ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta was home in 2024 to the moment when America’s already historic presidential election took on an entirely different dimension, one that dramatically changed the nation’s political course for years, or perhaps decades, to come.
On June 27, President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, met on a CNN stage in Midtown Atlanta near Georgia Tech for their one and only scheduled debate, broadcast on national TV.
Biden’s halting debate performance shocked his Democratic Party’s supporters to their core, and eventually led to his decision to end his reelection bid. That cleared the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to secure the Democrat nomination for president in a matter of days, fast tracking her to an electoral showdown with the nation’s 45th president.
On Nov. 5, 2024, Trump handed Harris and the Democratic Party a solid, overwhelming defeat when he carried Georgia and every other battleground state. At ge 78, Trump – now the first-ever convicted felon to win the White House, and the first ex-president since Grover Cleveland in the 19th century to win non-consecutive terms to the Oval Office – is also the oldest man ever elected president.
Full coverage of the Trump-Biden debate from Atlanta News First
Atlanta and Georgia played a critical role in Trump’s political comeback, unprecedented in American history. But the Peach State and its capital city also featured other major political headlines in 2024, and Atlanta News First covered them extensively throughout the year.
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