28 Jun 2024

US presidential debate recap: Joe Biden and Donald Trump go head to head

3:02 pm on 28 June 2024
US President Joe Biden and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections at CNN's studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on 27 June, 2024.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Photo: AFP / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

Joe Biden and Donald Trump met in a tightly controlled television debate in their fight to be the next US president.

Neither acknowledged the other as they arrived on stage.

The debate had been without the interuptions and interjections of the last campaign, when ugly shouting matches broke out.

Rules were in place this time to prevent that, and both men know their microphones were off when it was not their turn to speak.

The topics included the economy, the Covid pandemic, abortion rights and immigration.

The debate has ended.

Here's a recap of the debate:

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs