Biden and Trump clash on abortion, economy as first debate gets under way
Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump traded attacks on abortion and their handling of the economy early in their debate on Thursday night, giving voters a rare side-by-side look at the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency.
Biden, sounding hoarse and tentative at times, stumbled over his words on occasion, while Trump rattled off one attack after another that included several well-worn falsehoods, including claims that migrants have carried out a crime wave and that Democrats support infanticide.
Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, were under pressure to display their command of issues and avoid verbal stumbles as they sought a breakout moment in a race that opinion polls show has been deadlocked for months. Biden, in particular, has been dogged by concerns about his age and sharpness.
Biden blamed Trump for enabling the elimination of a nationwide right to abortion by appointing conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court, an issue that has bedeviled Republicans since 2022.
In response, Trump argued that Biden would not support any limits on abortions and said that returning the issue to the states was the right course of action.
Trump said Biden had failed to secure the southern U.S. border, ushering in scores of criminals.
«I call it Biden migrant crime,» he said.
In response, Biden said, «Once again, he's exaggerating, he's lying.»
Studies show immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans. The
