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Chaotic, shameful, the worst debate in all of US history Those are just some of the comments from experts and people standing after the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden this Tuesday in Cleveland Ohio.
(Read here: Trump vs. Biden: the most hostile debate of recent campaigns in the US)
That’s right. More than an exchange of ideas about the future of the country and the issues that matter, the debate It turned into 90 minutes of yelling, insults and interruptions that left most with a bad taste in their mouths.
These are the main conclusions
A street fight
Everyone knew that Trump’s strategy in Tuesday’s debate was to attack Biden from the first minute. Right or wrong, throughout these four years in the White House and during the 2016 campaign, the Republican president has always made it clear that he lives for confrontations and that it is a style with which he feels very comfortable.
Further, Polls have been indicating for months that Biden is outdoing it and needed a stellar performance to change the direction of the race. But even figures within the Republican party had to admit that the president got out of hand in aggressiveness.
Not only did Trump interrupt his rival and the moderator on multiple occasions despite the rules that had been established, but he fell very low when attacking Biden on personal matters. Like when he referred to one of his sons as a drug addict. Hot and flushed with rage, the image left by the president was that of a leader willing to resort to anything to win.
(Also read: Elections in the US: this was the debate between Trump and Biden)
Both former Senator Rick Santorum and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – both Republicans – agreed that while Trump dominated Biden, he did so in such an aggressive way that it likely ended up scaring many voters.
“Trump made the classic mistake of all presidents seeking reelection by concentrating on the achievements of the first term but without a vision for the next four years.. And I suspect a lot of women were disenchanted with her constant interruptions and harassment of both Biden and host Chris Wallace, “she said.
Trump also sparked two new controversies by repeatedly refusing to condemn violence by white supremacist groups and refusing to acknowledge the election result if he loses. In fact, the president opened the door to chaos by asking his supporters to go to the polls to ensure that fraud is not committed. A role that does not correspond to them and that could unleash violence.
Although Biden generally avoided confrontation, he also resorted to name calling to contain Trump. He called him a “clown” twice and said, “Why don’t you shut up?”, As the already famous phrase of the King of Spain against Hugo Chávez. But in the game of perceptions, Biden ended up being the victim of a Trump out of control.
(It may interest you: The harshest phrases of the first debate between Trump and Biden)
In the long run, the debate ended up being described by most of the media in the US as the worst in all history and, apart from the tone, little or nothing of substance ended up transcending.
Trump made the classic mistake of all presidents seeking reelection by concentrating on the achievements of the first term but without a vision for the next four years.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden had their first face to face in the city of Cleveland, in the state of Ohio.
It wasn’t Biden’s best night, but …
Biden’s presentation was not stellar. He was cold at times and overwhelmed by Trump’s attacks. It was clear that he wanted to avoid falling into the game set by his rival but by allowing himself to be interrupted so many times, he allowed himself to steal precious moments to sell his agenda to the American public. His calm tone and use of a low voice compared to Trump’s almost shouting didn’t help either.
But in the game of expectations, Biden did not do badly. Trump and his campaign had been painting the former vice president for months as an old man who has lost his physical and mental abilities, almost in a senile state, and who would be too much to manage the country. And although the Democrats had long denied that characterization, there was some uncertainty that was cleared this Tuesday night.
(Also read: Tough question about his taxes put Trump in trouble in debate)
Without being blinding, Biden made it clear that none of that is true and that he handles issues with a depth that Trump lacks. And that eliminates or detracts from a constant line of attack from the president’s campaign going forward.
Biden, in fact, scored points. Especially when he attacked Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, he accused him of being irresponsible for not promoting the use of masks or social distancing. and he nicknamed him the worst president in the entire history of the country.
“President Trump came into the debate with a clear disadvantage against Biden in the polls. He needed to change the course of the race and had many ways to achieve it. It is almost irrelevant to say that nothing happened on Tuesday to alter the fundamentals of this campaign. Except for the deep disappointment that those of us who saw it are feeling and the almost certainty that very few will pay attention to the two missing debates, ”says Sara Isgur, a professor at George Washington University who worked for Republican candidates in the last three elections.
Joe Biden (left) and Donald Trump (right) had their first presidential debate on September 29.
And then who won?
The extreme polarization in the United States these days will probably prevent a consensus from emerging on who prevailed in the debate.
Many of Trump’s followers believe he crushed Biden and equate his aggressiveness with energy and determination. And nothing that happened will make you think less of your candidate and more of your rival.
In the case of Biden’s followers, the vice president was the clear winner because he behaved like the adult in the room, handled the underlying issues better and showed empathy for those who suffer the consequences of the pandemic and the economic crisis.
(Also read: This is how Donald Trump’s finances are, between income and taxes)
And that was reflected in the polls taken by the majority of the media in the country. On a CBS one, 48 percent saw the former vice president win, 41 percent to Trump and 10 percent believe there was a tie.
This distribution is roughly the same as that shown in national surveys. That is, hardly anyone seems to be switching sides, and the undecided (probably that 10 percent) don’t seem ready to take sides either.
In reality, and a majority of the commentators in the US agreed, no one ended up prevailing. Rather, they were all losers. Including Wallace, who couldn’t control the debate or enforce the rules.
But Trump may have lost a little more because he was wrong to lower expectations about Biden and because he set the tone for the horrendous spectacle we witnessed on Tuesday.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On twitter @ sergom68
