The discussion, which had been planned for four years, was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
For ninety minutes, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden sparred over the other’s record as president, with each candidate’s microphone off during their speeches.
The moderators separated the debate into two topics, but neither candidate answered any of them, choosing instead to focus on their preferred matters.
Mr. Biden began the discussion by accusing Mr. Trump of leaving the economy in a worse shape than when he took office, despite having a raspy voice that his aides later explained was the result of a cold.
On the other hand, Mr. Trump boasted about his own achievements, adding, “We have the greatest economy in our country’s history and we have never done so well.”
He stated that he ran a larger deficit in order to prevent a second Great Depression during the COVID pandemic. He then called Joe Biden’s government a “poor job,” stated that inflation is “killing” the nation, and stated that it is most likely the worst in history.
Moderators pointed out that while Mr. Biden has approved $4.3 trillion in additional debt to date, Mr. Trump’s administration has approved $8.4 trillion in new debt.
