Quarreling Instead of Debating; First Television Debate Between Trump and Biden

The first television duel between the two main candidates of the U.S. presidential election took place. A debate that failed to meet anyone’s expectations. Result of the debate: exchange of accusations and insults instead of professional discussion and an incapable moderator managing the session.

The first of four television debates between the two candidates for U.S. president took place on the evening of Tuesday, September 29 (at 2:30 a.m. on September 30 Central European Time) in Ohio. Commentators and analysts agreed on one point regarding this television duel: the low level of discussion between the two rival candidates.

The first 90-minute debate between Joe Biden, the Democratic Party candidate, and Donald Trump, the U.S. President and Republican Party candidate, took place in Cleveland, Ohio. Less than five weeks remain until the U.S. presidential election.

Donald Trump and Joe Biden refused to shake hands at the beginning of the session. It was said that this behavior was related to the spread of the coronavirus. Few people attended the session. Among them was Trump’s wife Melania, who watched the debate from inside the hall.

Television debates before the U.S. presidential election are remembered as turning points in the election campaign. The purpose of holding these debates is to attract the votes of undecided Americans. In other words, the two candidates are trying to win the votes of hesitant individuals in their favor.

The initial assessment from America’s debate last night in Ohio was: Those who are hesitant about participating in the election and voting can still look at participating in the election with hesitation.

Six topics were selected for the debate. It was supposed to discuss healthcare system reform, the Supreme Court, the coronavirus crisis, the economic program, as well as racism and police violence.

From the very first moment of the debate, it became clear that neither of the two election candidates had any interest in staying on the chosen topics.

Chris Wallace, a Fox News correspondent, was in charge of moderating the session. In the very first minutes of the debate, Wallace lost control of the session and was unable to bring order and calm to the discussions of the two presidential candidates until the end of the debate.

Wallace’s inability to manage the session was met with harsh criticism from American media outlets, including CNN.

Insults and Accusations Instead of Professional Discussion

Before the first round of debate between Biden and Trump, public expectations from this television duel were low. However, the result was worse than initial expectations.

Joe Biden accused Trump from the very beginning of lying and said that the American people know that their president is a liar.

Biden later called Donald Trump a “clown” during the debate and claimed that he does not have sufficient knowledge about any subject. The Democratic Party candidate even called Trump a puppet and plaything in the hands of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.

Trump, in turn, called Biden an incompetent person, alluded to his son’s addiction to drugs, called him a socialist, and accused him of being uninformed.

In some parts of the debate, following the discussion became impossible. All three people (the moderator, Biden, and Trump) were speaking simultaneously at high volume, each saying something. Trump was speaking with Chris Wallace while Biden was speaking to people by looking at the camera.

Debate Topics

Obamacare: Trump claimed that Joe Biden and the Democratic Party intend to implement socialist policies in America. Biden called Trump “the worst U.S. president.”

The Democratic Party candidate criticized Trump’s proposal of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court one month before the election, saying that such action was done, among other things, to review healthcare.

Trump defended his policy and said that the U.S. president has the right to nominate someone for the Supreme Court under such circumstances.

Coronavirus Crisis: Biden criticized Trump’s performance in combating the coronavirus outbreak and said that the U.S. president was aware of the deadly dangers of the spread of this virus and, despite that, did not make any effort to combat it. Biden said Trump not only downplayed the dangers of COVID-19 but also recommended the use of wrong drugs to people.

Trump, in turn, said that Biden and the Democratic Party intend to shut down the country’s economy. He claimed that if Biden were in power, the number of victims would have reached two million.

Economic Growth: Joe Biden had said about economic growth that Donald Trump received a strong and organized economy from Barack Obama and has done nothing noteworthy since then.

Trump, in turn, claimed that Biden intends to shut down the American economy and that his policies will damage the American economy.

Trump spoke about the economic growth of America during his presidency. Both presidential candidates promised to create millions of new job opportunities.

Racism and Police Violence: Biden accused Trump of fueling unrest and called him a “racist” person. Trump, in turn, claimed that Biden had called Black people “predatory animals” in the past. Trump also claimed that the responsibility for street violence rests with far-left radical forces in America.