Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (2024)

Table of Contents
Summary Live Reporting We're ending our live coverage of the debatepublished at 23:15 28 June23:15 28 June Watch: Politicians react to Biden and Trump's first debatepublished at 23:03 28 June23:03 28 June Trump concludes remarks, urging supporters to votepublished at 22:50 28 June22:50 28 June Watch: Trump slams Biden ‘incompetence’ following debatepublished at 22:19 28 June22:19 28 June Trump once again criticises Biden immigration and climate policiespublished at 22:11 28 June22:11 28 June Trump calls for release of Capitol rioters after 'good news' from the Supreme Courtpublished at 22:11 28 June22:11 28 June Trump repeats false election claimspublished at 21:45 28 June21:45 28 June Trump claims he has a friendship with Elon Muskpublished at 21:40 28 June21:40 28 June Trump bounces between topics and compares his legal woes to Al Capone'spublished at 21:38 28 June21:38 28 June Trump repeats NATO criticismpublished at 21:22 28 June21:22 28 June Trump doesn't think Biden will drop outpublished at 21:21 28 June21:21 28 June Trump takes aim at the presspublished at 21:09 28 June21:09 28 June Trump hits out at 'crooked Joe Biden's' recordpublished at 21:08 28 June21:08 28 June Donald Trump celebrates debate performancepublished at 21:06 28 June21:06 28 June Donald Trump takes the stagepublished at 20:56 28 June20:56 28 June Trump musical mix draws questionspublished at 20:55 28 June20:55 28 June A husband who likes Trump and a wife who supports Bidenpublished at 20:37 28 June20:37 28 June Georgia voters 'did not learn anything new' from debatepublished at 20:20 28 June20:20 28 June Trump supporters gather at rally day after debatepublished at 20:15 28 June20:15 28 June Trump is expected to speak shortly in Virginiapublished at 20:14 28 June20:14 28 June
  • Live Reporting (active)

Summary

  • Joe Biden makes his first public comments since he struggled in the debate on Thursday, directly addressing concerns about his age and saying "when you get knocked down, you get back up"

  • Democrats have expressed unease at the president's shaky debate performance - with party insiders saying some of his answers triggered panic

  • Biden's campaign insists the president will not step down as the Democratic candidate and that he will debate Donald Trump again in September

  • At a campaign rally in Virginia, Trump told the crowd the debate was a "big victory" for him and said he does not think Biden will bow out of the race

  • During the debate, Trump repeatedly attacked Biden on the economy and his foreign policy record, while Biden took aim at his rival's criminal conviction and alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election

  • Trump also repeated falsehoods - from abortion, to taxes and the deficit - and at first avoided answering if he would accept the 2024 election result

  • You can watch the key moments from the debate here

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson and Laura Blasey

  1. We're ending our live coverage of the debatepublished at 23:15 28 June

    23:15 28 June

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (1)Image source, Getty Images

    We're ending our live coverage of the first presidential debate of the 2024 cycle.

    Thank you for joining us for more than 24 hours of live updates and in-depth analysis.

    You can watch key moments from the debate here.

    You can catch up on all the latest from the debate aftermath, with reactions, fact-checks and more below:

    Biden vows to fight on and beat Trump after shaky debate

    Can Biden be replaced as Democrat nominee?

    Illegal migration, tax and abortion - fact checking Trump-Biden debate

    Katty Kay: Reality sinks in as Democrats weigh Biden's future

    'A reality show': World reacts to Trump-Biden debate

    This page was edited by Brandon Livesay, Caitlin Wilson, Laura Blasey, Jessica Murphy, Phil McCausland, Owen Amos, Christal Hayes, Gareth Evans and Jude Sheerin.

    The writers were Nadine Yousif, Natalie Sherman, Vicky Wong, Rachel Looker, Ana Faguy, Holly Honderich, Bernd Debusmann Jr, Brandon Drenon, Madeline Halpert, Kayla Epstein, Courtney Subramanian and Kevin Ponniah.

  2. Watch: Politicians react to Biden and Trump's first debatepublished at 23:03 28 June

    23:03 28 June

    After President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump debated in Atlanta, politicians from both parties reacted to their performances.

  3. Trump concludes remarks, urging supporters to votepublished at 22:50 28 June

    22:50 28 June

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (2)Image source, Getty Images

    After addressing his supporters for an hour and a half, Trump concluded his rally by urging his supporters to get out and vote.

    He says Republicans must win to “save America".

    “We want a landslide that is too big to rig,” he says, again referring to his false claim - which he often repeats without evidence - that he actually won the 2020 election.

    The former president struck a jubilant tone from the start of his speech, claiming a “big victory” at yesterday’s debate against Joe Biden.

    Trump hit on other familiar talking points, lambasting Biden on immigration, abortion, gender identity policies and environmental policies.

    He claimed the US was better off when he was president, promising to cut taxes and bolster America’s image on the world stage should he be re-elected.

    Trump brought out a few guests during his rally, including Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who told Trump: “We’re going to go to work and get you back in the White House.”

  4. Trump once again criticises Biden immigration and climate policiespublished at 22:11 28 June

    22:11 28 June

    Trump is still addressing supporters at his rally in Virginia, often repeating some of the same points he made earlier about his track record as president compared to that of Joe Biden.

    On the economy, he says he will turn "Bidenomics" - a term for Biden's economic policy - to "MAGAnomics", referencing his Make America Great Again slogan.

    He also questions climate change, downplaying its impacts earlier and then going on to say that he will cancel Biden's green initiatives, including those aimed at getting more electric vehicles on the road.

    "When we get in, we're going to have a very simple phrase," he says. "We're going to 'drill, baby, drill'".

    Trump brings up immigration once again, claiming that the flow of migrants is linked to crime.

    He then takes aim at the media a second time, saying "the fake news doesn't want to talk about it".

  5. Trump calls for release of Capitol rioters after 'good news' from the Supreme Courtpublished at 22:11 28 June

    22:11 28 June

    As his campaign speech passes the one-hour mark, Trump applauds a Supreme Court ruling that was issued earlier today.

    "A great thing just happened afew hours ago; the Supreme Court ruled that Biden’s Department of Justice has wrongly prosecutedhundreds of Americans for peacefully protesting on January 6", drawing cheers, whoops, and chants of "USA" from the crowd.

    "Those people have been treated so badly," he said, saying they should "free the J6 hostages now", referring to defendants who have been arrested for their role in the riot.

    The Supreme Court on Thursday issued an opinion saying that federal prosecutors overreached when using an obstruction law to charge hundreds of 6 January rioters.

    More than 350 people have been charged with obstructing Congress’ business - the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

    The ruling could also affect Trump's own criminal charges for his alleged involvement in the events of 6 January, 2021.

  6. Trump repeats false election claimspublished at 21:45 28 June

    21:45 28 June

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (3)Image source, Getty Images

    Trump takes aim once again at Joe Biden, saying that if Biden were a great president, then he would not be running for a second term.

    He also repeats the false claim that the 2020 election was "rigged" - an accusation he has repeatedly made in the last four years without evidence.

    During Thursday's debate, Trump refused to explicitly say whether he will accept the result of November's US presidential election.

    Trump lost the 2020 presidential race against Biden. He has since consistently claimed that the vote was rigged against him, without providing any evidence.

  7. Trump claims he has a friendship with Elon Muskpublished at 21:40 28 June

    21:40 28 June

    Donald Trump has just criticised the Biden administration's efforts to encourage development and the sale of green energy, especially electric cars.

    It is a topic he has raised repeatedly at campaign rallies, argung that government subsidies are distorting the market.

    He says electric cars have a place, noting, "Elon is a friend of mine", a reference to Tesla boss Elon Musk.

    "But you don't want 100%," he adds.

    The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Trump was weighing, external making Elon Musk an advisor.

    Such a relationship would be a turn for Musk, who quit a Trump business advisory council early in Trump's term in office over a disagreement with his position on climate change.

  8. Trump bounces between topics and compares his legal woes to Al Capone'spublished at 21:38 28 June

    21:38 28 June

    The former president is cycling quickly through topics, occasionally going on rambling tangents - nicknames for Biden, the attractiveness of his supporters, crime rates in Venezuela - before returning to favoured talking points and his accomplishments.

    Trump touts his policies, claiming his campaign has been popular with black and Hispanic voters, as well unions, because of his track record on jobs and the economy.

    He then brings up the issue of illegal immigration to the US - a topic he has returned to several times this afternoon.

    On his legal woes, Trump claims he was indicted "more than Al Capone," the notorious American criminal of the prohibition era. Fact checks have disputed this claim.

    He also touches on abortion and gender identity, drawing a sharp contrast between himself and his opponent on these two topics.

    Trump says that the US economy was "rocking and rolling" when he was president and before the Covid pandemic.

    "We were recognised for doing great on economy", he said claiming the US had "the greatest tax cuts in history" and the "greatest cuts in regulation".

  9. Trump repeats NATO criticismpublished at 21:22 28 June

    21:22 28 June

    Trump has been running through a number of issues, criticising the Biden administration's handling of foreign affairs as "weak" and raising questions about US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

    He contrasts it with his own term in the White House, when he was known for threatening to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

  10. Trump doesn't think Biden will drop outpublished at 21:21 28 June

    21:21 28 June

    Trump returns to the topic of last night’s debate, which hedescribed as “a big moment for people with common sense that want to seeAmerica be great again”.

    He also commented on initial reports that Joe Biden mightleave the race, which he says he does not believe.

    He refers to other Democrats rumored as possible candidates, including “Gavin Newscum,” who he describes as “a badgovernor” of California - one of the great placeson earth, he says - and Kamala Harris, saying putting her as VP as Biden's “single bestdecision”.

    "This November the people of Virginia and the people of America are going to tell crooked Joe Biden 'Biden! You're fired! Get out of here!'"

  11. Trump takes aim at the presspublished at 21:09 28 June

    21:09 28 June

    Trump touts his debate performance again, saying that Thursday night was a defeat for not only Biden, but "the radical left and the fake news media".

    He then points at the press covering his rally while the crowd boos.

  12. Trump hits out at 'crooked Joe Biden's' recordpublished at 21:08 28 June

    21:08 28 June

    Trump hits out at Biden's record in government and says he's incapable of winning, saying the problem isn't Biden's age, but that he is "grossly incompetent".

    “This election is a choice between strength and weakness,competence and incompetence, peace and prosperity, war or no war," he says.

    He also accuses his Democrat opponent of "weaponizing" US law enforcement and using it against him, a reference to Trump's legal troubles.

    It's a slight contrast to Biden's comments earlier in the day, where he said: "I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong, I know how to do this job."

  13. Donald Trump celebrates debate performancepublished at 21:06 28 June

    21:06 28 June

    Trump has opened with the debate, claiming a "big victory" against Joe Biden in last night's event.

    "That was a big one," he says.

    Trump - age 78 - says age is not Biden's problem, noting that he knows many elderly people who are in good shape.

  14. Donald Trump takes the stagepublished at 20:56 28 June

    20:56 28 June

    Donald Trump is taking the stage at a campaign rally in Virginia, as the two candidates hold duelling rallies a day after the first debate of the 2024 election season.

    The Trump campaign has spent much of the day crowing about its victory over Biden, whose appearance revived concerns about his age and fitness for office.

    Trump's performance last night was remarkably focused - though many of his claims were false - but at rallies he is known for going off script and playing to his crowd.

    Biden won Virginia in 2020 in a strong showing by a Democrat, but recent polls have shown the two candidates running neck and neck in the state.

  15. Trump musical mix draws questionspublished at 20:55 28 June

    20:55 28 June

    We are waiting for Donald Trump to speak at a campaign rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.

    For those watching the stream remotely, the music selection is baffling: an unusual mix of Adele, Lionel Richie, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash - and selections from Phantom of the Opera and Cats.

    As "The Music of the Night" - a song about a dark seduction - from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical starts, comments flow into the chat accompanying at least one YouTube livestream.

    "​​i am dying laughing at this song", a YouTube user by JahDrum09 writes.

    Another, DP, chimes in: "Andrew Lloyd Weber [sic] should write a musical about Trump".

    Trump's affinity for Phantom of the Opera is longstanding, and has sparked plenty of speculation.

    In his writing, external on the unusual musical mix at a 2016 Trump rally, Canadian author Mark Steyn suggested that the playlist might reflect in part tenants of Trump Tower, which at one point included Andrew Lloyd Webber.

    Others have pooh-poohed the idea, arguing, external that Mr Trump just likes the songs.

    In 2023, when the Broadway production of Phantom of the Opera closed after more than three decades, Trump called it, external "one of the greatest of all".

  16. A husband who likes Trump and a wife who supports Bidenpublished at 20:37 28 June

    20:37 28 June

    Kayla Epstein
    Reporting from Atlanta, Georgia

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (4)

    The day after Biden andTrump faced each other in Atlanta, DeBorah Johnson and Andre Lorenza werehaving a spirited debate of their own about which man should be president.

    The husband and wife duo supported opposing candidates.

    DeBorah was a staunch Democrat and worked to turn out voters inCobb County, Georgia for Biden in 2020.

    Despite Democrats’ panic about Biden’s debate performance, shethought he did better than Trump.

    “I don't think Trump was answering direct questions,” she said.“He was shooting at Biden and not really following directions.”

    But she was “concerned” about some of the “dysfunctionalities” shesaw in Biden’s performance. Still, he was the “lesser of two evils” and DeBorahbelieved he “spoke the truth”.

    Andre, however, liked Trump.

    “He’s open. He tells you exactly how he feels. He may be lying -but who don’t lie. Tell me what [politicans] don’t lie,” he said.

    “He’s just running his mouth,” DeBorah interjected.

    Andre put his arm around his wife and chuckled. He would vote for“whoever my wife wants,” he laughed.

  17. Georgia voters 'did not learn anything new' from debatepublished at 20:20 28 June

    20:20 28 June

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (5)Image source, Brandon Drenon/BBC News

    The morning after the debate, few voters in Georgia - the state where the event was held - appeared to feel as though the debate had affected who they planned to support.

    "Unfortunately, I did not learn anything new," James Rabun, the owner of Kennesaw's Deercreek Gunshop, said.

    "Biden looked very weak and it seems even the Democrats are questioning his ability to lead. There was no change for me personally who I will be supporting," Rabun said.

    He's undecided whether he'll vote for Trump or Robert F Kennedy Jr in November.

    Gloria Murphy, a staunch Trump supporter, said she learned "not really much new".

    "Biden was terrible. Unfortunately he doesn't appear to have a real grasp on things."

    Deborah Scott, a lifelong Democrat, was also unmoved by last night.

    "The debate did little to provide clarity on high priority issues that address the concerns of black women who will be a key constituency in deciding this election outcome," Scott said.

    Polls show President Biden is losing support from black voters who played an outsized role in helping him win in 2020. Black women, however, have seen the least fallout.

    "The event missed the mark and was a lost opportunity," Scott said.

  18. Trump supporters gather at rally day after debatepublished at 20:15 28 June

    20:15 28 June

    Supporters of Donald Trump are gathered in Virginia to hear the former president speak at a campaign rally the day after his debate against Joe Biden.

    Rally-goers, many decked out in red, white and blue, hold signs proclaiming "Joe Biden, you're fired!" - a reference to Trump's reality TV programme The Apprentice.

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (6)Image source, EPA

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (7)Image source, Getty Images

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (8)Image source, Getty Images

    Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (9)Image source, EPA

  19. Trump is expected to speak shortly in Virginiapublished at 20:14 28 June

    20:14 28 June

    Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will address a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia - his first public event after last night's head-to-head with Biden.

    Trump is expected to comment on Biden's debate performance last night, which saw the president stumble a few times.

    It will be interesting to see if he comments on Biden's speech at the North Carolina rally an hour ago, where Biden was noticeably more fiery and energetic compared to last night.

Biden vows to stay in race as Trump hails 'big victory' in debate (2024)
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