The First Presidential Debate: Political Conversation or Reality Show?
Illustration by Johnny Neville | The Corsair
In what should come as a surprise to no-one, the first presidential debate of 2020 quickly devolved into a chaotic and cringe-worthy symbol of America’s current election climate. As CNN’s Jake Tapper later put it, “That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck. That was the worst debate I have ever seen…It was a disgrace.”
The first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden took place on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. Fox News’ Chris Wallace moderated the debate, which was sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Wallace seemed to lose control of the debate within minutes. He continually asked Trump to abide by the rules both campaigns had agreed upon. “I think that the country would be better served if we’d allow both people to speak with fewer interruptions,” Wallace said. “I’m appealing to you, sir, to do that.” At one point he instructed the president, “Sir, you’re supposed to debate him [Biden], not me.”
The various topics covered during the debate included the Supreme Court, healthcare and the pandemic, the economy, racial and social unrest, climate change, and election integrity.
When asked about replacing the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the election, the president responded, “Elections have consequences. We have the Senate, we have the White House, and we have a phenomenal nominee.”
Biden disagreed, stating, “The American people have a right to say who the Supreme Court nominee is…They’re not going to get that chance now because we’re in the middle of an election that has already started.”
Wallace then pressed Trump on his still-unreleased healthcare plan, stating, “You’ve never come up with a plan to replace Obamacare.” Trump responded, “Of course I have…I’ve already fixed it.”
Trump has attempted to undo the Affordable Care Act since taking office in 2016, including protections for preexisting conditions. Biden instead proposed expanding the act, including the addition of a public option.
Speaking on the coronavirus pandemic, Biden stated the situation in stark terms. “200,000 dead…We in fact have 4% of the world’s population, 20% of the deaths...When [Trump] was presented with that number, he said, ‘It is what it is.’ Well, it is what it is because you are who you are.”
The president responded, “If we would have listened to you…millions of people would have died, not 200,000…Its China’s fault.” Trump also contradicted his own government, claiming, “We’re weeks away from a vaccine.” He then mocked Biden for routinely wearing a mask, while disputing the effectiveness of them without evidence. The president has continually refused to issue a nationwide mask mandate and rarely wears one himself. Just days after the debate, the president tested positive for COVID-19.
On the economy, Trump claimed, “We built the greatest economy in history. We closed it down because of the China plague…[Biden] will destroy this country.” Biden disagreed, “He’s going to be the first president of the United States to leave office having fewer jobs in his administration than when he became president…We handed [Trump] a booming economy. He blew it.”
When asked about his personal taxes, the president responded, “I pay millions of dollars in taxes.” Biden immediately said, “Show us your tax returns.” Despite numerous promises since the 2016 campaign, Trump has never released his tax returns.
On the issue of race in America, Biden stated, “We have never walked away from trying to acquire equity for everyone, and equality for the whole of America. But we’ve never accomplished it.” He then quoted the president’s infamous response to Charlottesville, “‘There were some very fine people, on both sides,’” before commenting, “No president’s ever said anything like that.” Trump fired back, “You called [black people] ‘super predators’. And you’ve called them worse than that.” There is no record of Biden using the term "super-predators."
Trump then asked Biden, “Are you in favor of law and order?” Biden responded, “I’m in favor of law, you following it, and a little bit of order. Of course I’m in favor of law and order. With justice, where people get treated fairly.” The president then said, “If [Biden] ever got to run this country…our suburbs would be gone.” Biden replied, “This is not 1950. All these dog whistles and racism don’t work anymore.”
Wallace asked President Trump whether he was willing to condemn white supremacists, specifically the pro-Trump, neo-fascist group the Proud Boys. The president responded, “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left.” However, Trump’s administration has identified white supremacist terrorism as the biggest domestic threat to America.
When asked why voters should elect him Trump said, “There has never been an administration or president who has done more than I’ve done.” Biden responded to that with, “Under this president, we’ve become weaker, sicker, poorer, more divided, and more violent,” adding, “He’s Putin’s puppy.”
On the issue of climate change, Trump said, “I want crystal clean water and…beautiful clean air…As far as the fires [in California] are concerned, you need forest management.” Currently, the majority of California forestland is owned and maintained by the federal government.
Biden focused on job creation in response to the climate crisis. “We can get to net zero in terms of energy production by 2035… Not only not costing people jobs…[but] creating millions of good-paying jobs.” Biden added, “We spend billions of dollars now…on floods, hurricanes, rising seas. We’re in real trouble…[This] didn’t happen before. It’s because of global warming.”
The president then falsely claimed Biden is a proponent of the Green New Deal, stating, “They want to rip down buildings…they want to take the cows.” Biden responded, “That is simply not the case.”
On the final topic of election integrity, Biden stated, “[Trump’s] own Homeland Security Director, as well as the FBI Director, says there’s no evidence at all that mail-in ballots are a source of being manipulated…Show up and vote, and you will determine the outcome of this election.” The president finished off the debate by claiming, “As far as the ballots are concerned, it’s a disaster…This is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen.”
The debate was widely met with disgust and disappointment. The following day the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that it was adding “additional structure” to the remaining debates, which are now in question due to the president’s contraction of COVID-19.
The next presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15.
