The First Presidential Debate - Part 1

Thursday was the night that Joe Biden and Donald Trump went head-to-head against each other in the first presidential debate of 2024. Listen back to Dan Rea doing post-debate analysis and hearing your reaction to what transpired during the debate!


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Episode Transcript

(00:02):
This is Dan Ray, the hostof Nightside. I hope you enjoy listening
to the Nightside podcasts here at theNightside website, and I invite you to
join us every Monday through Friday nightfrom eight to midnight live for Nightside and
WBZ News Radio ten thirty. Well, you have Dan Ray, and Dan
Ray has all of you. Soif you are listening and you listen to

(00:22):
the to the debate, I wantyour analysis. As I said earlier tonight,
this is calling on political analysts.I'm telling you I listened to this
debate carefully. I'm sure all ofyou did as well. I gotta tell
you there were two things that struckme. One, Joe Biden does not

(00:46):
have dementia. I think he hasa problem putting sentences and paragraphs together,
but I don't think under any circumstanceshe has dementia. I also say the
Donald Trump kept himself under control tonight. I don't know how his advisors accomplished

(01:11):
that, but they did. Uh. First of all, let me give
some kudos kudos to both the JakeTapper and to Dana Bash. They asked
questions. I felt the questions werefair, I felt they were balanced.
You may disagree. If you do, feel free tell me why. Joe
Biden made several factual mistakes. Hetalked about this country having one thousand trillionaires,

(01:37):
I mean billion whatever. He justhe I had one text from a
friend of mine who says, I'mgoing to read it to you. This
is not my words. I'm notgoing to tell you what that person's name
is. But he said, youlistening to this, that he sent this

(02:05):
at nine point thirty, You listeningto this feel bad for Biden, embarrassing
and just received the text from someoneelse. I have only one question.
Did Biden get scanned for some sortof secret hearing device before he stepped on
stage. I don't think so.I'm not sure if that text indicates that

(02:28):
they felt he was confused. Trumpputs sentence together. I have no idea
what the analysts are going to sayon NBCCBS, ABC or CNN or Fox.
Okay, I want to hear whatyou say. I will tell you
in my opinion. In my opinion, Trump made several mistakes tonight, He

(02:51):
continued, The one thing he can'tget out of his craw is the twenty
twenty election. And there were sometimes, some moments when I thought we
had been moved in a time machineback to twenty and back to twenty twenty.
Other than that, I thought Trumphad a really good debate. Some
of you will be surprised to hearme say that it wasn't perfect, but

(03:15):
compared to the performance of Joe Biden, I have to say Trump won this
debate. Biden at one point accusedTrump of having I think he said fifty
percent unemployment. That was in therelations to the question that Dana Bash asked,
have you failed Black Americans? Letme just go through the questions.

(03:38):
Jake Tapper started off with a questionto Biden, to President Biden about inflation.
I don't think the president handled thatvery well, he asked. Jake
Tapper asked our former president Trump aboutnew debt and tax cuts and what would
that mean. I think that Trumppresident, former President Trump handled that pretty

(04:01):
well. That is where in responsePresident Biden referred to a thousand trillionaires and
then he corrected himself. Dana Bashasked Donald Trump about abortions and his policies
and abortions. Uh and Joe Biden, Uh, you know, defended civil

(04:23):
use Roe versus Wade. Trump saidhe does believe in exceptions rape incests,
life of the mother after birth.But he very quickly was and and pretty
deptly turned it to immigration before hethen brought it back to abortion. Jake

(04:45):
Tapper talked about immigration and border security. You've probably heard those. Dana Bash
asked about Russia's war with Ukraine.That's a fair question. Dana Bash asked
about the Middle East. Jake Tappertalked about January sixth. They had a
break at ten fifteen. They hitall the topics that there was not a

(05:10):
surprise topic. Dana Bash asked bothcandidates whether they had failed black Americans.
Dana Bash asked about the climate crisis. At one point there, former President
Trump was able to remind people thatJoe Biden had called had used the phrase

(05:31):
super predators when he was a toughon crime back in the nineteen nineties.
Jake Tapper asked about security security,and he asked about the cost of childcare.
There was a question from Jake Tapperabout the opioid epidemic. Dana Bash
asked about their age and asked whetherthey would accept the results of the elections.

(05:54):
I didn't see the end. Idon't believe that after this very personal
debate. I don't believe that theyshook hands, and I think that I
guess I was a little optimistic onthat we're going to take a break.
The only line we have opened oneline six, one seven. I want
to know who won, who lost, and why you're Your points of view

(06:19):
are the ones that are most importantto me. I don't particularly care what
the Democratic consultants are going to saythat Biden won. I don't care that
the Republican consultants are going to saythat Trump won. Let's see what the
polls look like. A few daysfrom now. We'll take a break.
My name is Dan Ray. Thisis Night's side. You have listened to
the debate. I want to hearfrom you. We'll be back right after

(06:41):
this. Now back to Dan Rayline from the Window World night Sight Studios
on WBZ News Radio. During thatcommercial break, I watched the panel of
experts on CNN call the debate,and from what I saw, every every
one of the panel of experts onCNN said it was in effect a disastrous

(07:05):
night for Joe Biden. There wereyou know, Van Jones who basically said
he loves Joe Biden. He istalking about the Democrats trying to find someone
to be the head of the ticket. And I'm stunned that the analysts on

(07:28):
CNN are that candid and that honest, included Kate Beddington, a former communications
director at the Whitehouse. They seeit worse than I do. I was
trying to give Joe Biden the benefitof the doubt. CNN is more critical
of this than than I ever couldhave imagined this was. If CNN is

(07:49):
that critical, this was a disastrousnight for Joe Biden. Matt and Floridi
going to start us off, Matt, Wow, yeah, yeah, I'll
be quick. I just I wasembarrassed a second Biden walked out with Dan.
I mean it was I felt badfor the guy, honestly. I'm
not just saying that. It's likeelder abuse and it's really embarrassing that you
know, his wife is still pushinghim to go out there, and it's

(08:11):
I was embarrassed, honestly. ObviouslyTrump dominated the whole night, But my
only takeaway was just that, andactually the other takeaway I have two takeaways.
Have a takeaway was I agree withyou, Dana Dash and uh,
that pretentious guy I don't even wantto say his name, I just called
him better than everybody. I've neverseen another guy after pretensions in my life.

(08:33):
You open up the dictionary, that'sgot his face right there. But
how did Bash And I think theywere more than fair, honest, thank
you, And I think they onlydid that was to try to get Biden
out of there. This guy,it's not I mean, he was looking
in a space. He's looking leftand right, you know where he was.

(08:56):
It was embarrassing and that's all Igot. So I think, thanks
very much, Matt. Directing tothe point, we will keep going here.
Let's go from Matt in Florida toanother Matt in Boston. Matt in
Boston, you're next door nightside,Hey man, Hewy, you don do
we're find sir? What's your what'syour take? You know, look,

(09:18):
I like the last caller. Youknow, you have to have some sympathy
on some level for how Biden looked. He was lost throughout the whole thing.
He was not able to answer anyquestions. But one thing I want
to point out is that having seenall of Trump's debate since twenty fifteen,
Trump actually composed himself very well.In my opinion, I think he was

(09:41):
not interruptive. I think he wascalm. I think at times you could
see him take deep breaths to closehis eyes. Yeah, but I think
that was sile to see spile shakehis head. Also, I was I
was stunned, and well, Ishouldn't say sad. I was surprised that
Joe Biden in an effort. Ithink what his his age told him was

(10:03):
to try to get under Trump's skin. And he kept calling Trump, You're
a liar, You're a liar,You're a liar. Normally someone's head would
explode and they would but Trump heldit together tonight on a night and basically
on a night when Joe Biden.Joe Biden does not have dementia, Okay,

(10:24):
And I know some people will say, no, I do not believe
he has dementia. I'm not adoctor. I don't think he has dementia.
He did, I thought very wellfor an eighty one year old who
obviously is failing. And I agreehe didn't have the answers. I mean,
and even at the end, youknow, on on some of the

(10:45):
subjects with you know Israel, onyou know, Nato, on some of
the subjects where he mentioned when hegot very angry about his son Bo Biden,
who you know, who was veryrespectful men, but he was,
you know, very tough yelling atTrump about that. And Trump kept his
composure and Trump in the end,I think one of the biggest things was,

(11:07):
and I'll ended on this, Trumpsaid I will accept the winner as
long as the election is fair andnormal. That's not a change on that.
That that that is what Trump hassaid for But again that's the big
caveat who decides if the election isfair. I mean, that's that's well,
let you say that. That's that'sthat's a little bit of the Caveat
one final point, I was sortof pulling my notes together here for U

(11:33):
for coming back live. I don'tthink President Biden came close to the two
minutes that he was granted at theend his his closing remarks seemed to be
scattered and uh and in less thantwo minutes if somebody had a stopwatch,
and how long he was he spokewhen he was given two minutes at the
end of Trump got the final closingstatement. Uh, Biden had the penultimate,

(11:56):
the first closing statement, the penultimate'sclosing statement. I don't think he
filled his two minutes. I don'twant to see an entreated that fair.
I will say, you want totake credit, great credit tonight, big
credit, Thanks Matt. I loveto call. I'm gonna keep rolling here
and we're gonna do this all theway till midnight. Wayne and Brockden Wayne

(12:18):
next on nights. I go rightahead, Damn. I just wanted to
call to tell you that, youknow, when Biden first started speaking,
you could see it was probably probablyanxiety, but it's like you had to
take a breath after like every threewords. And then I just I felt

(12:39):
like everyone else, just I feltbad for him. But Trump was Trump
and Biden was Biden. And Ithought Trump bing bing bing everything was right
on the point. He didn't stammeror stutter. Yeah, I mean Trump,
Trump had his moments where you werewith the sentence. It didn't quite
work. But look, I thoughtthat when Biden walked on stage, he

(13:05):
was introduced first. I thought,which is kind of interesting, because I
would think that he would be introducedsecond as the current president. I thought
he looked horrible. My immediate responsewas who did his makeup? I mean
both the whole time, though,you know, you and I and probably
most people listening to this program area little more in tune with politics,

(13:28):
with the demeanor of each candidate.Put yourself in the position of my daughter.
She's forty years old, doesn't followpolitics, will ask me from time
to time about X, Y andZ. But just put yourself in their
position about someone who really doesn't knoweither one of these guys, and they're

(13:48):
just watching that. Just you know, Joby and Joe and Trump, Be
and Trump, and I got tosay that Trump just nailed it. I
feel bad for Biden. He's toast. He's gone. He should not be.
I'm looking at a cutaway shots ofDavid Axelrod right now. It looks
as if he's at the funeral ofa dear to be Wayne. I'm gonna

(14:13):
try to get one more in herebefore the break. Thank you, val
Soon let me go to next.We're gonna keep going all the way to
midnight, folks. Jim and Brockton, Jim, you're next time NIGHTSAC go
right ahead, Hi, Dan,I listened to you for a long time.
This is my first time calling Welllive it. Let's give you a
run of the plot from my digitalstudio. Audience ahead, Jim, Well,

(14:35):
thank you, my Dad loved you. He died a year ago and
he was a marine and he thoughtyou were the greatest thing honor earth.
Well that is that's the highest honorthat I could receive from you, Dad.
And I really mean that seriously.I'm honored. I wish I had
a chance to have known him.It was a ninety seventh. He was
a great man, Joe Biden.I was waiting for him to say pants

(15:01):
on fire. And when he saidLiah Liah, he said it so often,
yes, that he didn't know whetherhe was coming and going. And
Donald Trump looks so presidential. Itwas the difference between the two of them.
Yeah, well it's going to beinteresting to see. I must tell
you this. I'm surprised CNN andthey they have just basically are in the

(15:30):
process right now of conducting his politicalfuneral. I mean, when when Van
Jones was done purpose, I thinkit was done on purpose. How can
we get rid of Joe? Let'ssee it ed host them. Well,
okay, I hadn't thought of itlike that. But Trump came out and

(15:52):
Trump maintained his control. I meanit was it was look, he still
showed his fire. But there wasa couple of times when Biden interrupted him
more than then then he tried tointerrupt Biden. Uh wow, Jim,
thank you for that compliment. AndGod bless your dad. I'm sure he's

(16:15):
looking down on us tonight and smile. And you got to come back more,
out, come back more. Allright, Green always a marine,
Thanks Jim, thank you so much. All right, the only line sixty
will get to everybody. We'll getto as many people as possible. Uh.
If you see see it a differentway, let us know. We'll
be back on night side right afterthe eleven