the place. you talk about charlottesville. this is 100 times charlottesville, 1,000 times. the whole country is exploding because of you. they don't respect you and they don't respect you throughout the year. we rebuilt the military, got the largest tax cut in history, the largest regulation cut in history. the reason he's got jobs is because i cut the regulations that gave jobs but he's putting a lot of those regulations back on. nobody's ever seen anything -- everyone from the medical standpoint. we can try space-age materials steph going to asia or europe. now when you're terminali ill, you can sign a document. they've been trying to get it for 4 years. but what we did for the military was incredible. choice for our soldiers. our soldiers, instead of waiting three months to see a doctor can go out and get themselves fixed

up and readied up and take care of themselves and they're living. that's why i had the highest approval not history of the v.a. we have a failing nation but not anymore, we're going to make it great again. ms. bash: thank you, president trump, president biden. wife full analysis of this debate now on cnn. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy visit ncicap.org] >> and that's a wrap. the first presidential debate of the 2024 election psych cfl in the books. president bideen and former president trump addressing several issues with model raters

jake tapper and dana bash. the economy, immigration, foreign policy and abortion, among others. c-span's coverage continues tonight after the first presidential debate. a look inside the spin room, live coverage where surrogates for the candidates will talk to reporters to give their analysis for the evening. c-span's reporters are on the ground and we'll bring you highlights from there for the next hour or so. we'll also take your calls until midnight tonight and at that point we'll reair the debate in its spirity. we want to hear your reaction, though. what did the candidates say that resonated with you. what did you want to hear that you didn't? if you're supporting president biden, call in at 202-748-8920. if you support the foreman

president, your line tonight is 202-748468921. if you're still undecided, call in at 202-748-8922 and if you've decided to support a third-party candidate, call us at 202-847-8923. you can join the conversation on x with 9 handle @c-span, also on facebook.com/cspan or call us with your first name, text us with your first name, city and state. are calls are in. angie from ohio, supporting the former president. angie, you are up first. what is your reaction to tonight's debate. angie? >> yes. >> you're up. good evening. caller: i don't have anything to say, i'm sorry. >> peter in new york,

undecided. peter, your reaction to tonighs debate? caller: i thought that the format for tonight's debate was excellent. i thought the modators did a great job and host: you said that the performance tonight was excellent? by the candidates? caller: i thought the moderators did well. i thought they did real well. host: did you like the format, period? kelsey: oh, yes, absolutely. absolutely. a great format. jake paper and dana bash was tremendous. now, the candidates, holy mackerel. they're not exactly lincoln and douglas. i was undecided. now i'm even more so.

because actually, all they did was -- all they did was attack each other. and -- i don't -- they didn't seem very presidential. host: neither one of them? caller: like two guys on the corner. host: peter? caller: yeah. host: what do you want to hear from these candidates in order to decide? caller: i would like them to talk about the issues. more about their own ideas rather than attack the other one's ideas and i'd like them to show more decorum. right now i feel like hiding under a bed. host: karen, in greer, south carolina. supporting the former president. karen, how did your candidate do? hi, karen.

caller: i think he did quite well. he kept his demeanor, cool, calm, and collected. to me, he is the only one that can put america to be great again. he has the, the relationship with other presidents throughout different countries. where biden does not. and he was right. all biden does is keep printing off money and more money and more money. letting in people from the border. give the americans the jobs. we need it. our children need it. our grandchildren need it. so that's my opinion. host: karen, what did you like

about president trump's first four years? what did you like about his record? caller: he kept his word. there was no war. more products were being made in the u.s.a. gas was being utilized from the u.s.a. it just -- it was just his way of handling the u.s.a. host: ok. karen in south carolina. we'll go to a biden supporter. giannis in cairo, new york. giannis, how did your candidate do tonight? caller: hi, he did wonderful. you know, joe is getting older but with the behavior that we get out of trump and theway that he treat women and the rights

that he has taken away from us, it says a lot. says a lot. and i wish more people would pay attention to that. instead of some of these trump supporters that i see are just loud-mouthed, bright clothed, diaper wearing trump supporters. host: giannis, you said he is getting older. did he show his age tonight? caller: you know what, he did a little bit and he look at little tired but it's awful late. you know, he's not the only one who gets tired early. host: kelly o'donnell, who reports for nbc at the white house tweeting out at 9:50 p.m., two sources familiar with the situation say president biden has a cold. and she also tweets out at 9:58

multiple sources say the president was given covid tests and is negative for covid. let's go inside the spin room in atlanta. leader of the republicans in the house, one of the leaders, talking to reporters. >> what did you think about biden's performance and his age problems? >> i think it was a weak performance. i mean, it is -- you don't get points for standing up and talking for 90 minutes. what you have to do is defend his record which he absolutely failed to do. the fact that we had a conversation about illegal immigration, 10, 15, 20 million illegal immigrants who have come across the border. we talked about fentanyl deaths which are coming along with him them. we talked about the american

position around the world. on every issue president trump was able to articulate and president biden wasn't. >> was that a fear? >> what we wanted to do, what the president wanted to do was to be able to come out and talk about the issues that are electricitying the american people. he was able to clearly articulate those and clearly talk about the solutions he's putting on the table. this was an opportunity for us to have the two men on stage at the same time and talk about their vision for the world. we wanted to make sure, he wanted to make sure he was going to be able to get those points out in an articulate way and he did a fantastic job. >> do you think biden is going to be the nominee? >> we'll wait and see. if they are going to try to remove him from the ticket, they

are running out of time. >> how do you think the affects the rest of the campaign? >> i think it's a great launching point. he was able to articulate his vision for thefection next four years. it's not just a plan for america for the next four years. we're going to set the direction the world is going to go in for decades to come. this is going to be a transformative election because we are seeing a presidency defined by weakness and with president trump, we'll see a presidency beginned by strength. >> michael whatley talking to reporters. c-span cameras are live on the ground. we have not seen democrats yet in the spin room. when we do, we'll bring you back inside the spin room. we are also taking your phone calls, your texts, your social media reaction to tonight's first presidential debate.

pall in miami. undecided paul. what did you think of tonight? caller: i liked the format and of in that you didn't have mooing and catcalling and supreme screaming and delaying it. neither of these people are cognitively killing it. what a choice. binary, two parties. i'not trying to be sarcastic about it but biden definitely, he's a decent person. looked aged and trumpet is -- i don't know, ideology is me. doesn't really stand for anything. just stands for winning. again, i don't know that i'm moved anything. host: so for you, how will yo decide then? >> i'm going to decide th way, and it's t polls, i'm undecided up until the minute i go. that's kind of ridiculous. i kind of am leaning basically either just third party or --

i'm a little scared of trump in the sense i don't think he's a racist, i don't think he's a fascist. i don't think he's the worst person in the world but i do think he, in four years is not fearful of anything and would do anything that we want to do and that's concerning to me. i am still waiting. host: so what could the former president do to convince you to vote for him? caller: uh, biden get sick? i'm not -- no, i'm not a biden supporter. i really -- it's sad. host: so for you it's third party or the former president? caller: third party or leaning a little bit toward biden but i don't think biden is really running things. i think it's a really good staff that is running it but yeah. host: let me run this by you. casey hunt, cnn reporter points

out the voice, open mouth, look, and visual contrast between the two have all democrats i'm talking to nearly beside themselves watching this detective. and then another reporter, a prominent democrat is texting saying gavin, please, referring to the california governor. paul? caller: [laughter] yeah, uh -- oh, this is difficult. what a choice we have. it's not nice. these aren't tremendously talented candidates and, you know, i think at this point most people have made their mind. unless -- if you remember the old governor edwards of louisiana, he said they're going to keep voting for me unless they find i'm in bed with a dead

woman or a live chimed and i think it's come to we have bad choices and it's going to be last second people are going to make it. host: paul, should they hold a second debate between these two candidates in september? caller: of course they should, absolutely. host: same rules, same format? caller: i like it and i get it, where the hosts or the -- rather the moderators, dana and a jack, they have a difficult time. you have to push these people. i worked in media years and years ago but you have to push people. just cut them off. thank you for the opportunity to share that. host: paul, undecided in florida. back to the spin room. senator tim scott is talking to reporters. >> talk about what that meant to have that elevated for this all of a sudden? tim: it's an exciting time for the people living in impoverished communities under

donald trump. $70 million committed to the poorest communities, often time majority-minority. that's lid to about an 8% wage growth vs. 3% outside of them. 20% increase in property values applause plus the restoration of hope. it was a really good four years for people who grew up any did. mired in poverty. perhaps the most powerful force for good for the amendment poverty focus on the private sector we've seen in my lifetime. it's always good to hear your name called if it's called in a positive line but bottom line, it's not about me. it's about what can we do to make sure that the american people experience their version of the american dream and that's what we should all be focused on and working toward. host: center tommy scott in

south carolina, also ran for president this year. rumoredded to be a possible pick for vice president by former president trump. we are getting your reaction to tonight's debate. chase in clifton park, new york, supporting president biden. chase, how did your guy do? caller: honestly, i think he's getting pretty old. they asked a few questions there -- first few minutes in, he got quiet and he kind of stumbled a little bit. other than that, he put up a good fight. these two are pretty good debaters. they got in a lot of good points between the two of them but personally i'd like to see them both in a wrestling match. nothing too crazy. i'm pretty good that nothing too crazy happened. nothing like people yelling. i'm just scared for our country and everything that's going on in it. nobody is taking anything seriously. we need a real awakening.

everything is dividing the whole country right now. everybody has to come back together as one. it's really scary to think that nobody else sees it like that. these two guys are just pawns on the chessboard. they have all these people behinds them. they're just the face. host: curtis in san antonio. who are you supporting in this election? caller: i'll be going for a third party. i love president biden. his heart is in the right place but he a little aged and like everyone before me was saying, maybe it's time for him to step down and donald trump, i don't trust him. host: are you saying that the president should step down now? >> no, but i'm thinking -- yeah, i don't think he should run. host: you don't think he should be running right now, four minutes out from the election? caller: no, i don't and not because he's a good president.

he's an aging president and i think it's time to go. host: all right, in the spin room, the georgia senator russ warnock talking to reporters, let's listen in. >> glad to be joined here today with members that fully represent diversity in the biden coalition. tonight i think what we saw -- a very clear contract, a very clear choice in selection. what you saw in donald trump was a man who took the stage and lied the entire night, grew increasingly unhinged truth entire night and reminded people why their admired president biden four years ago. and you saw president biden take stage and do what he's done the last four years. fight religiously on behalf of

the american people. he made the case for his historic record of accomplishment, the jocks, manufacturing jocks. the work he's done since the day he took office to lower costs for americans. lowered the cost of insulin to $35. costs out of pockets for our seniors to $2,000 annually and the work he's going to continue to do. for donald trump, someone who continually refused to say he'd accept the results of the election in the say he did before. he's already spent his month out on the stump saying there's going to be a blood bath if he loses this election. he reminded the american people in prime-time about that pledge tonight. we saw him talk about the fact that roe -- overturning roe v. wade was a great thing. talking on the stump is that

these extreme state level abortion plans are playing out brilliantly. i'm going to turn it over to the congresswoman. >> hi, everyone. so i represent texas and we know that abortion is on the ballot and to be clear, tonight we saw two things. people can choose between a con in chief or a commander in chief so what we saw was someone who sat up there and was acting as if he was some used car salesman that wanted to tell us whatever and pretend that it was fact. the reality is that our president submitted to you what looks like substance. the substance of the issue was simple. we have somebody that the bragging about the fact that he took roe v. wade away from us whereas we know the next steps. they want to go after contraception and unfortunately in the state of texas they're

talking about instituting the death penalty. what the american people have to decide is that they're going to choose themselves. this election isn't about all of the lies that trump is selling you. what it's about are the facts. the facts are that he took that right away from us and he want to take more right away from us and he did not shy away from that. every time they asked as a result of great. that is unacceptable. you all know the story of kate cox. you know the story of women that are potentially losing their lives. so there's only one clear choice, that clear choices joe biden and the blue team. that's exactly why we're here. >> we will now go to senator warnock.

we are going to go through. >> the elections are about the character of the nation. they are about jobs, about the economy, about war, peace, a range of issues. at the end of the day it's about the character of our country. the american people got a chance tonight to be reminded about the character of donald trump, a man who stood there and lied for 90 minutes straight. but what i was also struck by was by what he did -- every time he was asked a question that had something to do with the lives of the ordinary working class people that i represent here in the state of georgia, did you notice he never answered the questions. when he was asked about childcare, which is a real issue in this country. a lot of people can't get work because they don't have childcare. he did not have an answer to that. he tried to take credit for capping the cost of insulin and prescription drugs. i know that's a lie because that's my bill.

i passed it. when it came to each thing having to do with ordinary people, he reminded us what he wants to do, the only thing he has ever done, that's focus on people like himself. that's why he passed a tax cut that went to the richest of the rich on the backs of ordinary working class poor people, middle-class people. we passed a tax cut, the largest tax cut for middle and working-class people in history. he is trying to divide us. we have to make sure that we stand up as a nation, stand up for the american covenant. we should always be afraid of somebody who's -- of each other. america is better than donald trump. come november 5, the american people will stand up once again and prove it as they did in 2020.

>> we are going to get everybody's questions. we will now go to the governor. >> thank you all. i will associate myself with -- to me it was daylight and darkness. i'm a little old fashion. i care about substance, i care about facts, i care about people being accountable to their lives. what i saw tonight was donald trump's weakness masquerading as strength. the guy was incapable of answering any question directly. obfuscating, pointing fingers. more important than anything else, disgusted by the fact that i heard the ex-president of the united states talked down the american economy, talked down the united states of america. as it relates to the president on substance on the compare and contrast on the economic record

just in the last three and a half years, more jobs than the last three republican presidents combined, 3% gdp growth, inflation came down two thirds, and economic policy and vision for the future to bring back american manufacturing, i was very proud of the president tonight. from my humble perspective, it's not about style, it's about delivering results for the american people. tonight, i think joe biden not only asserted himself, he reminded people of his accomplishment and vision for the future. >> governor? would you replace joe biden if you were asked? >> california governor gavin newsom there, part of a team of biden supporters answering -- first giving their individual statements about how they think their candidate did, and then we expect them to answer a couple of questions. this is the president strategy

tonight, his campaign strategy tonight. politico reported earlier that instead of dispatching an army of surrogates into a sea of reporters, is the way they framed it, the fighting campaign planned to send in that team that you saw on the screen to deliver assisting statements, take a few questions, then they plan to leave the spin room. others in support of president biden are expected to be in the spin room, but that is the strategy from the campaign tonight. we've seen several republicans talking to reporters, and we will hear more from them tonight while we also talked to all of you about tonight's debate. getting your reaction. we've divided the lines by those that support the sitting president, those that support the former president, undecided, and third-party candidates. jim, in texas. hi, you are supporting the

former president? guest: that's correct. vice-president harris: what did you think of the debate? caller: i thought he was very composed. i don't know how anyone can look at the president of the united states and say there is nothing wrong with that person. clearly it's elder abuse. i cannot believe that his wife and his handlers are putting him through this. he looked lost most of the debate. he really did answer a question, he just kept repeating his talking points that he was given over the past two weeks at camp david. host: have you been supporting the former president all along? did you support him in 2016 and in 2020? >> i did, if there was a third party that was viable, i may have gone that way. but the economy is in shatters. the middle class is dying, they can't afford groceries, they are

breaking into people's cars to feed themselves. ask me how i know. it's just ridiculous. the stat the moderators gave that a basket of groceries that was $100 at the beginning of biden's ministration is now $120. it's about $150, for real. i also thought it was interesting that the moderators would cut biden off when he was getting ready to go over a cliff. his microphone was supposed to be silenced when it wasn't his turn, but indeed it wasn't. host: you believe that happened many times? caller: several times. he interrupted trump and his mike was supposed to be silent. i'm also curious on which party demanded that no press was in the room, which will unprecedented, and no audience, which was unprecedented. the democrats are putting out speakers to answer questions and run away from the spin room. why is that? host: you said you would been

open to a third-party candidate if there was one that was viable? -- caller: i am a former 20 year military man. other than the fact that he put out mean tweets, i would have no issues. all of his lies was about him being racist, january 6 in charlottesville. we all know, you know that that's made up. all you have to do is listen to the transcripts. but most of biden supporters just listen to what you and other mainstream media tell them and that's their right. again, i don't know how anyone can look at him and tell me there's nothing wrong with biden. that he is fit to be the commander in chief and the leader of the free world. host: jim's thoughts in white

wright texas. jim's thoughts on why reporters were not allowed in the studio. there was some pressure earlier this evening coming from the white house association -- the reporters association at the white house asking for the pool reporter who follows the president around to be allowed into the studio. they were not allowed in at the beginning. kelly o'donnell, who represents a reporters at the white house for the association tweeting out, the pool reporter went into the debate studio during the commercial. the white house association advocated for a pool reporter for the duration of tonight's debate. and former president donald trump were both staring straight ahead as photographers snapped photos. this was the pool reporters report during the break, the

three and a half minute commercial break that occurred tonight. there were two commercial breaks this evening. it sounds like the pool reporter was led in during that commercial break. rishaad, georgia, undecided. let's hear from you. caller: good evening.well , still undecided, quite frankly . i am a naturalized u.s. citizen, probably u.s. citizen. i feel like after this debate, we continue to be, or i continue to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to my decision of who shall i vote for. i believe that the conversation, well, definitely president biden is, in my opinion, is not a

viable candidate by all means, regardless of what anybody says. you cannot ignore the obvious. i wish the democrats had presented a different candidate then president biden. that is the fact and facts are very stubborn and hard to ignore. president trump has a -- that is backing m up significantly. on the other hand, i still believe that president trump continues to be a threat to the democracy and the greatness of is nation because he was unable to clearly answer the questions if he would accept the results of the election.

to me, that was not a good indication because he repeatedly said if it's fair or -- i cannot remember the exact words. but he repeatedly stated that it's fair, clear, that'by his standards. he wouldn't probably acknowledge a fair election if it doesn't go along with what he would expect or would like to see. it's a very, very hard decision to make looking at both of them, but i believe president biden inherited a very good economic, i would say, momentum when he came into office, so he is taking credit for what president trump has established. host: i will leave it at that. i want to go to the spin room.

jason miller, trump surrogate speaking to reporters, let's listen. jason: walking down the street without getting stabbed or murdered. finally there is hope. >> the rules impose we are supposed to control former president trump. >> again, put that aside, as long as president trump delivers his vision that he was able tonight, we knew president trump would win. we have been saying that all along, we just wanted a fair shake for president trump to lay out his vision. that's what he did. joe biden cannot defend anything. how many times did he sit there with that look on his face as president trump challenged biden, saying, why have you done this to the border, what are you going to do? biden could not answer a single time, never once. again, other people can go and talk about that, we just knew

president would be able to communicate his vision fairly without being cut off and he was. >> will you be setting up a golf match between president trump and president joe biden? >> that line when joe biden set i got my handicap when i was vice president, that was not a good look. i don't think vied -- biden could even make it to the t. it wasn't a good look for biden. host: jason miller, senior advisor to the former president's campaign talking to reporters. you heard him talking about the exchange between the two candidates about their golf games. they also talked about some other issues, many policy issues tonight. we want to get your reaction to what you heard from them. frank, a pollster who has been on this program many times, held

a survey, a focus group with undecided voters saying he tweeted this out, i asked my focus group of undecided voters how many of them are more convinced to vote for joe biden, zero raised their hands. half of them said or say they voted for biden in 2020. catherine in new york. you support president biden, are you concerned about his debate performance? caller: yes and no. i felt that he tried to stick to the policies and everything the ti allotted. former president trump wasith his rhetoric of everything else. i thought president biden was presidential with just bringing up, after he -- after trump

attacked him and attacked his son, calling him a criminal, and after he leaves office he would be indicted about hunter biden. i think that president biden was a little bit more emotional in that moment before he regained his composure. host: catherine, what are some of the top issues for you in this campaign? caller first, i think that present biden has to get -- his organizations have to take the questions that were asked and put in the facts, as far as the economy goes, as far as job creations, as far as when biden

had turned around to say about, he did make the mention about this congress and how he was not able to pass what he wanted to do with immigration. host: there was lots of fact checking that happen, new york times, washington post, cnn, political fact, there are many outlets that you can go to to get -- what the candidate said and whether it waso see the border under joe biden. u.s. customs and border is a nationwide border agents have stopped migrants about 9.7 million times during biden's presidency. then you have daniel for cnn, trump's claims about 18 to 19 million people entering under bolick -- biden is false. total number biden era encounters through may 20 24,

both legal ports of entry and in between those points was under 10 million. not all of those people are let in and many are repeat triers. donald trump said all the jobs created under joe biden has gone to migrants, this is false. under biden, nativeborn workers jobs rose by seven .4 million, foreign-born workers jobs rose by 5.6 million. then you also have political fact on president biden. biden said trump wanted to cut social security, trump did say there is a lot you can do to cut social security, but he quickly walked back his statement to match the position on his website, which is to protect the program. then there is this, joe biden said donald trump wants to get rid of the affordable care act, that's half true. for years trump vowed to replace the aca, but in march he changed his view without giving details. there is fact checkers, and you can go to many websites, poli

tifact, cnn, washington post, that's just some of them that you can fact-check. look and see the research from what you heard from candidates tonight. sophia in indiana, supporting a third party candidate. which one? caller: after this debate i am supporting biden. i was really disappointed with how trump did not really answer the questions, he kept going back to biden and saying he did not do what heould do in those situations. honestly, i thought biden did a great job on staying on topic and making sure to answer the questions, while also addressing what trump was also saying. host: sophia, your top issue in this campaign, why are you voting for president biden? what are the issues? caller: i'm voting for biden

because, honestly, i liked his answers during the debate. not only did he address the problems when he was asked, unlike trump personally. i liked his stance on taxes, how he was talking about the one per centers, and the raising of taxes and his standpoint and why. i like how he personally addressed the problem and explained why he had those standpoints. specifically, i like how he talked about ukraine, russia and addressing what trump was saying. i thought that really turned my vote, how he was addressing that. also, the issues with iran. i thought he was very well spoken during those moments. host: sophia in indiana. we will go to jacob here in washington, d.c., supporting the president. jacob. caller: i'm supporting joe biden in this election.

i'm not super thrilled about it, man, but we've gotten to a point now where, to be a person in this country is to be frustrated with your leaders a the leadership. in this election we really only have two choices. i don't really think rfk's brain worms are going to carry it over the finish line. host: what do you make of democratic strategists? reporters are saying democratic strategists are panicking. they didn't think that the president did well tonight. what do you make of that reaction from them? caller: i think that's totally fair. he had a really bad night. he did not look very coherent. it looked like he was, quite frankly, struggling to even make it through the full time of the debate. yeah, it didn't really affect my position because i don't think there is much of a choice. just because of the fact that his opponent is a convicted

felon that tried to overthrow the government. he definitely had a bad night and it turns people off from voting. host: jacob, how old are you? caller: this will be my first presidential election voting. i'm 21. host: jacob, 20 one, supporting the president. on x, if you follow us on x, at c-span is our handle -- @c-span is our handle. we are doing a poll for who won the cnn presidential debate. right now it stands at 67 point 5% of those participating saying that the former president won the first presidential debate over the sitting president, 32.5% saying that joe biden one tonight. these are just the folks that are participating in our poll. you can do so yourself. if you go to x @c-span is our

handle. jose in rio grande city, texas. hi, jose. jose in texas, supporting president trump. it's your turn. let me go to sabrina, who's in georgia. who are? you supporting -- who aryou supporting? caller: i am undecided right now but there is a life or death situation and u need to either chooserump or biden. host: whyre you calling in on the third pay line? caller: i believe third-party is not feasible. i have come to the realization during this debate. host: what are the issues that are important to you? caller: as a woman i am very pro-roe v. wade. that made my realization that i need to vote for biden. i was really upset for biden during this debate because he

was not attacking trump like he should have. he seemed really weak. trump, on the other hand, was being overly attacking and he was not able to discuss the issues and his point at all. i am leaning more towards biden because of that and not third party. host: sabrina in georgia says abortion is the important issue for her this november. that topic did come up at the very beginning, towards the beginning of tonight's debate. here are both of the candidates on abortion. >> seven states have no legal restriction on how far into a presidency -- into a pregnancy they can receive an abortion. do you support any limits on how late a woman can support a pregnancy? caller: i support roe v. wade. -- pres. biden: i support roe v. wade. first time is between a woman at a doctor, second time is between a woman an extreme situation, the third time is between the woman in the state. the idea that the politicians --

that the founders wanted the politicians to be the ones making decisions about women's health is ridiculous. no politician should make that decision, a doctor should make that decision. that's how it should be run. i am going to restore roe v. wade if i'm elected. >> that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after porth -- after birth because in some states democrat ran take it after birth. the former president of virginia put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it. he's going to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby. nobody wants that to happen, democrat or republican. nobody wants it to happen. pres. biden: he's lying. that is simply not true. roe v. wade does not provide for that. when a woman's life is in danger, she will die. that's the only circumstance which that can happen. we are not for late-term abortion, period. fmr. pres. trump: under roe v.

wade you have late-term abortion. you could do whatever you want under the state. we don't think it's a good thing, we think it's a radical thing. we think the democrats are the radicals, not the republicans. pres. biden: for 51 years that's a lot. constitutional scholars said it was the right way to go. 51 years and it was taken away because this guy put conservative members on the supreme court and takes credit for taking it away. what's he going to do if maga republicans control the congress and they pass a universal ban on abortion, period, across the board at six weeks, 7, 8 or 10, something conservative? is he going to sign that bill. i will veto it, he will sign it. host: the two candidates tonight squaring off in their first presidential debate. that issue right there, abortion, one of the many that they discussed. in the spin room across from the

studio that held the debate, the cnn presidential debate, doug, the former governor of north dakota, one time presidential candidate, talking to reporters. >> it is up to the democrats to decide. they created the situation they are in. they will have to work their way through that. it does not matter who's up, president trump will win in the fall. >> do you think the debate matters longer term for voters? >> tonight mattered more than any debate in history because of trump's strength and president biden's weakness was clear. you could have watched this show tonight with the sound off and you would've figured out who won that debate, it would've been president trump. >> do you have any indication of when president trump will -- host: that is the current governor of north dakota, also rumored to be a potential vice presidential pick for president trump. in the spin room in atlanta, our cameras are there live this

evening. we will continue to show you what the supporters of these two candidates are telling the media. while we do that, we are getting your reaction to tonight's debate. arnold in miami, florida, your supporting the former president? caller: yes i am. host: tell us why. caller: in 2016i did not vote, but the economy has taken off. i was doing well, my family was doing well, so i voted for him in 2020. now, everything is a lot harder. it's clear. everything was reversed under biden. all i know is my personal situation and those are the things that matter to me, my family. that's why i'm voting for trump. when we get to immigration too, we are talking about these numbers, fact checkers, 18

million, 9 million -- listen, i worked in manhattan, i lived in new jersey, i have family there, it's visible. you can see it, the crime rate is up. it is directly affecting people. it doesn't matter what that number is, but it's affecting people. so, we are voting based on that. host: that is why you are supporting the former president? caller: yes. host: do you have any concerns about the former president getting a second term? caller: no. not at all. when he ran the first time they said he was going to start world war iii and this and that. none of that happen. he brokered peace in the middle east. you don't hear anything about that. i'm less worried about that than i am biden looking like a corpse on tv. host: we will go to brandon who is undecided in michigan. were you hoping tonight's debate would allow you to make a decision? caller: uh, i was hoping that.

but honestly, i think it was a pretty bad performance by both of them. host: tell us where they both failed, in your opinion, tonight. caller: obviously, ages the issue for biden. but trump could not stay on topic at all. there were questions about climate change and how to help people get over addiction and he kept coming back to immigration. i am undecided because i have been a soft burning supporter since 2016. i did not vote for biden in 2020. yeah, he is helping people out a little bit. i cannot in good conscience vote for someone who has this response towards israel. trump, on the other hand, i'm open to listen to republicans, but they don't have anything they want to do to help people out. host: brandon, we go back to the spin room. >> the president is out doing

events every day. he is doing press conferences, he's out there campaigning. we all see that every day. this idea that somehow it will affect the outcome of the election is just -- the other thing is he was honest and donald trump is lying. >> is it a problem you are getting questions about whether he will be on the ticket? normally a candidate has a bad night and is on to the next, but you are getting these questions for a reason, how much of a problem is that? >> you are asking a question and we are being clear. joe biden is our nominee, he's a good man, we trust him. the focus should be on the contrast of tonight. we have somebody and donald trump were all he did was lie every single time. he lied and lied and lied. i would much rather have a president that may have had a minor cold or maybe had a drink of water to clear his throat, that's a good man and can

deliver for the american people. i know that joe biden is not going to lead a coup and lead insurrectionists to attack the capitol -- u.s. capitol. he will protect democracy. we have a convicted criminal in donald trump. he is a criminal that faces multiple more counts. i think that that contrast will be made to the american people. >> is it fair to say that -- you are mentioning the conviction, but every indictment his polling numbers have increased, is it fair to make that argument? >> both candidates are raising a lot of money. polls have been close. we always knew it would be a close election. the biden campaign has never said it wasn't going to be a close election. the important thing is, every single day period from november, we will make a contrast for someone who lower the price of insulin, protecting a woman's right to choose, making sure students and the lgbtq+

community is supported, versus someone who led an attack on the capital and is a convicted criminal. host: congressman garcia there, democrat of california talking to reporters. you heard the reporters questioning him about concerns by democrats of president joe biden remaining as the nominee. peter baker of the new york times tweeting out, by hoped to build fresh momentum by agreeing to debate two months before he is nominated. instead, his halting and disjointed performance prompted a wave of panic amongst democrats and reopened discussions about whether he should be the nominee at all. tim, hanover park, illinois. what did you think of tonight's debate? caller: i thought it was a joke. i watched the entire debate and i don't remember anything that happened. it seemed like -- host: can you recall the

candidates positions on one issue that you care about? caller: yeah, i can recall the answer to the question about childcare. none of them answered it. i thought it was striking because donald trump, in 2017, doubled the child care tax credit. i bet he doesn't even know he did that. in 2021, joe biden, as part of the covid stimulus, increased it even more and said he was going to cut child poverty in half, then he let that expire, which did double child poverty. donald trump didn't even bring this up. they don't know what themselves have done and they don't know what each other have done. they argued about golf as a joke. host: tim in illinois. matt tweeting out vice

president, harris was on c the following tonight's debate and this is what she said. "joe biden is extraordinarily strong. what we saw tonight is the president making a clear contest of donald trump. she said there was a slow start, but it was a strong finish." john supporting the former president. how did your candidate do? caller: biden, i don't think he will make it another term. he is going downhill pretty fast. donald trumpwhen he was in office, he brought the work back to the united states, he closed off the borders, he did bring the work back. i'm an electrician, he taxed union electricians. he text me a little bit more and did not let me do my write-offs and stuff, but i thought it was good because we had so much work , it was out of control. so we made up for it.

so i am for trump. i think he will bring back the economy here and businesses. i know biden has got businesses going. but there is stuff going on in boise that he started, but trump will do the exact same thing. he will not veto that, he will keep it going, and everything. host: the candidates also talked about immigration tonight several times. if you missed any of tonight's debate, you will be able to find it on our website. we will re-air it at midnight tonight in its entirety. not on the states tonight was robert f. kennedy, jr.. he decided to hold his own debate where he would respond to the questions given to the two candidates at the cnn debate. here is what rfk junior had to say on immigration. >> mr. kennedy, the question of

which neither candidate answered was, there are millions of undocumented immigrants in the country now. what would you do? >> i want to comment on their digressions. i think president trump is right, there is a lot of bad people coming across. i think that's undisputed and we are seeing a rise in crime that are associated with the immigrants. but more importantly there is a sheer number of them. and, i think a lot of the democrats allowed this to happen out of a humanitarian impulse, the impulse of compassion. but when you are actually down there and talking to people, it's not a compassionate solution. the people that i talked to, many of them have been exploited, they have been robbed, they have been raped. we have an immigration policy in this country being run by the

sinaloa drug cartel. the border patrol -- because they have been ordered not to do their jobs, they are catch and release, they bring them to yuma airport, put them on a plane to any designation they want. this is true, it sounds like hyperbole, but it's not, and they pay their ticket. then they get reimbursement from fema. it's insane. there are 110,000 immigrants out in new york and president trump's right, they are being put up in hotels, many are on the streets. they have an asylum court date, seven years in the future. they cannot legally work, but they are taken advantage of by predatory employers who are paying them six dollars or eight dollars an hour. those employers are bidding against union shops who are getting paid 35 or 50 dollars an hour in the union shops are losing the bid, they are camped out in randall's island on the

playing fields where the children's are supposed to be playing. those fields were closed during covid, these kids, these wonderful new york city kids were scholarships -- their lives and how -- the same thing is happening, they cannot play their sport. >> time is up. host: independent presidential candidate robert f. kennedy, jr. on the debate stage in a separate venue he held that debate responding to what the two candidates were asked at the cnn debate, streaming it on next anna on a website as well. we are getting your reaction to cnn's debate tonight, the first in this 2024 election cycle. there are the lines on your screen. let's hear from debbie in new york. debbie, why are you undecided still? caller: hello?

host: it's your turn. you are undecided, tell us why. caller: i am undecided because the choice is between democrats, republicans, as well as the third party is really discouraging and disconcerting that we have the choices we have . how and what can we possibly do, where do we go from here? host: on the issues, who do you lean towards? >> certainly biden. his policies are excellent, he has accomplished so much. the only thing that concerns me is his self, and i wish she was 20 years younger, of course. host: do you think you should be

the nominee? >> i cannot say i don't think he should be the nominee, i just wish that we had somebody who was younger who was carrying the same policy he was, who thinks the same way, who accomplishes the same goals as president biden does. i really do like what he's doing, what he's done for the country, i like his decency, i like him as a human being. as opposed to trump, who lies. i think we all, as americans, we are all intelligent enough to know when we are being lied to so blatantly. host: is there anything the former president could do to convince you to vote for him? >> no. >> what would you do because you are leaning towards president biden yet you say you are

undecided, so what are you going to do? >> i'm going to weigh in to the last moment, i have always been undecided, i was hoping mitt romney would run. god, anybody but trump. host: tyler in colorado, also undecided. thank you for calling in tonight. tyler -- >> yes, ma'am, i just want to thank you for the opportunity to call in. i feel like more common now than ever, the country is so divided, we need to come together. i am leaning more towards trump, i did vote for him in 2016, he is a viable leader. when he came into office he did what he promised to the american people. with me being prior military, trump was behind the troops and for the troops and for this country. and i've seen a lot more military programs underneath trump as opposed to now, where

there are less programs, the v.a. is very under compensated, the wait times were longer than what they wear. host: what's your hesitation, why not say you will vote for the former president? caller: i was trying to get through on the phone call. host: i will go to roy in garland, texas. you are going to vote for president biden in november? caller: no, actually i support donald trump. the other line was busy. host: come on, you have to play along with the rules. come in on the line with the candidate you are supporting, or if you are undecided or a third-party candidate. debbie in willis, texas. who are you going to vote for in november?

caller: donald trump. i voted for him last time, i will vote for him this time because he loves the u.s. and he will get us out of this mess. biden is too old, i would never vote for him. he's a joke. and everybody knows it. he doesn't know where he is half the time. host: your top issues in this campaign? what do you care about? caller: all i care about is getting trump in because he will do the right thing with everything. our country is falling apart and everybody is scared. biden and all these immigrants coming in. i am 74, we are all scared because people are beg killed. thousands of them are coming across. he is not stopping it. trump will stop in and i think they should put electric wire up there so when anybody tries to get in, zap them. host: many of you mentioned the topic of age, the president's

age. as we showed you reporters talking to democratic operatives, and they are expressing concerns about the president's performance and his age. it was brought up at tonight's debate. take a listen. >> president biden, you would be 86 at the end of your second term. how do you address concerns about your capability to handle the toughest job in the world well into your 80's? pres. biden: first of all, i spent half my career being criticized being the youngest person in politics. i was the second youngest person ever elected to the united states senate, now i'm the oldest. this guy is three years younger and a lot less competent. look at what i've done, look how i've turned around a horrible situation he left me. >> former president tronc, you would be 82 at the end of your second term, what do you say to voters who have concerns about your capabilities to serve? fmr. pres. trump: i took two

tests, cognitive tests. i aced them as you know, he took none, i would like to see him take one. a real easy one. go through the first five questions, he couldn't do it. i took two cognitive tests. i took physical exams every year. we knock on wood wherever we may have would that i am in very good health. i just won two cup -- to club championships. two regular club championships. to do that you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. and i do it. he doesn't do it, he can't hit a ball 50 yards. he challenged me to a golf match. i think i'm in good shape, i feel i'm in good a shape as i was 25, 30 years ago, i'm probably a little bit lighter, but i am in as good a shape as i went years ago, i feel the same. i was willing to take a cognitive test. if i didn't do well, i based them. >> you can see he is 6'5" and only 230 pounds.

you said 6'4", 200. anyway. just take a look at what he says he is, and take a look at what he is. i would be happy to have a driving contest with him. i got my handicap when i was vice president down to a six. by the way, i told you before, i'm happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. do you think you can do it? i was a handicap. >> i've seen you swing, i know your swing. >> president trump. >> let's not act like children. host: one of the moments from tonight's presidential debate, the first in this election cycle with the two presumptive nominees from each party, the debate taking place before the convention. republicans will meet in milwaukee in july for their convention, democrats in chicago

in august to formally nominate these two candidates. jeff in flowery branch, georgia. jeff, who do you support? caller: good evening. i'm an independent voter. i wish there was a stronger third party in united states. i would announce to the callers that call in, the border problem has existed since the 1960's or earlier than that. so, how many presidents have we had for both parties that have not dealt with that issue? so that is not an issue just today, it has been an issue that has existed for years and years, and years. the gop party cut the border funding by 24%. they passed a law -- are not a law, one of their programs, they cut security guards. so biden had to -- that. the thing that i like to point out is, biden started the night,

i did not think it was impressive, but the other candidate never answered a question. the only thing i ever heard through the whole conveation was, i'm great, i'm the greatest, i have been the greatest ever, i will be the greatest, that's all that man said. host: who are you voting for in november? caller: i am leaning towards joe biden, the reading it -- reason i'm leaning towards joe biden is, you cannot put a person in office because he is a convicted felon, he now cannot visit so many countries in the world. number two, this individual said, i am the second messiah, that came out of his mouth, he said he is the white men della he is also referred hitler's numerous times, and that he wants to be a dictator, you cannot put an individual in the white house that says he wants to be a dictator. and that's the only thing he is

out to be. host: william in wynnewood, oklahoma supporting president trump, former president trump. is that right? caller: yes, ma'am, it is. host: what did you hear from him tonight that you liked? caller: i liked his immigration policy he talked about. i don't think he fully went in depth about his plan for the mass deportations, but i believe that that is a viable and probably good direction for our country, i think if you look at most countries in the world, this kind of immigration has never been seen before in history. and it's playing with fire, if you ask me. i think you need to take a step back and kind of reevaluate what

is happening. this is unprecedented. it's never happened in history on the scale. yes, so i think his immigration was a big thing i was focusing on. host: john in illinois supporting president biden, wright, john? caller: yes, i am. host: what did you hear from him that you like? caller: it wasn't so much what i heard from the president that i liked, it was more what he didn't say. what i mean by that is, i'm counting on president biden to really take a different stance, especially on foreign policy coming up. i think that is one place where trump gets through on those anti-china rhetoric, something like that is what i expect to come from the president. host: john, what you make of the consternation by democrats that the president did not perform well tonight? caller: that really comes down

to how bothered the president seemed to be with trump's presence there. what i am really counting on biden to do, if there is a specific policy option, i want him and i am expecting him to line up several divisions of the army, roll up mexico all the way to columbia and truck paratroopers. host: we will go to camille in new york. you are undecided? what'd you think of this debate tonight, given you are undecided? caller: i thought the moderators did a very good job, i thought they asked very relevant questions to issues that people have concerns about. i was not impressed with any answers from either side. i am a registered democrat, i did vote for president biden in the previous election during the democratic primaries in new york.

i ended in a blank slip because i have been unhappy with how biden has been running, i don't think i would ever vote for donald trump, i'm just really not sure what to do right now with what we are being given. host: what are you concerned about with the president? caller: foreign policy, i'm concerned about thstate of palestine and how things with israel are going, just concerns in general with roe v. wade being overturned, lgbtq rights, how things are going with education and things that have been passed in other states regarding religion in the schools, and i think that things are just a little bit scary right now. host: what should the president do to get your vote? >> i think you take a harder stance on a lot of the issues that i mentioned previously. host: do you think he should remain the nominee after tonight's debate? caller: to be totally honest, in

a perfect wood -- in a perfect world, i don't think you should. host: who should replace him at this point, june 20 7, 4 months away from the general election? caller: host: i don't host: have an answer. i don't know. camille in new york. more calls coming up. joining us from inside the spin room is the national politics reporter with the associated press. what is the headline tomorrow from masturbate? -- from this debate? it probably did not change a lot of americans minds. we often hear that coming into this. i would say coming into tonight, they would go to don't love donald trump who are feeling that way and voters who don't love joe biden are probably feeling that way. we are hearing different versions of who won, who lost,

and a lot of spin in the room behind me. it's the voters in the middle who have not decided what's going on for them when it comes to november 5. i still feel like they necessarily have a clear picture of what they are going to be doing after tonight. and they have a couple more months to decide, but the timeline is getting shorter and shorter. host: what questions are reporters asking those supporters for president biden? what are they asking of those supporters in the spin room tonight? >> there was one scrum with all of the biden surrogates, i was in it. over and over there were questions about how they felt about president biden's performance. where they confident in his performance and of gavin newsom, particularly, did he regret not running himself this cycle. there were not clear answers. of course he's a surrogate on behalf of the president so they will say something positive

about the performance they saw. but the questions that came up from reporters like me who were in the spin room, how do you really feel about this, are you sure, is this something that you feel good about as a supporter of the president's campaign? obviously these are folks who have been supporting president biden and are arguing that this is one debate and of course everyone is going to read into certain things that happened during it. they are all portraying that confidence, but i can tell you there are a lot of texts flying around from different democrats i am in touch -- in touch with in form or by an adjacent people i have worked with in the past two are expressing concern and said they did not like what they start tonight. i'm sure there are a lot of tough conversations happening on that side of things too. host: what are reporters in the room asking of those that are supporting the former president? what are they following up on

from tonight's debate? >> they are following up on some specifics. trump pivoted back to immigration. they are asking for clarity on if this is the issue for him and what he would continue to say about things that he portrayed as joe biden's failures along the u.s.-mexico border. but a lot of what we hear unprompted from the surrogates is, we feel great about how our guy did tonight. joe biden did not do that well. and of course we heard in the days leading up to tonight that from surrogates and the trump campaign portrayed this joe biden is a very seasoned debater and has been doing it for decades. kind of just saying that they were coming into this thinking that he would be a very tough opponent. then tonight we heard a very big flip from that of, this wasn't a great night for the democratic president, and we as trump supporters are feeling super

great. i heard the words, devastation being thrown around by some of the surrogates behind me. clearly, that's not my opinion, that's how it's being portrayed from the trump camp tonight. clearly, their mood was rather jubilant and there were a lot of them on the floor a long time before any of joe biden's surrogates showed out. the last time i checked they were out there after the surrogates left. host: where do these two candidates go next? >> the trump campaign tonight is having a different event with some purported to be on his vp shortlist. some of the names we have heard thrown around. potential running mates for the former president going into the republican convention that we will see next month. joe biden is heading up to north carolina, which is one of the states up for grabs when it comes to the general election. that's where he plans to be to meet with folks tonight. then we will see from there where the campaign schedule goes. host: friday, tomorrow, the

president will be in rally -- in raleigh,orth carolina at noon eastern me. we will have coverage on >> we will have li coverage in chesapea virginia on c-an 2, c-span now and c-span.org. what is the strategy to reach voters? >> it is a question of how do they get to folks who have not made up their minds. people have flip-flopped where they have had options in the past, but they need to highlight the contrast in these issues like the economy. immigration is a major concern.

the economy comes up first so what we have heard from advisors is the president will need to argue on how he has improved the economy and for donald trump, he was doing it tonight, trying to remind people how strong the administration was and any failures are because of joe biden and he would take it right back to where it was should he be president. we will hear a lot of messaging and voters in the middle is who they will have to reach. >> meg from the associated press, we thank you for your time. >> the conversation will continue tomorrow morning on the washington journal.