Former US President Donald Trump refused to state unconditionally that he would recognize the results of the US presidential elections , reported the world agencies quoted by BTA.
The presidential candidate of the Republican Party avoided the answer by saying "If the elections are fair and just, certainly", notes France Press. In response to an additional question, he emphasized that any political violence is "completely unacceptable". In response, Biden expressed doubt that his rival would recognize the results.
During the debate, Biden also emphasized that almost none of Trump's former cabinet members, including former Vice President Mike Pence, supported his candidacy, Reuters noted. "They know him well, they have worked with him," reminded the acting president. "Why don't they support him?"
The debate, in which both men traded personal attacks, came at a key moment in their campaigns. Biden's lackluster performance risked fueling voters' fears that, at 81, he is too old to serve as president, and Trump, 78,'s argumentative manner may have been an unwelcome reminder of the bombastic remarks he made on a daily basis. during his tumultuous four years in office, notes the Associated Press.
Biden reminded voters that the ex-president is "only three years younger". Trump, in turn, challenged him to take a cognitive ability test and boasted that he passed two of them.
Both accused each other of being "the worst president in US history". Biden recalled twice that 159 or 158 presidential historians have named Donald Trump as the worst president in US history. He admitted that he did not remember their exact number, but he was right and it was not far from the truth, notes AP. The survey in question, a project by professors at an American university, had received 154 eligible responses from 525 respondents invited to participate.
Regarding the climate, Trump said that when he was president, the US had "absolutely clean water" and air. Joe Biden, for his part, said that his opponent "didn't do anything" for the environment. Climate change is not an area where Americans think Trump has done particularly well as president, and Biden has a slight edge, the AP notes. The ex-president defended his decision to withdraw Washington from the Paris climate agreement, DPA notes. "I ended it because I didn't want to lose that money because they are treating us terribly," he stressed.
For his part, Biden said that the US will only be able to fight climate change as a party to the agreement. The current president also criticized Trump regarding NATO, accusing him of wanting to take the US out of the alliance.
Trump boasted that he had pressured European allies to spend more money on defense, to which Biden responded strongly with "He has no idea what he is talking about". About 6 in 10 Americans think NATO membership is a very or somewhat good thing for the U.S., while about a quarter say it is neither good nor bad, and only about 1 in 10 say it is a very or somewhat bad thing. according to an AP and NORC survey conducted in February.
Questions during the debate turned to foreign policy, starting with Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its third year. Trump said Russia would never have attacked Ukraine if he were in office and blamed Biden for the crisis. "If we had a real president, a president who knows he is respected by Putin, he would never have invaded Ukraine,", Trump said.