President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden arrived in Cleveland, Tuesday night, for one of the most highly anticipated campaign events: the first of three scheduled debates between the two contenders. Chris Wallace of Fox News moderated the debate at Case Western Reserve University.
When the debate kicked off, the two candidates did not shake hands due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first 20-minutes of the debate quickly turned into a showdown between Trump and Biden with interruptions and name-calling as the two candidates went head-to-head on issues including the coronavirus crisis, the economy, and the Supreme Court. The debate lasted 90 minutes and was divided into six 15-minute segments.
The first question was about the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Biden believes that the vacancy should not be filled ahead of the election. Trump argued that he had the right to fill the seat before November because the Republican Party had control of the Senate and the White House.
“We won the election. Elections have consequences. We have the Senate, we have the White House, and we have a phenomenal nominee,” Trump said.
He also mentioned that he was not opposed to the Senate confirming the nominee after the election, saying, “I have a lot of time after the election, as you know.”
However, Biden argued that the election had already begun, with millions of people already casting absentee ballots or voting early.
“The American people have a right to have a say in who the Supreme Court nominee is,” Biden said. “They’re not going to get that chance now because we’re in the middle of the election already.”
“We should wait and see what the outcome of this election is,” Biden added, saying that he was “not opposed to the justice” as a person. He raised concerns that she might rule to overturn the Affordable Care Act. “It’s just not appropriate to do this before the election,” Biden said.
Further, into the debate, the coronavirus pandemic was discussed by the two candidates.
Biden said Trump has “no plan” to deal with the coronavirus, which killed 205,000 Americans as of Tuesday. The former vice president said Trump didn’t acknowledge the seriousness of COVID-19 publicly after being briefed on its potential to kill a large number of people.
“How many of you got up this morning and had an empty chair at the kitchen table because someone died of COVID?” Biden said.
Trump talked about his decision to close travel from China. He said governors across the country praised his efforts.
The president said his administration quickly moved to produce masks, ventilators, and other emergency equipment. Trump said a vaccine would be available “very soon.”
During the debate, Wallace asked Trump about a report in the New York Times, which found that the president only paid $750 in income tax in 2017, the year he entered the White House.
“I paid millions of dollars in taxes. Millions of dollars in income tax,” Trump said. He repeated that his tax returns were currently under audit, and said, “As soon as it’s finished, you’ll see it.”
Trump has been saying that his tax returns are under audit by the IRS since the 2016 election, although being under audit doesn’t prohibit the release of tax returns.
Trump claimed that he had also taken advantage of tax policies established by the Trump administration. Biden criticized the tax overhaul passed in 2017 and said that Trump had not handled the economy well during his first term.
“You are the worst president America has ever had, come on,” Biden said.
Biden argued that the president had weakened the country.
“Under this president, we’ve become weaker, sicker, poorer, more divided and more violent,” Biden said. He also called the president “Putin’s puppy,” referring to the Russian president.
Biden criticized the president over reports that he has referred to military service members as “losers” and “suckers.” He referenced his son, Beau Biden, who served in Iraq and died of brain cancer in 2015.
“I don’t know Beau, I know Hunter,” Trump said, referring to Biden’s other son, whom the president has criticized for his ties to a Ukrainian gas firm.
Biden noted that his son Hunter had overcome an addiction problem, and said, “I’m proud of my son.”
Biden urged voters to cast a ballot in whatever way they see fit, whether they submit an absentee ballot or vote in person.
Trump repeated his criticisms of mail-in voting, claiming widespread absentee voting can lead to fraud.
“It’s a rigged election,” Trump said.
The two candidates are scheduled to meet next Wednesday, October 7, for the second debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.
As of Tuesday, it is 35 days until Election Day (Tuesday, November 3).
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