The first presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump kicked off in Atlanta Thursday night with a question from CNN moderator Jake Tapper on voters’ top issue-- the economy.
“What do you say to voters who feel they are worse off under your presidency than they were under President Trump?” Tapper asked.
Biden took the question first, and said he’d inherited “an economy that was in freefall.”
“The economy collapsed. There were no jobs. Unemployment rate rose to 15%. It was terrible. And so what we had to do is try to put things back together again,” Biden said.
After listing the economic numbers he said had improved, including the unemployment rate, Biden said, “There’s more to be done.”
Trump responded by saying he had created “the greatest economy in the history of our country” until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted it. Even then, Trump said the stock market was roaring by the time Biden tool over.
“He has not done a good job, he has done a poor job,” Trump said.
This was originally published on our Live Updates page.
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