We should keep these details in mind after the election.
By Bela Chandler ’23
I am sure many people watched the debates. The main consensus on the first debate was that it was either entertaining or too painful to watch. But, for those that want a recap or didn’t watch, here are the main points of interest.
To start off on a positive note, NPR says “that was maybe the worst presidential debate in American history.” But interruptions and chaos aside, let’s get down to the facts.
From the beginning, Trump’s tactics were clear: to take power over the conversation and to make it personal. Biden, however, used the audience and camera to talk directly to the people.
The topics of discussion were: The Trump and Biden Records, The Supreme Court, Covid-19, The Economy, Race and Violence in our Cities and The Integrity of the Election (debates.org). Here’s a quick summary from each of them.
The Supreme Court. Trump said that Amy Coney Barret “will be outstanding” and that Democrats would do the same thing in response to the fact that he is nominating her so close to an election. Biden didn’t argue against Barret but said that he wanted to “wait and see what the outcome of election was” so that the people could express their views (statenews.com). One of the most repeated and iconic lines from the debate is from Biden. Fed up with Trump’s interruptions, he finally said, “Will you shut up, man?” Trump, however, continued to talk when the moderator finally announced the end of the segment. To this, Biden said, “That was a really productive segment wasn’t it? Keep yapping, man.”
COVID-19. There were arguments about the amount of time before a vaccine would be released. Trump said that a vaccine is “weeks away,” whereas Biden said that it won’t be distributed until next year. Biden also criticized Trump’s actions with the virus so far, and Trump says that he wants to loosen restrictions with the Coronavirus.
The Economy. A great topic of interest has been Trump’s taxes. While he claimed to have paid “millions of dollars in taxes” the New York Times found that he only paid $750. On the other hand, Biden has paid nearly $300,000 in federal income tax (statenews.com). In this segment, Trump also claims that the economy has been great (despite the virus). However, Biden says that the people that have benefited have been “millionaires and billionaires like him” due to his tax plan (fortune.com).
Race and Violence. Here, both Biden and Trump targeted each other, as they tend to do. Biden said Trump had no support for Black communities and Trump talked about Biden’s 1994 crime bill. Trump also attempted to describe his reasons for the order he signed that cut funding to training programs dedicated to anti-racism. Then, in one of the most prominent lines of the night, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy and told the Proud Boys (a far-right group known for their violent history) to “stand back and stand by” (vox.com). They have now changed their social media logo to the phrase.
Election Integrity. Trump’s main point was how the voting system is messed up and inaccurate. Biden said he would support the outcome of election and focused on the safety of mail balloting (latimes.com). Foreign influence was also discussed. Trump brought up Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, saying the company he was a part of benefited off of foreign money.
So who won?
Works Cited:
Wiles, Griffin, and Josh Valiquette. “1st Presidential Debate Recap with Analysis and Fact-Check.” 1st Presidential Debate Recap with Analysis and Fact-Check – The State News, 2 Oct. 2020, statenews.com/article/2020/10/debate-analysis-presidential-race-2020?ct=content_open.
Mashayekhi, Rey. “Trump and Biden Joust over Their Economic Records in First Presidential Debate.” Fortune, Fortune, 30 Sept. 2020, fortune.com/2020/09/29/trump-biden-debate-economy-unemployment-stock-market/.
“Moderator Announces Topics for First Presidential Debate.” CPD: Moderator Announces Topics for First Presidential Debate, www.debates.org/2020/09/22/moderator-announces-topics-for-first-presidential-debate-2/.
Cineas, Fabiola. “The Debate’s Segment on Race Was Doomed before It Even Began.” Vox, Vox, 30 Sept. 2020, www.vox.com/2020/9/30/21494162/presidential-debate-donald-trump-race-and-violence.