On September 29th, President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden took the stage for their first presidential debate. The debate consisted of chaos and disorganization as Chris Wallace, the moderator of the event, struggled to maintain control of the opponents.
President Trump had a very aggressive approach to win the debate, which consisted of attacking Biden’s personal life and his records in the White House. He interrupted his Democratic opponent so much, Biden could barely finish his sentences. Trump accused Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, of making “tens of millions” from a Ukrainian gas company, and brought up his history with drugs. Trump defended his response to the pandemic, saying that if Biden had taken charge, thousands more would have died. Also, the President refused to condemn white supremacy, telling them to “stand back and stand by.” He overall tried to portray Biden as a person not fit to run the country throughout the debate.
Former Vice President Joe Biden managed to keep his cool by being disciplined and firing back with counter-arguments through the hurls of insults and repeated interruptions. However, Biden couldn’t resist calling Trump a “clown”, a “racist”, and “the worst president in history,” NBC notes. In the moments Biden spoke without interruption, he spoke about relevant issues, including what he would do in the next four years if elected. Biden continually directed his messages to the American people, saying, “The only way we’re going to bring this country together is to bring everybody together. There’s nothing we cannot do if we do it together.” He also talked about COVID-19, arguing that he had a plan that he would enact if elected.
With the name-calling, personal attacks, and interruptions, some Americans called it the worst debate in American history. According to CNN, 6 in 10 debate watchers said former Vice President Joe Biden did the best job in Tuesday's debate, and just 28% say President Donald Trump did. For undecided voters, this debate didn’t help and even made them more indecisive. Samantha Worrel, an undecided voter, said, “I'm definitely not going to vote for Trump, but I can't say that Biden has won my vote completely either." Many Americans believe the first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden did more harm than good.
On the other hand, Americans can agree that the vice presidential debate with Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence, on October 7th, can be described as more professional and informative than the presidential debate. The debate spanned the topics of COVID-19, presidential disability and health, the economy, climate change, China, the Supreme Court, abortion, racial injustice, and the election. Both candidates had the objective of fixing one problem: the mess that the presidential debate caused.
Vice President Pence expressed empathy for the families who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus and continued to defend his administration's response to the pandemic. NPR states, “He noted that the Biden-Harris team's plan to address the coronavirus with testing and the development of a vaccine mirrored actions the administration has already taken.” Pence said, “It looks a little bit like plagiarism." Pence dodged the question of what he would do if the Supreme Court struck down the Affordable Care Act, as well as if the President would agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election. The fly that landed on Pence’s head while he discussed racial injustice had Americans calling it the highlight of the debate. “More debate watchers and non watchers alike — 62 percent — heard or read about the fly than any other moment of the debate,” Politico notes.
Senator Kamala Harris focused her arguments around the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus. She also confronted the Vice President on the President’s debt and his lack of honesty. The Washington Post says, “Harris pointed specifically to Trump’s failure to stand up to Russia over its interference in U.S. elections and his decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.” Many will remember her iconic line, “Mister Vice President, I’m speaking,” after being interrupted by the Vice President several times. Like Pence, Harris dodged some questions asked by the moderator. She failed to answer if they would “pack the Supreme Court” if Biden became elected, and didn’t speak about Biden’s health.
Vice President Pence and Senator Harris got the opportunity to express their opinions throughout the Vice Presidential debate. The debate ended on a sweet note, with both candidates talking about unity and what it means to be American. The American people believed that Senator Harris won. US News reported that “59% of voters think the Democratic vice presidential candidate bested Pence, compared to 38% who think Pence outperformed the senator from California.”
The second debate got canceled due to Trump refusing to attend a virtual debate. The final debate on October 22nd had each candidate using different approaches to win over their supporters. President Trump remained calm throughout the debate, with fewer interruptions and insults. Former Vice President Biden kept his collected nature and ignored any blows from Trump. Both performed respectfully compared to the first debate, however, the debate content didn’t change. Based on the statistics from CNN, “53% of voters who watched the debate said that Biden won the matchup, while 39% said that President Donald Trump did.” The debate didn’t have a drastic effect on viewers or the race.
The presidential and vice presidential debates gave insight into the beliefs and values of each administration. Candidates from both debates had their highs and lows, but overall, the American people had the chance to finalize their decision of who they want to lead America for the next four years to come.
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