What is worth knowing about the key politicians who gained airtime in the presidential debate?

Thursday night’s presidential debate may be remembered more for how the candidates delivered their remarks on stage and how they joked with each other rather than for the issues most important to voters this election year — but there were plenty of policies that got airtime.

President Biden has often stumbled in his answers, derailing his train of thought. And former President Donald Trump ignored questions about addressing climate change, accepting the election results and repeating false claims about immigration and his criminal trial.

Still, immigration, abortion and the economy were among the questions asked of the candidates in CNN’s 90-minute election-year presidential debate. Here are some of the issues that came into focus.

Economy and inflation

The first question of the evening was about price increases.

Biden said he inherited from Trump, his predecessor, “an economy that was in free fall” because of the pandemic, which has roiled the economy and convoluted supply chains. Biden said it’s up to his administration to “try and put it back together.”

In fact, U.S. government spending under Biden and Trump may also have contributed to higher prices, putting more money into citizens’ pockets and enabling them to maintain spending in the face of high prices.

But many prices fell early in the pandemic, so the comparison is less flattering once Biden takes office. Consumer prices are up 19% since the start of 2021, and average wages are up 16%. Wage growth outpaced price growth last year, so that gap should eventually close.

Federal debt has increased significantly under both Trump and Biden. While the pandemic accounts for most of this red ink, both presidents oversaw large deficits, including during periods before and after the pandemic when the economy was in good shape.

First presidential race since Roe v. Wade was overturned

Abortion access and differing state policies have been at the center of a heated exchange between Trump and Biden. Asked whether Trump would block abortion pills, which are used in about two-thirds of abortions, Trump said he agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected a challenge to the availability of abortion pills.

Trump ultimately admitted to bringing abortion policy “back to the states” and is “someone who believes in exceptions” for rape, incest and maternal life. However, some states have adopted highly restrictive measures without such carve-outs.

During the debate, Trump accused doctors of repeatedly killing babies born alive after failed abortion attempts. Federal data suggests that very few U.S. babies are born alive as a result of botched abortions. In the 12 years ending in 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 143 deaths of babies born alive during attempted abortions.

Most abortions in the U.S. occur in the first trimester (the first 12 weeks of pregnancy). According to the CDC, only about 1.3% occur after 21 weeks, and many of those are not viable or could pose a risk to the mother.

Biden accused Trump of “doing a terrible thing” – referring to repealing the landmark abortion law – and argued against allowing each state to set its own laws.

“The idea that states can do this is a bit like saying we’re going to give civil rights back to the states and let each state have different rules,” Biden said.

Foreign policy and foreign wars lead to insults

After the last presidential election, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, which led to the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.

Trump has doubled down on the fact that if he had been in power, the war in Ukraine would never have happened. Biden accused Trump of encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has criticized continued federal aid to Ukraine, saying he would settle the war between Russia and Ukraine before he takes office if elected.

“The difference is he would never invade Ukraine, just like Israel would never be attacked by Hamas in a million years,” Trump said.

In response, Biden joked, “I’ve never heard so much bullshit in my life.”

In the context of conflicts in the Middle East, Biden boasted that he was the world’s largest “producer of support” for Israel, condemned Hamas and said he denied Israel had “2,000-pound bombs.”

Trump said Biden should let Israel “finish the job,” adding that Biden is a “very bad Palestinian.”

Accepting the 2024 election results?

Trump dodged the question of whether he should accept the election results and say political violence is unacceptable.

“Well, I shouldn’t have to say that,” he said. “But of course I think it’s completely unacceptable. And if you saw my statements that I made on Twitter at the time, and my statement that I made in the Rose Garden, you would say that’s one of the most powerful statements that you’ve ever seen, aside from the speech that I gave to, I think, the largest audience that I’ve ever given a speech to.”

Trump has denied responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, repeating the argument that he urged people to be “peaceful and patriotic.”

Four conclusions from the first presidential debate

Moderator Dana Bash repeated her question about whether she would accept the results regardless of who won.

“If it’s a fair, legal and good election, definitely,” Trump said. “I’d rather accept them, but the cheating and everything else was ridiculous, and if you want, we’ll hold a press conference about it next week, or we’ll hold another press conference about it next week. But I will definitely do it, there is nothing I would rather do.”

— NPR’s Scott Horsley contributed to this story. All video clips are attributed to CNN Presidential Debate.