Miles Away From Each Other: Bidens and Trump’s Competitive Shows – US Elections

Almost three weeks before the November 3 election, Americans had to decide on Thursday night (local time) whether they would watch Trump on NBC or Biden on ABC.

Both appeared in undecided states, that is, in contested states that could be decisive in the presidential election on November 3: Republican Trump in Miami, Florida, Democrat Biden a good 1,000 miles in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Moderator Savannah Guthrie covered Trump, who sometimes reacted with irritation. “We’re going to waste the whole show,” Trump said when approached by Guthrie about the QAnon conspiracy theorists, who also have supporters among his Republicans. “It is this theory that the Democrats are a circle of satanic pedophiles and that you are the savior,” Guthrie said. Will Trump distance himself from her “once and for all”? “I don’t know about QAnon,” Trump replied, annoyed. “Let me tell you that what I heard is that you are very against pedophilia and I agree with that.”

In the nearly empty Philadelphia auditorium, Biden calmly answered questions from voters: It was about the crown’s pandemic fight, controversial police work and inequality in American society. Voters also confronted him with issues that are uncomfortable for Biden: for example, a crime law from the 1990s that supported Biden and what many blame for discrimination against minorities. Biden admitted that it was a mistake to support the law. In addition, at the insistence of the moderator, he agreed to clarify before the elections what he thought of an expansion of the posts of judge in the Supreme Court. At the end of many of his sometimes lengthy responses, Biden told voters that he hoped he had answered the question.

Unlike when campaigning in front of supporters, President Trump had to endure critical questions, such as his financial circumstances. His debt was only “a small percentage of my net worth,” Trump said. The New York Times recently reported a personal debt of $ 421 million, it seemed to confirm. At first he did not want to commit to the moderator’s request, but then he spoke of “400 million dollars” himself. As has been the case for years, he promised that he would release his tax returns as soon as an IRS audit was completed.

The president, who recently contracted Covid-19, again made contradictory statements about the pandemic. “I say wear the masks. I have no problem with that,” he said. Trump also reiterated his false statement that, according to the CDC, 85 percent of people who wear a mask were infected with the virus. It is true that in a CDC review, 85 percent of a group of infected people claimed they had worn a mask frequently or always in the previous 14 days.

“He missed huge opportunities and kept saying things that weren’t true,” Biden accused the Republican of his handling of the corona pandemic. “If a president doesn’t wear a mask or make fun of people like me … people say, ‘It won’t be that important,'” Biden said. “I think what we say is important.” Ahead of the debate between the two candidates scheduled for next Thursday, Biden made it clear that he expected Trump to be tested again. Decency just dictated it, Biden said. For him, it is not about himself, but about other people who might be in danger. “I think he (Trump) will do that,” he said.

The president did not want to commit to the last time he tested negative before his Covid illness. “I don’t even remember it,” he said. This question is important to clarify whether Trump could still be at the events even though he knew of an infection. The fact that the White House and Trump’s doctors also refuse to provide information does not dispel this suspicion.

Trump also reacted with irritation when asked about his stance on right-wing extremists: He was pressured because he did not want to clearly distance himself from them. “Now it’s starting over,” Trump said, visibly upset, then claimed he had condemned right-wing extremism “for years.” At the same time, however, he stressed that he also condemned Antifa and “these leftist people who are burning our cities.” Trump also criticized the fact that Biden was not asked on NBC question time last week if he condemned Antifa.

Biden didn’t understand that this time either. But the former vice president of the United States made it clear that if he were elected president, he would never express himself racist or divisive. Moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Biden what defeat would tell him about what America was like today. “Well, it could mean I was a lousy candidate and didn’t do a good job,” Biden said. He doesn’t expect that to mean that people disagree with each other on ethnic and religious issues like Trump wants them to be.

Trump accused NBC of only asking Biden questions that even children could answer. Shortly before question time, he had already attacked the station during a campaign appearance in Greenville, North Carolina: “You know, I was set up tonight,” he said. He only agreed to appear because he got an hour of free streaming. Trump also said he would have liked to see Biden’s appearance on ABC, “because he wanted to see if he could get the show on.” Trump (74) claims that his 77-year-old challenger, whom he denigrates as “Sleepy Joe”, repeatedly lacks physical and mental fitness.

Biden’s appearance Thursday night was even longer than Trump’s. While the president asked questions for an hour, Biden lasted 90 minutes; in both cases there were several short commercials. A voter could not hide from Biden that he was not entirely satisfied with a response from Biden. Biden offered to keep talking after the show ended, which he did.