The first of three debates between the two candidates came days after a report alleging the few federal taxes Trump has paid in recent years, which Biden quickly seized on, as well as the president’s decision to move on to fill a court Supreme vacant following the death of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Trump came to Cleveland in need of a shakeup. It lags behind in national polls and in several key states, as some voters are already casting their votes. Biden faced the pressure to show he could withstand an unpredictable opponent and overcome key points. Most people may be locked into their choice, polls show, but the debates are important and millions watched.
Here are moments that stood out:
The Long-awaited Trump-Biden Showdown: “Wanna shut up, man?”
Things got underway during a Supreme Court discussion that turned into a health care debate, with the candidates repeatedly talking to each other. They both seemed initially comfortable on stage, with Trump challenging questions from moderator Chris Wallace and Mr. Biden flashing a broad smile and laughing at some of the president’s responses. He tried to address viewers directly, while Trump made blunt remarks, which at times unsettled the former vice president. Trump repeatedly reminded viewers that Biden has been in office for nearly five decades and questioned why he hadn’t accomplished more.
A rhetorical fight followed.
Trump, 74, has long sought to brand his 77-year-old opponent as mentally and physically incapable of work. More recently, the Trump campaign sought to portray the former vice president as a seasoned activist, recognizing the risks of lowering the bar too much. Biden stood his ground at first, even when he stumbled across words and figures at times.
“I’m not going to listen to it,” he said at one point to Trump’s interjections. “Everything he’s saying so far is just a lie.” At another point, he said, “Do you want to shut up, man?”
Biden’s campaign entered the debate by bracing for Trump’s anything-goes approach, which was intended to either provoke anger or divert him from the message. Trump, for his part, lashed out at Biden for being a tool of the far left and questioned his intelligence.
“There is nothing smart about you, Joe,” Trump said. “47 years you have not done anything.”
“You are the worst president the United States has ever had,” Biden said later.
And that was in the first 45 minutes.
Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic
Regardless, the coronavirus remains the defining theme of the race and provided the sharpest contrasts during the debate.
Biden tried to portray the president’s handling of the coronavirus emergency as a deadly failure. In total, there are 7.15 million confirmed infections in the US, more than a fifth of the global count, and more than 205,000 deaths.
“He panicked,” Biden said, looking directly at the camera as if talking to people at home. Overall, Biden tried to make the coronavirus a matter of trust. “Do you believe for a moment what he’s telling you? In light of all the lies he’s told you,” he asked.
The president responded with the measures he has taken, including restricting some travel and speeding up a vaccine.
“I would have lost a lot more people,” the president said. “He wants to close this country and I want to keep it open.” Trump became defensive by wearing masks and holding rallies.
The economy remains one of Trump’s strengths, polls show, and he toyed with it, accusing his rival of trying to wipe out whatever progress has been made. “People want their places to be open,” he said. “They want to go back to their lives.”
Tax records and economics
Biden briefly raised the issue of the moment – his rival’s tax records – but let it slide. Minutes later, however, Mr. Wallace posed the question. Pressed on how much he pays in federal taxes, the president responded, “millions of dollars” without detailing.
“Post your tax return,” demanded Mr. Biden.
Hours before the debate, Biden did just that, his 2019 tax return, showing that he paid nearly $ 300,000 in federal taxes. The New York Times reported that the president paid $ 750 for 2016 and the same amount for 2017, and zero for prior years.
Biden has been trying to contrast his modest upbringing in Pennsylvania with Trump’s in New York, and during the debate he framed the election as “Scranton vs. Park Avenue,” a call to working-class voters who helped elect Trump. in 2016.
Trump has declined to release his remarks, against decades of presidential precedence, saying he is being audited.
That morphed into a broader discussion on economic policy, giving Trump space to tout the accomplishments that happened before the pandemic and accusing Messrs. Obama and Biden of presiding over a historically slow economic recovery. He accused Biden of being soft on China before turning to questions about international business from the former vice president’s son, Hunter. Biden vigorously defended his son.
The meaning of law and order
The racial unrest observed across the country provided another contentious exchange. Trump has taken a tough stance on protests and property damage as the centerpiece of his campaign and questioned his rival: “Are you in favor of law and order?”
Biden responded, “Law and order with justice, where people are treated fairly.” Biden denied being in favor of defunding the police, a lawsuit requested by many protesters, and said Trump was using racial appeals to the suburbs. Voters, while not recognizing the suburbs, have diversified.
Trump also mentioned the 1994 crime bill, which Biden helped draft as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill greatly increased funding for police and prisons and created several new categories of federal crimes and increased penalties.
“You have treated the black community as badly as anyone in this country,” Trump said.
Trump was asked if he would condemn white supremacy and militia groups, but quickly switched to far-left groups. “Sure, I’m willing to do that,” he said. “Proud Boys, back off and wait. But I’ll tell you what … someone has to do something about Antifa and the left.”
Duel of arguments of the Supreme Court
The death of Judge Ginsburg injected a new dynamic into the elections and both campaigns rushed to rally supporters. Trump explained his drive to install Conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett. “Elections have consequences,” he said. “We have the Senate and we have the White House.”
Biden said the American people should have a voice after the election, noting that some people have already voted. “That is the only way the American people can express their point of view.”
Biden argued that a solidly conservative majority could end the Affordable Care Act, emphasizing what has been an important issue for Democrats in recent congressional elections. He also said that abortion rights under Roe v. Wade would be in danger.
But Biden refused to give his position on widening the court, as some Democrats want, or ending Senate filibuster. “Whatever position you take on this, that will be the problem. The problem is, the American people should speak up. You should go out and vote. “
Election day and beyond
Election security was another topic of debate and Trump continued to attack mail-in ballots as if they were ready for fraud. He asked his supporters to closely monitor the vote. “They cheat. They cheat, “Trump said, raising a recent case of discarded ballots in Pennsylvania.
Cases of fraud in past elections have been low and the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said last week that the agency has not seen “any kind of coordinated effort at national electoral fraud in a major election.” Trump has also sparked controversy by declining to say he would accept the election results and ensure a peaceful transfer of power, citing voting issues.
Biden said he was concerned that a court would resolve the election, but expressed his faith that a clear winner could be declared. “If it is not me, I will support the result,” he said.
But Trump cast doubt on when that outcome would be clear: “We may not know for months, because these ballots are going to end.”
Write to Alex Leary at [email protected]
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