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Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A year ago today: The Biden-Trump debate rematch that changed the election
June 27, 2025, marks a year since President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in a presidential debate that would definitively change the race. The highly anticipated rematch occurred much earlier in the election than previous debates, as both candidates were all but certain to become their party's nominees. Usually, the debates are hosted throughout October by the Commission on Presidential Debates. But after some social media goading, the two candidates opted two debates, the first on June 27, 2024. What happened shocked the country. Biden's performance prompted a groundswell of questions about his mental acuity, questions that are still being asked today. Then, on July 21, Biden announced he was ending his re-election campaign and endorsing former Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. The Democrats backed her swiftly, but it wasn't enough to defeat Trump in the November election. Here is a look back at some of the most viral moments in the debate that upended the 2024 presidential election. More: Trump stumbles up the stairs to Air Force One, stoking memory of Biden tripping video In a moment everyone has heard about, the presidential candidates were derailed by a back-and-forth over golf and whose game is better. In a conversation about competency at an older age, Trump responded by bragging about the alleged cognitive tests he's passed and his golf game, saying he'd recently won two club championships. 'He challenged me to a golf match,' Trump said of Biden. 'He can't hit a ball 50 yards.' 'I'd be happy to have a driving contest with him," Biden responded, saying he had accomplished a handicap of six during his vice presidency. 'I'm happy to play golf with you if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?' 'That's the biggest lie, that he's a six handicap, of all,' Trump shot back. Biden then accused Trump of having a handicap of eight, to which the former president responded. 'I've seen your swing. I know your swing.' The exchange ended with both men accusing the other of acting childish. Social media quickly took to what is being called the "Biden freeze," making several posts and memes about the president stumbling on his words. The big "freeze moment" came when Biden was discussing healthcare, the economy and the high debt levels under Trump's administration. He mentioned increasing taxes on billionaires but his response then became briefly meandering, concluding with 'if we finally beat Medicare" after a pause. Concerns over the ages of the candidates have been a major talking point this election season − whether their answers during the debate assuaged or intensified these concerns is up to the viewer, but they were asked about their cognitive abilities head-on. "I spent half my career being criticized for being the youngest person in politics," Biden said, referring to his election to the U.S. Senate at age 30, "Now I'm the oldest. This guy is three years younger and a lot less competent." "I took two tests, cognitive tests, I aced them, both of them, as you know," Trump responded. "I'd like to see him take on, just one, a real easy one, like go through the first five questions, you couldn't do it," he said of Biden. During an exchange in which Trump and Biden each accused the other of failing veterans, Trump claimed that veterans and soldiers "can't stand this guy" about Biden. "And they like me more than just about any of them," he said. Biden shot back by referring to his own late son, Joseph "Beau" Biden, who served in the Army National Guard as a major and deployed to Iraq before dying of brain cancer in 2015 at 46 years old. He also referred to an Atlantic report from 2020 in which anonymous sources said Trump had called soldiers that died in battles "suckers and losers." Trump has denied this report since its release, though other news outlets have corroborated it. "I went to the WWI cemetery he refused to go to," Biden said, referring to Trump. "He was standing with his four-star general and he told me 'I don't want to go in there because they're a bunch of losers and suckers.' My son was not a loser, he was not a sucker, you're the sucker, you're the loser." Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@ Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This day last year: Biden, Trump faced off in a consequential debate


Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Kamala Harris cursed out Anderson Cooper to colleagues after brutal post-Biden debate interview, book claims
Former Vice President Kamala Harris had some nasty things to say about CNN anchor Anderson Cooper after their 2024 interview, according to a new book. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson's new book, "Original Sin," claimed that the former vice president called Cooper a "motherf-----" to her colleagues last summer following a tense interview the two had over former President Biden's debate with then-GOP candidate Donald Trump. "This motherf----- doesn't treat me like the damn vice president of the United States, she said to colleagues," the excerpt read. Harris allegedly added, "I thought we were better than that." The account from Tapper and Thompson's book provided details about Harris' mood following the June interview where he grilled her over her boss' dismal performance in his debate with Trump. During the conversation, Cooper did not hold back, telling her there were Democratic lawmakers who lamented Biden's performance. "One said it was a disaster and another called it a trainwreck. Those are Democrats especially worried that Biden did not punch back on Trump's lies," he said. She responded, "People can debate on style points, but ultimately, this election and who is the president of the United States has to be about substance." The anchor cut her off with another question, asking, "You debated against then-Vice President Biden four years ago, and he was a very different person on the stage four years ago when you debated him. That's certainly true, is it not?" She dismissed Cooper's insinuation that Biden's mental decline was on display for the world to see at the debate, responding, "I got the point that you're making about a one-and-a-half hour debate tonight," Harris said. "I'm talking about three-and-a-half years of performance in work that has been historic." Harris appeared visibly frustrated with Cooper's line of questioning. When asked if the man on the debate stage was the same person she'd been working with in the White House, she snapped, "I'm not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I've been watching the last three-and-a-half years of performance." Tapper and Thompson's book appeared to corroborate Harris' anger towards Cooper that night. They wrote, "After the interview, Harris was visibly angry with Cooper. He had been asking the questions the nation had been wondering, but she took it personally." Reps for Harris did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital for comment.