What you didn’t see on TV from inside – and outside – the Atlanta showdown

ATLANTA — The debate between President Biden and former President Donald Trump Thursday night’s debate was watched and broadcast by millions on CNN, on television and online. But there was much more that viewers didn’t see, like the unprecedented security outside the debate chamber, Trump spokespeople crowding the debate hall, Robert Kennedy Jr. fans handing out lemonade on the sidewalk and curious Georgia Tech students playing beer pong while watching waves of media pour into a basketball arena that served as a filing center for hundreds of credentialed journalists.

Here are four things you haven’t seen on TV from inside – and outside – the debate room.

Security was very tight around the debate

There had never been a debate between a sitting president and a former president before Thursday, and the security surrounding the debate was proof of that. A giant steel barricade blocked the street between the debate hall and the so-called spin room, which was located on the level of McCamish Pavilion, an 1,800-seat basketball arena on the Georgia Tech campus.

There was only one entrance for accredited journalists, who were tracked down and asked to pass through metal detectors.

That studio itself, across the street with the barriers, was empty except for the two candidates, co-moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, and a handful of cameramen and still photographers, making it the first presidential debate without an in-person audience since 1960, when the first televised presidential debate aired.

So the hundreds of journalists who traveled to Atlanta watched the debate live on dozens of flat screens scattered around the McCamish Pavilion and on the jumbotron above the “spin room,” which remained almost empty during the 90 minutes of the debate.

This included the White House’s traveling press pool, which was not allowed into the debate room.

Trump campaign spokespeople flood ‘chat room’

Moments after the debate ended, Trump spokespeople — many of them, in fact — were present in the CNN chat room. And they were in a very good mood.

Among them: Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Representatives Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz of Florida, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, l Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump campaign advisers Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie and Stephen Miller, each fanned out across the McCamish Pavilion, questioning – like some Democrats – whether President Biden is fit for office .

“As president of the United States, you have to adapt, you are faced with many situations at any time,” Lara Trump said. “If he had a cold, maybe that’s what they would tell people.” But I don’t think the cold is the problem. »

“Joe Biden was lost on several issues,” Donalds said. “They kept asking, I think the moderators asked him several times, ‘You have 89 seconds left, you have 34 seconds left, President Biden. Do you want to add anything to your answer?’ We can’t have that in our country.”

“I think anyone who loves the United States of America today recognizes that having this man charged with defending the United States of America is a threat to national security,” Ramaswamy said. “It’s not just funny anymore. It’s dangerous. »

When Biden surrogates, including Sen. Raphael Warnock and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, arrived about 20 minutes later, they were swarmed by reporters and camera crews. The melee was too deep for this reporter to hear their turns.

RFK Jr. fans set up a lemonade stand outside the debate in protest

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. didn’t qualify for Thursday night’s debate. But on the streets surrounding the debate site, his fans were out in force. One of them, Kyle Kemper, a Canadian who now lives in Florida, showed up in a large RV with his family. (It’s the first stop on what Kemper said will be a summer tour that includes stops at the Democratic and Republican national conventions as well as former President Donald Trump’s sentencing hearing in New York next month.)

Another set up a lemonade stand and handed out free lemonade along with fliers promoting counterprogramming from Kennedy’s live debate.

It should be noted that the lemonade was organic from Trader Joe’s and was delicious.

And RFK Jr. won at least one debate-related contest: the battle of the street signs outside the arena.

Fraternity students watch debate and play beer pong

Media check-in for the debate took place across the street from Georgia Tech’s fraternity row, and some curious Phi Gamma Delta students were already on the lawn as reporters collected their credentials.

Brandon, 20, Caleb, 22, and Michael, 21, said they plan to host a debate night at the fraternity house, with some beers, of course. (Almost every fraternity house has a beer pong table set up on its lawn.)

Students said they were committed but still undecided about running.

“There’s a lot going on, I’m trying to figure it all out and do my research,” Brandon said. “I think the most important thing is to make an informed decision.”

Members of neighboring Kappa Alpha, pictured below, appear to have made up their minds about the election.

➕ Learn more

• How did Trump and Biden fare in the debate? 3 points to remember from the first big shock of 2024. “Biden has struggled to show that his age doesn’t matter.” (Yahoo News)

• The CNN moderators during the Biden-Trump debate: their presence on stage had almost no importance. “Did the moderators play a role? … Their problem was that most of the time the questions were ignored, with the two candidates continuing to bicker at their own pace.” (Associated Press)

• Swing State voters react to presidential debate and Biden’s weak performance. “At a party hosted by the Biden campaign, some voters insisted that Biden had done well in the debate, while others expressed reservations.” (ABC News)

• Who won the Biden-Trump debate? Biden vote freeze raises age concerns. “The most important moment of the evening came early, when Biden froze for several seconds while answering a question about the economy.” (USA Today)

• Highlights: Here’s a look at some of the false claims made during the first debate between Biden and Trump. “President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump exchanged barbs and various false and misleading information. » (Associated Press)

• After a devastating debate, Biden aides try to reassure panicked Democrats. “Biden aides have stressed that no matter what happens on the debate stage, the fundamentals of the race remain unchanged.” (NBC News)

• Here’s why it would be difficult for Democrats to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket. “Every state has already held its presidential primary. Democratic rules require that delegates won by Biden remain bound to support him at the party’s next national convention unless he tells them he’s dropping out of the race.” (Associated Press)