Convicted felon vs morals of alley cat: Biden & Trump trade barbs, personal attacks during heated debate

Joe Biden and Donald Trump traded barbs during the first presidential debate on Thursday, June 27 at CNN headquarters.

Updated on: Jun 28, 2024, 10:05:35 IST

By Shweta Kukreti

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Joe Biden and Donald Trump traded barbs during the first presidential debate on Thursday, June 27 at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.

Republican candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks as he attends a presidential debate with Democrat candidate, U.S. President Joe Biden, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 27, 2024. (REUTERS)

During the first thirty minutes of the discussion, fiery Biden defended his policies and record with meandering. In response, Trump countered him for spreading lies on economy, abortion rights, and the defence budgets of NATO allies.

The debate has several intense instances of personal attacks and name-calling between Biden and his GOP rival Trump. While the POTUS called Trump a "convicted felon", referring to Trump's historic hush money trial conviction, the ex-President dubbed the Democrat a “criminal”.

Biden inquired Trump about the amount of money he owes in civil penalties, and brought up the charges made by former adult film star Stormy Daniels that Trump had “sex with a porn star... while your wife was pregnant”. He went on to say that the GOP leader had “the morals of an alley cat.”

Trump hit back at Biden, claiming, “I didn’t have sex with a porn star.”

He further maintained that the criminal investigations against him, which included his conviction in Manhattan for fabricating financial documents pertaining to a payment of hush money to Daniels, were driven by political motivations.

Biden mocks Trump as ‘only felon on the stage’

Trump referred to Biden as a “criminal,” making unsubstantiated assertions. He alleged that Biden used his position as vice president to support his son Hunter Biden, who was just found guilty of federal gun-related offenses. Reacting to this, the Commander-in-Chief quipped Trump is the “only felon on the stage”.

Both Biden and Trump declared each other the "worst president" in American history.

Also Read: Biden's scratchy voice and debate performance spark concerns, netizens urge Michelle Obama to announce candidacy

Biden blasted Trump as a "sucker and loser" in reference to the statements made by Trump's former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who said the former president called military personnel who died in battle as "losers" and those who were injured or captured as "suckers".

"You're the sucker, you're the loser," Biden told Trump.

Trump rejected Kelly's allegation as a "made up" remark and sought an apology from Biden.

During the heated exchange, Trump claimed "insane asylums" and "mental institutions" are the sources of illegal immigration to the United States. He, however, did not offer any evidence to support his argument.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shweta Kukreti
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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