”
Trump repeated his mantra that European allies do not spend as much on Nato as the US, claiming that he successfully pressured Nato allies to ramp up spending.
Stakes are high for Ukraine, who are currently the top recipient of US foreign aid.
Biden promotes ceasefire deal in Gaza
Over the war between Israel and Hamas Trump did not directly answer if he would support an independent Palestinian state. He asserted that Israel should “finish the job” and accused Biden of acting like a “Palestinian”.
Biden reaffirmed his support for Israel but focused on Hamas, commenting that they should be eliminated.
He touted a plan that included trading hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and an continued “ceasefire with additional conditions.”
Biden previously laid out a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire in May which included a pause in fighting, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of remaining hostages taken from Israel.
Clashes over immigration and abortion
Elsewhere, the two candidates sparred over their opposing policies on immigration, the economy and abortion.
Trump doubled down on anti-immigration rhetoric, claiming Biden’s “open border” policies have created a rise in crime, saying “we have to get a lot of these people out.”
The two candidates also spoke about the overturning of Roe v Wade with Biden calling the repeal of the law, which granted citizens a constitutional right to abortion, a “terrible thing.”
Trump responded by saying he would not block abortion medication and argued that states should have the right to decide whether abortion should be legal or not, concluding “now the states are working it out.”
The debate was slightly more muted than the previous time the candidates faced each other in 2020, largely because the microphones were switched off when the other was speaking to avoid interruptions.
Despite this, the debate turned personal when Trump’s personal criminal convictions came up with Biden firing a set of criticisms against the former President calling him a “convicted felon” with the morals of an “alley cat.”
Trump was found guilty last month on 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush-money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Euronews
