'He Is A Manchurian Candidate': Trump's China Jibe At Biden In First, Fiery US Presidential Debate

Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump on Thursday accused US President Joe Biden of taking money from China and called him a “Manchurian candidate" during a heated Presidential debate in the city of Atlanta.

During the first debate of the 2024 election cycle at CNN’s headquarters, Trump claimed Biden is afraid to deal with China because he “gets money from them." “We now have the largest deficit in the history of our country. We have the largest deficit with China. He gets paid by China. He’s a Manchurian candidate. He gets money from China," Trump said.

Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, did not shake hands as they stood at podiums at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta with no live audience and with their microphones muted as the other spoke. Biden opened with a rapid-fire critique of his predecessor and stumbled several times, with Trump quickly seizing on his phrasing.

On Ukraine War

Trump laid the blame for the Ukraine war at Biden’s feet, insisting that the invasion never would have happened “if we had a leader." “This is a war that never should have started. If we had a leader in this war… He’s given $200 billion now or more to Ukraine, he’s given $200 billion. That’s a lot of money. I don’t think there’s ever been anything like it," Trump said.

The unprecedented face-off between a current and former president was taking place far earlier than usual in the election cycle, an opening campaign salvo in a deeply polarized United States.

Israel-Palestine

Trump also accused Biden of siding with Palestinians in the brutal Gaza conflict for allegedly refusing to help Israel “finish the job" in the war against Hamas. “He doesn’t want to do it. He’s become like a Palestinian — but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian, he’s a weak one," Trump said.

Biden and Trump clashed on their records on the economy, abortion and immigration at a debate with enormous stakes as each candidate seeks an advantage in their tight race for the White House. Biden, asked about stubborn inflation, said: “We got to take a look at what I was left when I became president, what Mr. Trump left me."

“We had an economy that was in free fall. The pandemic was so badly handled, many people were dying. All he said was not that serious — just inject a little bleach in your arm," he said, referring to Trump’s advice during the Covid pandemic.

Trump, his voice notably stronger than Biden’s, said that he led “the greatest economy in the history of our country." “We have never done so well. Everybody was amazed by other countries were copying us," he said. Biden shot back: “Well, look, the greatest economy in the world? He’s the only one who thinks that."

(With agency inputs)