The first presidential debate of 2020 was highly anticipated coming out of an unprecedented six months. The first debate of three, Former Vice President and Democratic candidate Joe Biden faced Republican candidate President Donald Trump.
The debate was hosted at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Moderator Chris Wallace had his hands full with the two candidates as he posed questions concerning the five main points discussed below.
Candidates’ Records
Trump began by listing his administration’s successes, adding that he will have appointed 300 judges by the end of his term. Biden responded that under Trump, the nation has become more divided.
Regarding climate change, Trump said he wants clean air and clean water, and he said leaving the “disastrous” Paris Agreement was necessary. Trump further called for better forest management, which he said would help prevent future forest fires like the ones currently burning in California. Biden said as president he would make the federal fleet electric and weatherize four million buildings. Additionally, he said his green infrastructure will create many jobs, and he will rejoin the Paris Agreement.
Supreme Court
Trump said he has a respected and well educated justice lined up to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and continued to say he has the right to appoint her because it is within his four-year term. Biden said he is not opposed to the selected justice, but believes confirming a new justice before the election is not appropriate. When asked if Biden would “pack the court,” he did not respond with a clear answer.
The Supreme Court will hear a case one week after the election about the fate of Obamacare. Trump said he would like to end Obamacare because, “no matter how well run, it is a disaster.” Additionally, Trump said drug prices will come down if he is re-elected. Biden refuted these claims and responded that Trump has no plan for healthcare.
COVID-19
Biden said Trump has no plan to address the coronavirus moving forward, and that Trump’s decision to refrain from telling the public about the severity of the virus was not to avoid public panic, but because Trump was panicking himself. Biden continued and said there is a need for government funding so schools and businesses can reopen. Trump said his closing of the country early, something Biden disagreed with at the time, saved many lives. He said Biden could not have performed as well as him in addressing the pandemic, and recalled Biden’s leadership during the swine flu, which killed at least 14,000 Americans. To date, COVID-19 has killed over 200,000 Americans.
Regarding a coronavirus vaccine, Trump said it is a “very political thing” and could happen quicker than we think. Additionally, he said Biden wants to keep the country shut down, which would hurt the economy more. Biden said he wants to reopen once the U.S. has the proper funding. The coronavirus topic concluded on the discussion of how each candidate has campaigned. Trump said he has had no issues with his rallies, many of which he said are held outdoors, though Biden said Trump has been irresponsible in holding largely populated events without proper COVID-19 precautions.
Economy
Trump said that leading up to the coronavirus, he built “the greatest economy.” He said Biden wants to shut the country down again, which “will destroy the country” and said it’s unfair to those states who remain unopened. Biden responded and said the rich, like Trump, have “done well” but those in small towns are not doing as well. He said Trump cannot fix the economy until he fixes the coronavirus. Biden cited the net job loss that has occurred during Trump’s term as the reason why the Trump administration has negatively affected the economy. Trump responded to Biden by saying if Biden was in office things would be much worse.
On education amid the pandemic, Biden said schools aren’t open due to a lack of funding, as it does not fall under the national emergency umbrella. Trump responded plainly saying that Americans want the country to be open again.
Racism & Civil Unrest
Biden says he has never walked away from the values that contribute to ending racism, but Trump has. He said Trump throws the military and tear gas into peaceful protests, and that he tries to generate race division. He said Trump’s actions in office have been detrimental for Black community. Trump responded by saying Biden called Black Americans “super predators” in 1994. Trump said Biden has no law enforcement support and will not address law and order because he would lose the radical left. At one point during this segment, Wallace asked President Trump to disavow white supremacicsts to which Trump replied “stand back and stand by.”
If elected, Biden says he will call together groups to work towards transparency and accountability. In answering the question of why he recently attempted to end racial sensitivity training, Trump said the programs were racist themselves and are teaching “radical lessons.” Biden responded that individuals need to be aware of what is insensitive in order to defeat racism. Biden said he supports the police, but they need more assistance so they don’t feel the need to use force. Regarding protests turning violent in several cities, Biden says he does not currently hold office, but he has made clear that violence should be prosecuted. Trump responded that he wants to see peace.
For a complete look at fact-checking of the first Presidential debate, click here. To see the complete platforms of both candidates, visit the Biden campaign website and Trump campaign website.
A Vice Presidential Debate will be held on Oct. 7 between Democratic nominee for Vice President Senator Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Vice President Mike Pence.