7 of the Craziest Events Leading Up to the 2024 Presidential Election: From Donald Trump's Assassination Attempt to Joe Biden Dropping Out and More

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off during CNN's first presidential debate ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which will happen on November 5.

The candidates threw jabs at one other as they tackled different topics, focusing on the issues in the country, including climate, inflation, abortion and immigration. They also highlighted each other's problems: Trump's conviction and Biden's age and mental condition.

Trump's team claimed victory in the debate, while Biden and his camp remained unbothered by the concerns regarding the president's overall health.

A New York jury found Trump guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed they had s--. He became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes after the ruling.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told the reporters. "They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Judge Juan M. Merchan scheduled the sentencing for July 11, but he moved it to September 18 “if such is still necessary" so the court could rule on his claim. Trump and his camp said his behavior — as a presidential candidate — is immune to prosecution under the United States Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling.

On July 13, the ex-POTUS held his rally in Butler, Penn., where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate him using a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle. The suspect was killed by the Secret Service agents moments after he opened fire.

Trump was taken to the Butler Memorial Hospital to get the top of his right ear treated.

“[The bullet impact] was far enough away from [Trump's] head that there was no concussive effect from the bullet. And it just took the top of his ear off. A little bit of the top of his ear off as it passed through. It was bleeding like crazy because the ear is pretty vascular and bleeds pretty badly,” Trump's doctor, Dr. Ronny Jackson, shared on "The Benny Show" podcast.

“I bandaged it up pretty good this morning…it’s not a clean laceration like you’d have with a knife or a blade….it’s easy to bleed again. If you mess with it, it starts bleeding again. We’ve got it dressed up,” the doctor added.

However, there has been speculation regarding what truly happened as the investigators began looking into whether Trump was hit with a bullet or shrapnel.

Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas on July 17, prompting him to isolate at his Delaware home.

The White House said the president would carry out his duties amid his isolation. Meanwhile, Biden's doctor, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, noted that the 81-year-old “presented this afternoon with upper respiratory symptoms, to include rhinorrhea (runny nose) and non-productive cough, with general malaise.” He gave him the antiviral drug Paxlovid after the COVID-19 test result returned positive.

Biden stumbled during a high-stakes press conference on July 11 when he misidentified Vice President Kamala Harris as Trump.

"Look I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there," he said.

After discussions regarding Biden's potential exit plan, the president released a statement confirming his exit from the 2024 presidential race.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," part of his letter read. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision," he continued.

Biden shared a follow-up post in which he endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party's nominee.

On Instagram, Harris released her first presidential campaign ad after Biden backed her to become the Democratic Party's nominee in the upcoming election. She wrote in the caption, "I'm Kamala Harris, and I'm running for President of the United States."

Beyoncé's hit song, "Freedom," played in the background while the presidential candidate shared a lengthy speech.

"In this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in? There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us, we choose something different. We choose freedom," she declared.

Harris continued, "The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty, where we can all afford health care, where no one is above the law. We believe in the promise of America, and we are ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win."