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Trump had two parallel debates and did not adhere to any rules, says former US Ambassador Kornblum. Biden, on the other hand, “punched his way through” and also scored.
tagesschau.de: Mr. Kornblum, did you have a good time watching the debate?
John Kornblum: No, it was not a positive political experience.
tagesschau.de: What surprised you about the debate?
Kornblum: Nothing surprised me. Donald Trump was even more aggressive, imprecise and out of control than is often the case. The important question is how Joe Biden mastered this challenge. He made a good appearance. It wasn’t great, but he hit himself, he controlled himself. There are still people who say that he is too old and too busy. Today he showed that he can take the pressure and the task.
Trump’s rule: no rules
tagesschau.de: Trump was very aggressive in the debate, but Biden has also shown teeth. He called the president a clown and literally said, “Shut up.”
Kornblum: Basically, it was a debate between three people: Trump and Biden and Chris Wallace. He is one of the best television presenters in the United States. He fought a constant battle with Trump to keep him by the rules of the game, which he did not do in any way. There were two parallel debates: Trump with the moderator and Trump with Biden. That was interesting because it showed that Trump didn’t want to have a substantial discussion with Biden.
tagesschau.de: Corona pandemic, economic situation, reliability towards US partners, relationship with China – there are enough factual issues that could have been talked about. Were real arguments exchanged too?
Kornblum: Partly yes. Biden was well prepared. But he often had to defend himself when Trump made claims that were proven wrong. There were factual arguments, but they were lost in the debate because the argument was carried out on a different level.
Exhibition fight with little political substance
tagesschau.de: So was it more of an exhibition match than a substantive argument?
Kornblum: That’s what Trump has always been and what he also says about himself: I’m a great showman. This week an article appeared in the New York Times showing that Trump paid virtually no taxes. The conclusion of this article was: Trump became president not because he was a great businessman, but because he was a successful television personality.
tagesschau.de: How much knowledge does this exhibition match bring?
Kornblum: It shows that Trump is quite perplexed and feels cornered. He did not attempt at all to discuss factual issues. He wanted to destroy his opponent Biden. It was unsuccessful.
Obviously, Biden has prepared well. Several times he addressed the audience directly with clearly formulated and practiced statements beforehand. Several times he leaves the fray, looks at the camera and says: Now I would like to speak directly to the American people. Then she emphasized for a good minute how important it is to vote. Quick post-debate polls show he apparently scored points.
Winner and loser
tagesschau.de: Did Trump and Biden gain a new following through this debate?
Kornblum: I think Trump lost more followers than he could gain new ones. According to polls, almost 90 percent of voters already know who they will vote for. Ten percent are still undecided. Biden didn’t necessarily win over a lot of swing voters, but I think Trump put off his appearance a lot. Quite a few people will have concluded that there is no way they will vote for Trump.
tagesschau.de: Biden called Trump a racist, a liar and a clown. Trump constantly showed his teeth and never let Biden finish speaking. Does the United States need such debates?
Kornblum: Of course not. But it has been that way since Trump was here. When he beat 17 other Republican candidates in the race for the presidential nomination four years ago, he used the same method. Many people said at the time that they would not get very far with this outrageous form. Until then, American politics had always been fairly civilized. Four years ago he was successful with his aggressive method. Now think that you can reaffirm yourself again in the same way.
Damage to American Democracy
tagesschau.de: Has Trump Damaged American Democracy In The Last Four Years?
Kornblum: This kind of ugly policy with aggressive accusations was not invented by Trump. It has been around for at least 20 years. The politics of confrontation began in the late 1960s with the student movement and protests against the Vietnam War. The conservatives accepted this fight.
A turning point for the Republican Party came in the mid-1990s, when Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Then came the ultra-conservative Tea Party, which debates and does politics much like Trump. So Trump is not the inventor of this policy, but he has benefited greatly from it.
This kind of politics will continue, but a second Trump, someone who is as stubborn and capable in his own way as he is, is currently nowhere in sight. But the polarization of society, which we are also experiencing in Europe, will continue. This has to do with different social and economic processes.
The interview was conducted by Reinhard Baumgarten, SWR.
