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President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden Sparks were drawn on Tuesday night during the first debate between the candidates for the White House, which was held in Cleveland, Ohio.
With the country fully focused on the final stretch of the campaign, both rivals tried to sell themselves as the best option to occupy the Oval Office from January.
From the first minute, the tone of the encounter was not only tense, but hostile.
(Also read: Elections in the US: this was the debate between Trump and Biden)
Biden started the debate by claiming that under Trump thousands of Americans would lose their health insurance policies and pre-existing coverage. And accused him of being a “liar” and a “clown.”
The president riposted, accusing Biden that what his party wanted was to impose socialism in the country and he dedicated himself to interrupting the former vice president in each of his sentences. To such an extent that the moderator, Chris Wallace, had to intervene permanently to try to get Trump to respect the rules of the debate. In fact, at one point she had to raise her voice and scold him. “Trump has no plan and no idea what he’s talking about … Why don’t you shut up?” Biden said at the interruptions.
The first segment of the debate was dedicated to the seat that was opened in the Supreme Court of Justice and that Trump wants to fill with a conservative judge. Trump said it was a nomination due to him for winning the election. For Biden, that decision must be made by the next president of the United States.
(It may interest you: The harshest phrases of the first debate between Trump and Biden)
Trump has no plan and no idea what he is talking about… Why don’t you shut up?
As expected, the pandemic, which has already claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans, figured high in the debate con a Biden blaming Trump for the terrible handling he has given to the crisis and the economic disaster that the country has suffered.
Something that was also reflected in the format of the meeting, where only 70 people were allowed to enter, who were located with social distancing and masks, and in the rivals, who did not shake hands to greet each other.
(Also read: Tough question about his taxes put Trump in trouble in debate)
Biden recalled that Trump knew how deadly the virus was and before doing anything about it he “panicked” and let thousands of people perish. Likewise, he blamed him for the economic crisis that has shaken the country since then. The president called his work on covid-19 “great” and said that under Biden it would have been much worse.
Biden called Trump a “liar” several times during the meeting.
When the topic of the vaccine came up, Biden said that I couldn’t believe in Trump because he’s a guy who “believes in magic and wants to inject us with detergent.”
The president replied that Biden wanted to politicize the vaccine issue, putting thousands at risk who might hesitate to apply it. In addition, he accused him of wanting to shut down the economy and destroy the country.
Biden replied saying that Trump fell, millions of jobs have been lost and that the only reason he wants to reopen the country in an accelerated manner, despite the recommendation of experts, is to benefit his partners on Wall Street.
“You are the worst president this country has ever had,” Biden told him, coining one of the most memorable phrases of the meeting.
(Also read: This is how Donald Trump’s finances are, between income and taxes)
The expectations for this first debate were enormous. In particular for Biden, well Trump and his campaign have been saying for months that the former vice president is physically and intellectually decimated and suggesting until he uses drugs to be able to function.
President Donald Trump defended his handling of the covid-19 pandemic, which has left more than 200,000 dead in the United States.
Somehow, that characterization ended up being beneficial for Biden, because by lowering expectations about his abilities only needed an average performance to succeed.
The context prior to the exchange also favored it a bit, since Trump went on the defensive having to give explanations about his tax returns after ‘The New York Times’ published an investigation according to which he has not paid taxes in 10 of the last 15 years.
In addition, Biden stung him by publishing his tax return for 2019 and the last 22 years just hours before the debate. Trump, by contrast, has refused to publish his own for four years.
(Also read: Biden publishes his taxes before the first debate with Trump)
In the debate, the president said he paid millions in taxes, but Biden challenged him to reveal his statements.
Under Trump we have become weaker, poorer, and more violent. The rich have gotten richer
The debate also heated up when Trump accused Biden’s son of receiving money from the Chinese and the Ukrainians. Biden denied this and refocused the debate on the president insisting on attacking families instead of focusing on the needs of Americans.
Another critical moment came when the issue of police brutality and social protest came up. Trump said that under Biden the country would be ravaged by chaos and violence from the radical left. Biden called Trump “a racist” and said that under his administration there would be law and order, but with justice for all. The former vice president also sold himself as a unifier against Trump, who, he said, insists on dividing the country.
(You may be interested: How the NYT published the most persecuted exclusive about Trump?)
“Under Trump we have become weaker, poorer and more violent. The rich have gotten richer. We cannot continue like this in this country, ”Biden said when asked why he deserved to be the new president. Trump, for his part, exaggerated, saying that his administration had been the most successful in history.
In addition, the president insisted that there will be fraud in the elections by vote by mail. For his part, Biden said that Trump is afraid that all the votes will be counted because he will lose.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
WASHINGTON
On Twitter: @ sergom68
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