DENVER, CO (AP) -- President Barack Obama says the United States is making progress in repairing the struggling economy he inherited when he took office while his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, says the Democratic incumbent favors a "trickle-down government, if you will."

Obama and Romney opened their first of three presidential debates Wednesday with disagreements on how the government could help add jobs.

Obama pointed to progress made in saving Detroit's auto industry and rebuilding the housing market. Romney, meanwhile, says he would take a different path that gets government out of the way for American businesses.

Obama says Romney's plan would cut taxes for high-income workers. Romney says that is incorrect and that wealthy Americans will do just fine regardless whether he or Obama is in the White House.

The two presidential rivals also are scheduled to debate twice more before the election. The next debate is on Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and the third is Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.

Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin have one debate, Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky. They have both already started holding practice sessions.

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