Kayla Epstein
Reporting from the debate in Atlanta

Trump was asked - more than once - whether he would accept the results of this election after he repeated election fraud falsehoods in 2020.

A question about Trump's refusal to accept the 2020 election results has special significance here in Georgia. Trump and his allies are accused of trying to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the state, allegedly going so far as to call the Secretary of State and ask him to "find" the votes necessary to defeat Biden.

In fact, the courthouse where Trump was indicted for allegedly conspiring to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results is just a short drive away from the venue where the debate is being held.

Trump says if the election is "fair" and "legal" then he would "absolutely" accept the results.

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from the debate in Atlanta

One of the questions many American voters are asking is about both candidates' ages.

When asked about this during the debate, Biden, who is 81, briefly mentioned that for the first half of his career, he was one of the youngest politicians elected to the US Senate. He then veered into his economic record, including his administration's efforts to produce more semiconductor computer chips through a deal struck with South Korea.

It's typical for a politician to answer the question they want instead of the one they're asked, but Biden has been dogged by concerns about whether he's up for another four years (he would be 86 years old at the end of a second term).

The debate was a chance to provide a clear and sharp answer on why his age is an asset and not a vulnerability to millions of voters tuning in, and unfortunately, it was an opportunity missed.

Ana Faguy
US Reporter

Throughout the debate, BBC News was texting voters across the country to hear what they think.

Here's what one Florida voter told us:

Image source, Reuters

The two candidates have just wrapped up the CNN Presidential Debate after about one hour and 40 minutes.

If you missed it, let's recap the evening's event

• Both candidates have accused the other of lying on topics ranging from veteran's affairs and the border to the state of the US economy and inflation.
• Trump repeatedly attacked Biden on his handling of the economy and his foreign policy record, as well as immigration and border crossings.
• Biden, for his part, took aim at Trump's recent criminal convictions and what he says is a threat to democracy.
• Biden, at times, seemed to lose his train of thought and stumbled at various points, causing what some observers are calling a "panic" in the Democratic Party and Biden-Harris campaign.
• In fundraising emails, Trump claimed victory in tonight's debate, even as fact-checkers questioned many of his claims.

In his closing remarks minutes ago, Trump started off by calling Biden "a complainer" who has made the US unsafe and who has worsened the country's reputation on the international stage.

He also claimed that Biden's policies on Iran allowed Hamas to carry out their attacks against Israel, and that "Ukraine should have never happened."

"For three and a half years, we've been living in hell," Trump says of Biden's time as president.

He brought up the series of pro-Palestinian protests in the US since the Israel-Gaza war erupted on 7 October, saying to Biden that "the whole country is exploding because of you, because they don't respect you."

Trump then defended his track record on jobs, the economy and healthcare.

"We're a failing nation, but it's not going to be failing anymore. We're going to make it great again," he concluded.

Katty Kay
US special correspondent

The format for this debate worked much better for the American public. The two candidates couldn’t and didn’t talk over each other. We got to hear them clearly.

But there was no effort from the moderators to fact check the many things that weren’t true. And it was a bad night for Joe Biden.

Many of his answers were not coherent, he looked old, and his open mouth when he wasn’t talking has got a lot of unflattering attention.

Biden had a better second half and found some energy, but it was too late. Donald Trump “won” this debate. But will it help him win the election?

The CNN Presidential Debate has now ended.

Stick with us as we bring you all the reactions and analysis from the last hour and a half.

Image source, Reuters

With the ad break over, Biden has been given two minutes for closing statements.

He focuses on the policy changes he says he plans to bring to the American people.

He talks about his efforts to reduce the price of Insulin and pledges to help families get childcare at a reasonable price.

He also pledges to bring down inflation, a key issue for many Americans.

He says he also wants to keep taxes down for everyday Americans - and claims Trump will raise them.

Madeline Halpert
US Reporter

According to one expert, it doesn't seem to be going incredibly well for either candidate.

Corwin Smidt, a political science professor at Michigan State University, tells me Biden showed "a lot of weaknesses" and not many strengths.

For one, he says, the visuals, voice, and pace of Biden's responses have made his arguments hard to follow.

"There have been more factual replies and points provided by President Biden, but they get quickly forgotten or obscured by the delivery," Smidt says, adding that some of Biden's attacks on Trump's character have stuck.

Trump's performance, meanwhile, did not show many strengths, but he's displayed fewer weaknesses, the professor says.

"His answers have not been strong in response to the questions asked, but they are touching on concerns and issues his voters care about," Smidt says. "His supporters will see him as the same candidate he was 4 years ago."

Image source, Reuters

Before the ad break, in reference to Trump's claims about the 2020 election - which he still claims he won - Biden said Trump was a "whiner" who appealed to courts across the US.

"Not one single court in America said any of your claims had any merit, state or local, none," he says. "But you continue to promote this lie."

Biden also says he doubts Trump will accept the results of the 2024 election.

"You can't stand a loss. Something snapped in you when you lost the last time."

Fact check: Biden claims 40% fewer crossing border illegallypublished at 03:34 British Summer Time 28 June

03:34 BST 28 June

Image source, .

Biden says: "I've changed it in a way that now you're in a situation where there are 40% fewer people coming across the border illegally, it's better than when he left office."

Since Biden introduced regulations in early June restricting the right for those crossing the border to claim asylum, daily illegal border crossings have averaged roughly 2,000, according to internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by the BBC’s news partner CBS News. That’s a 47% drop from the 3,800 daily average, external in May.

In 2019, during the Trump administration, illegal border crossings peaked at 4,300, external. But there were months during the Covid pandemic when illegal border crossings averaged fewer than 2,000.

Since February 2021, the US Customs and Border Protection, external agency says there have been 9.6m encounters by enforcement officers (with those having crossed the southern border). This doesn’t mean that number entered the US, as some of these will have been the same person multiple times. Others will have been turned back or deported.

Before the ad break, Trump took aim at Biden's foreign and military policies, saying that "we are closer to World War III than anybody can imagine."

He said that foreign dictators, like Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Xi Jingping of China, don't respect or fear him.

Biden responded by bringing up Nato's Article 5, which is evoked once a Nato member nation is attacked.

"Right now we're needed," Biden says. "We're needed to protect the world because our own safety is at stake."

He adds that the alternative - allowing Putin to carry out his attack on Kyiv without resistance - is what will bring about a war.

Ana Faguy
US reporter

Throughout the debate, BBC News has been texting voters across the country to hear what they think.

Here's what one Missouri voter told us:

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Atlanta

The debate has now gone to an ad break.

About 90 minutes into the debate and the attention of some attendees at the Young Atlanta Republican watch party is beginning to fade.

Scrolling through Instagram was Ashley S, who preferred not to share her last name.

"I'm not bored to death, but I'm not paying that much attention either," she told me.

Ashley said she's a registered Republican but considers herself "pretty moderate".

"Trump was talking about abortion earlier and that's kind of like a grey area for me."

Image source, Reuters

CNN moderators have pressed Trump twice to answer whether he will respect the results of the 2024 election regardless of who wins.

He has ignored the question repeatedly, turning instead to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Dana Bash asks him one more time.

"If it's a fair and legal and good election, absolutely," he says, before repeating unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud swayed the 2020 election result.

In a more comical moment, the debate has turned into a competition over golf games.

Biden and Trump are comparing athletic records.

Trump teases that Biden couldn't hit a ball 50 yards, and Biden is quick to respond.

"I got my handicap ... down to a six," Biden says. "I told him I'd be happy to play golf if he carries his own bag."

Biden has been asked about his age, and the fact that he will be 86 at the end of a second term - he is, after all, the oldest president ever to be inaugurated.

The president begins by saying that he was often criticised for being one of the youngest US lawmakers, and that Trump is "three years younger and a lot less competent".

"Look at the record. Look at how I turned around the terrible situation he left me," he adds, before listing off some of his accomplishments.

Asked about his own age - he's 78 now and would be 82 at the end of a second term - Trump says he "aced" two cognitive tests, before insulting Biden.

"We knock on wood, wherever we have wood, I'm in very good health," he says, before pivoting to what he believes is a strong golf game.

"He doesn't do it. He can't hit a ball 50 yards," Trump says. "I feel as in good a shape as I was 25, 30 years ago. In fact, I'm a little bit lighter."

Trump and Biden are asked about the opioid crisis in the US, and what they plan to do to help Americans struggling with addiction given that overdose deaths went up under both their terms.

Trump responds that the US was doing "very well on addiction" until Covid came along, when he says drugs entering through the border started to increase.

He then takes aim once again at Biden's border policies.

Biden, for his part, says that his administration has tried to bolster the ability to detect drugs, including fentanyl, at the border.

He adds he has been working with countries in Asia, where precursors for fentanyl are manufactured, as well as Mexico in order to tackle the crisis.

Trump has just brought up Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia while doing his job as a journalist.

Trump claims Biden has not done enough to free him. Trump says he will free him before he even takes office if he wins the presidency.

"As soon as I win the election, I will have that reporter out," Trump says.

Image source, Reuters

Fact check: Trump claims Biden willing to 'rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month'published at 03:19 British Summer Time 28 June

03:19 BST 28 June

Earlier in the debate, Biden said he will restore Roe v. Wade if elected to another term. When asked if he supports legal limits on how late a woman should be able to terminate a pregnancy, the president pointed to his support for the framework in the Roe decision.

Trump responded: "So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth" and added "he's willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month and kill the baby."

Roe v. Wade's framework states during the second trimester, the state may regulate abortion only to protect the health of the woman. During the third trimester, the state may regulate or prohibit abortion to promote the interest of the fetus, except when it is necessary to preserve the woman's life or health.

Trump is against Roe v Wade - a court decision dating back to the 1970s which protected the right to an abortion until the fetus becomes viable outside of the womb (after about 24 weeks).

This ruling was repealed in 2022 by the US Supreme Court, which included three Trump-appointed justices.

Killing a newborn is illegal in every US state, and no state is attempting to pass a law which would change that.

Less than 1% of abortions in the US happen from 28 weeks onwards, according to data from the CDC., external

And 93.5% of abortions happen in the first trimester, so before 13 weeks.