(CBS-DETROIT) – President Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off for the first presidential debate of the year Thursday evening before the November elections.
The debate marked the first between a sitting president and a former president.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has drawn national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for what some called staying at home too restrictive and social distancing orders, and the center of a kidnapping plotresponded to the presidential debate.
“For hardworking people in Michigan and across the country, this election is about which candidate can do the most to make life easier for them and their families, stand up for our rights and freedoms, and leave a better country for our children and grandchildren. On these questions, the difference between Joe Biden and Donald Trump as people, and as presidents, could not be clearer.
President Biden’s focus is on lowering family costs, building an economy that works for working people, and restoring the reproductive freedoms that women lost when Donald Trump was last in the White House.
Donald Trump is a convicted felon targeting Donald Trump. And he’s told us what he’s going to do when he gets back to the White House. He’s going to take his attacks on women’s reproductive rights even further, try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and raise healthcare costs for families, and send auto jobs to China.
Joe Biden is running to serve the American people. Donald Trump is running to serve Donald Trump. The gap between Joe Biden’s vision of ensuring that everyone in America has a fair shot and Donald Trump’s dangerous, self-serving agenda will only grow as we head into November.”
The two men discussed topics including immigration, the economy, abortion and more. Biden appeared to stumble over some of his words during the debate and sources said he has been nursing a cold for several days.
Late in the debate, Mr. Biden and Trump were asked to discuss worried about their ageand Mr. Biden said, “I spent half my career being criticized for being the youngest person in politics. I was the second-youngest person ever elected to the United States Senate and this man is three years younger and much less competent .Look what I did.”
Michigan GOP Chairman and former Congressman Pete Hoekstra made the following statement after Thursday’s debate:
“Joe Biden’s disastrous record was on full display for America tonight, and it’s no surprise he couldn’t defend it. His policies have only hurt Michigan, and will continue to do so. After tonight’s debate, it’s clear that we need President Trump’s America First policies to get our country back on track.”
a recent CBS News poll found that only a third of voters believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health to lead the country, while half of voters think the former president does.
The next debate between the two will take place in September.
