THIS IS PERSONAL
PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden clashed in an ugly 90-minute war of words during their fiery first presidential debate on Tuesday.
Trump painted Biden as incompetent, telling him: "You could never have done the job that we did, you don't have it in your blood", before attacking his son Hunter's foreign business deals in one of dozens of heated exchanges.
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Biden meanwhile lashed out several times - telling Trump he was "the worst president" in history and branding his opponent "racist" and "a clown."
In a fierce shouting match where both candidates pushed for airtime to defend their records and visions, Trump often spoke over Biden and even clashed with exasperated moderator Chris Wallace.
During the debate:
- Biden accused the president of being a "racist" and told him to "shut up"
- The President and his Democratic rival clashed over Trump's handling of Covid
- Trump continued to cast doubt over postal voting, insisting it's open to fraud
- Biden sought distanced himself from the hard left's "defund the police" calls
- Trump attacked Biden's son Hunter's foreign business deals
- The President told the right-wing group The Proud Boys to "stand by"
The debate left many observers across the political spectrum unimpressed by the verbal brawling they had witnessed.
ABC commentator George Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic adviser and previous primary debate moderator, said: “As someone who has watched for 40 years, that was the worst presidential debate I have ever seen.”
Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey who helped Trump prepare for the debate, said of the president's performance: "It was too hot.
"Listen, you come in and decide you want to be aggressive, and I think it was the right thing to be aggressive, but it was too hot.”
And former CNN host Piers Morgan later called it a "train wreck of epic proportions".
What Biden said to Trump
His rival's record
You’re the worst president America has ever had
Supreme Court
Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential
Covid-19
You should get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap and the golf course….and fund what needs to be done now to save lives.
The economy
Trump will be the first (president) in American history to lose jobs during his presidency
Race and violence in cities
This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division
Integrity of the election
If we get the votes, he's going to go. He can't stay in power.
Summing up his feelings after the debate, the first of campaign season, Biden tweeted: "You heard a lot come out of President Trump's mouth. Can you name one thing he said to actually make your life better?"
Trump meanwhile responded to the clash by posting an image showing him taking on both Biden and host Wallace.
Coming into the contest, President Trump found himself trailing in practically every poll and facing a country reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide unrest over police brutality.
Still, the president opted to come out strong, heckling and interrupting his opponent and appearing aggressive and assured.
“It’s hard to get a word in with this clown,” Mr. Biden said early on, while Trump even clashed with host Chris Wallace, who he continuously spoke over.
SHOUTING MATCH
"I guess I'm debating you, not him," Trump said to Wallace.
At one point Biden appeared visibly riled, telling Trump to "shut up, man," before becoming more composed to his opponent's interruptions as the contest moved on.
Biden then asked Trump: "Would you just shush for a minute?"
Trump's handling of the coronavirus was high on the agenda, with Biden targeting the president for his approach to a pandemic that has seen 200,000 Americans die this year.
What Trump said to Biden
His rival’s record
There’s nothing smart about you, Joe. In 47 months, I've done more than you've done in 47 years
Supreme Court
I will tell you very simply we won the election. We have the Senate and we have the White House and we have a phenomenal nominee respected by all
Covid-19
We've done a great job. But I tell you, Joe, you could never have done the job we've done. You don't have it in your blood.
The economy
China ate your lunch, Joe
Race and violence
You've treated the Black community about as bad as anybody in this country.
Integrity of the election
If I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with it. They cheat.
"I don't trust him at all," Biden said, pointing to Trump's previous claims that injecting bleach could beat the disease. "What we trust is scientists."
CORONAVIRUS QUESTIONS
The former vice president also targeted Trump's decision to hold rallies on the campaign trail, only for the president to hit back, stating that Biden could never draw crowds to match his, adding, "People want to hear what I have to say."
The president continued to blame the virus on being a "China plague," claiming that Democrats did not want to reopen cities for purely political reasons.
Naturally, the debate moved from shutdowns for health reasons to their impact on economy, with Trump accusing Biden of wanting to "close down the whole country," leaving states "like being in prison" with coronavirus restrictions.
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Biden, however, stood firm, stating: "You can't fix the economy until you fix the Covid crisis."
He went on to point out that more Americans will be unemployed come Election Day than when Trump took office – a first for the US, Biden claimed, though this statistic was not verified.
As he looked to respond, Trump – who has insisted that states should be able to reopen, go back to school, and even host football games – was faced with questions about the need to wear face masks, which most experts say would help keep Americans safe.
At one point, Trump took out his own mask as a show of support.
DEFENDING RECORDS
As many expected, on numerous occasions Trump took to attacking Biden's son, Hunter, over his dealings in Ukraine – a subject of ire amongst many Republicans.
The president also reiterated his claims that he is the "law and order" candidate, attacking Biden on his record with black voters, who showed an 81 percent to 7 percent support for Biden in a recent poll.
Trump pointed to his opponent's support for the 1994 Crime Bill, which has been criticized for over-policing and contributing to the mass incarceration of black men across America.
Biden, who dubbed Trump a "racist," said he is in favor of “law and order with justice, where people get treated fairly.”
At one point, Wallace pushed Trump to categorically denounce white supremacist groups who have confronted protestors across the country, which the president refused to do.
Instead, Trump told the right-wing group The Proud Boys to "stand by," and said that extreme violence in the country is "not a right-wing problem."
The group were reported to have celebrated after the president's call-out, appearing to take the statement as a marching order.
'LAW AND ORDER'
Only a short amount of time was dedicated to the bombshell New York Times report that claimed that Trump had paid as little as $750 in taxes the year he became president.
Trump reiterating that he pays "millions" to the federal government, but, as was the case during his campaign against Hilary Clinton, few assurances were offered that he would back this claim up.
For Biden, in addressing sticking points that he would like to avoid, it was a case of looking to distance himself from claims that he is part of the "radical far-left" and a product of a party that is looking to move in a more progressive direction.
To combat this, Biden said that he does not support movements such as defunding the police, and, in fact, more money should be given to law enforcement at a state level, he said.
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Biden also said he was not a supporter of the Green New Deal and instead encouraged voters to check out his own plan on climate change and surrounding economic impacts.
He and Trump arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, hoping to energize their campaigns and snap up a small slice of voters that still remain undecided.
With just 35 days left until the election, Trump continued to press home his claims that mail-in voting is open to widespread voter fraud – the final discussion topic of the night.
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Biden pointed out that the president himself has used mail-in voting to cast ballots in the past, and that the military has relied on such methods with no evidence of issues, he said.
Reports in the buildup to Tuesday's contest surrounded Trump's claims that had Biden refused to have his ears checked for earpieces that could aid his performance during the debate.
The next presidential debate will take place on October 15, with the vice presidential debate between Democrat Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence set to meet on October 7.
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