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In the last television duel before the presidential election, Donald Trump and Joe Biden made serious accusations. The new rules are good for the format; clear differences become clear.
Less than two weeks before the US presidential election, Donald Trump and Joe Biden used the latest television duel to carry out heavy attacks on the character and positions of their opponents. The debate in Nashville (Tennessee in the United States) offered Trump, who was polled in the past, one of the last opportunities to change the mood in the election campaign in front of an audience of millions.
The 90 minutes covered the coronavirus, families, racism, climate change, national security, and their respective ideas on leadership. You can see excerpts in the video or above here.
The most important findings in ray analysis:
This was the debate
The second debate was the first to deserve the name. They argued, also on the matter. It was much more civilized than in the screaming duel three weeks ago. The new rule also helped, according to which at the beginning of each thematic block the microphone of the candidate who was not in line was muted.
Trump and Biden covered each other with serious accusations, then it was more about concrete policies. The differences became apparent over and over again, for example in environmental and energy policy, when it comes to the crown and racism. NBC TV moderator Kristen Welker, who was heavily criticized by Trump beforehand, had the conversation under control.
This is how Trump did it
The president took a completely different approach than the first debate. He stuck to the rules for a long time and didn’t stop constantly, even if he had trouble keeping the line low. His responses to the crown and health policy were shaped by known falsehoods. CNN fact checker conclusion: “Trump was better, but he lied more.”
Trump’s strategy was clear: he wanted to brand his opponent as corrupt, and thus kept coming back to a completely unproven email subject with his son Hunter. He also repeatedly attacked Biden as a “politician”: the head of state wants to continue to present himself as an “anti-politician” even after four years in power. He was unable to offer concrete plans for a second term.
This is how Biden acted
The man with the plan, in contrast to Donald Trump. This is how Joe Biden wanted to present himself and succeeded for a long time. “He still doesn’t have any plans,” he accused Trump of various issues. The much more civilized debate helped clear up political differences with Trump.
Biden proved that he can be tough, and not just “Sleepy Joe,” as Trump derisively calls it. Any country that interferes in the elections “will pay a price if I become president,” Biden threatened. At the same time, he presented himself as presidential and reconciler, as a president who, unlike Trump, wanted the country to be one. Biden promised that he would represent all Americans.
The exchange of blows
The strategies were manifested in a confrontation. When Trump again accused his opponent of corruption, Biden tried to clarify it with a clear statement: “Never in my life have I accepted a penny from a foreign source.”
And he described the attacks on his family as a candle of smoke. “It is not about his family and my family. It is about his family,” he told the camera and the audience. “We should talk about your family.” Biden then spoke about the financial difficulties in the current economic crisis. Trump again portrayed this as a diversionary maneuver: “This is a typical political statement. I’m not a typical politician, that’s why I was elected,” Trump scoffed. “Come on Joe, you can do better.”
Are you interested in the American elections? Washington correspondent Fabian Reinbold writes a newsletter about the election campaign, his work in the White House, and his impressions of the United States under Donald Trump. Here you can subscribe to the “Post from Washington” for free, which then lands directly in your mailbox once a week.
conclusion
They both performed better than in the first round. Some of Trump’s attacks on Biden, for example on economic policy, are likely to catch on with voters who are skeptical of Democrats. Biden, on the other hand, focused on character contrast, a strategy that got him far in the election campaign.
Since Biden is ahead in the polls, he mostly had to survive the 90 minutes without a big mistake. He succeeded. Therefore, the debate is unlikely to alter the dynamics of the presidential campaign, which is good for Biden.
