First Georgia Senate debate spotlights fight over Trump, Biden-era policies
It was debate night in Georgia, but President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden seemed to be on stage.Incumbent Democrat Sen.Jon Ossoff and Republican Mike Collins, a member of Congress, squared off Thursday in the first debate in this nationally consequential Senate race, with both trying to hit the other for policies implemented by the current and former president.Ossoff repeatedly asked why Collins supported tariffs that have been a key factor in the rise in consumer goods that have kept Trump’s approval ratings at historically low levels, a question Collins never directly answered.“Still have not heard an explanation for the tariffs,” Ossoff said after already asking about Trump’s tariff regime several times.Collins spent the hourlong debate, hosted by Atlanta First News, not directly answering questions about the unpopular war in Iran or Trump’s economy, but rather trying to saddle Ossoff with votes he took under Biden to make the case that the former president is the reason for the current state of inflation and high prices.“That Bidenomics, that Green New Deal my opponent voted for, that’s where this inflation came from,” Collins said.The debate was broken up into four segments, but each was dominated in some form by the economy and consumer prices, issues that an NBC News poll showed are the most important issues on voters’ minds in the lead-up to Election Day.Collins voted to support the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump’s biggest legislative achievement of his second term.
The bill included provisions including no taxes on tips for hospitality workers and Social Security, regular midterm talking points for Republicans.But Democrats have consistently highlighted how the sweeping tax proposal disproportionately benefits the wealthy, and increased the federal deficit by $1.4 trillion.“Tax cuts are the answer to keeping more money in people’s pockets,” Collins said.
“That creates…more tax-paying people, and busin...