The first presidential debate was at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. The moderator was Chris Wallace from Fox News. His questioning covered topics from Supreme Court nominees, healthcare, and racial justice.
Chris Wallace struggled to control the two candidates. The campaigns of both Trump and Biden agreed to two minutes to answer each question. After the first question, both candidates forgot because both candidates were constantly interrupting each other.
The debate included insults between the candidates
Joe Biden became frustrated with Trump for constantly interrupting.
Biden told the president to “shut up.” This statement happened close to the beginning of the debate.
Biden continued with his insults of the president. Washington Times reported, Biden said, “you’re the worst president America has ever had.” There was no respect between either candidate. This interaction continued throughout the night. It did not matter the question asked by the moderator.
Trump would interrupt, and Biden would get frustrated. At one point, Biden said, “Folks, do you have any idea what this clown’s doing?” Trump would badger Biden when he would not answer or deflected a question, the incumbent campaigns on his record as President. The other candidate tries to prove how he would be different.
He must have a plan and talk about the issues that affect America.
The debate on the issues
The debate started with the nomination for the Supreme Court. Biden went against it because the election has already started. Trump supports it because the Constitution is clear to the nomination process.
Biden wanted the American people to decide who sits on the Supreme Court through the election.
Trump claimed that the people had decided when they voted for him and the Republican Senate. They have confirmed Supreme Court nominees in election years in the past when both the Senate and president are the same party.
The importance of this nomination could decide the future of Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. The actual name of Obamacare.
The Supreme Court has a case on its calendar that might affect Obamacare.
Biden wants to expand the Affordable Care Act. The case could dismantle the act. Biden would have to start over on a new healthcare package.
Trump stopped the mandatory mandate from Obamacare. People had to pay for insurance without signing up for the program. The Supreme Court overturned this mandate.
Trump claimed that Biden was catering to the left on his healthcare proposals. The Washington Times reported, Trump said, “You’re going to extinguish 180 million people with private health care.” The government will absorb the private health care industry, leading to a whole industry to disappear.
Joe Biden was in the Senate before being a vice-president for Barack Obama.
He was on the Judiciary Committee chair while in the Senate. He sponsored the 1994 crime bill.
The bill introduced sentencing guidelines and increased penalties for different crimes—the objective of this bill to bitter debates about its merits. The bill has affected people of color more than other races.
During the passage, Trump accused Biden of calling the criminals "super-predators". Trump inferred that he was getting "people of super color predators". Trump touted his prison reform bill and opportunity zones.
This program helps criminals leave prison early before their sentence is complete. The people are free, but the charges are still on their record. The other program was opportunity zones.
These zones were in low-income areas. This program helped by allowing companies to start or open up businesses with tax breaks or other incentives. This created jobs in the inner cities and led to the lowest black unemployment in the nation’s history.
When Biden answered questions about race relations, he countered with a story he has told during his speeches. The story of Charlottesville. The torch-wielding, neck bulging thugs coming into the town to stop the people of color.
Trump has had to defend himself time after time against this allegation. The narrative is that he praised the racist group, saying that there were fine people on both sides. The media and Joe Biden leave out the most important part where he condoned white supremacy.
Trump referred to the fine people who were peacefully protesting for and against the tearing down of the statue of General Lee.
Another issue that arose was the packing of the Supreme Court. When Amy Cohen Barrett got nominated, Democrats were calling to expand the Supreme Court. Packing of the Supreme Court means that you will expand the court to include justices with similar political views.
The composition of the Supreme Court is three liberal and four conservative justices. The new nomination will increase the conservatives on the court to six. Trump badgered Biden about not answering the question.
Biden would not answer the question. He explained that once he decided, he would announce it.
The election is a month away, and Biden does not have an answer for an issue where his fellow democrats have called for packing the Supreme Court. A presidential candidate should have a solution for every scenario this close to the election.
The aftermath of the debate
The debate was a fiasco. Politico reported in their headline calling the debate “a train wreck.” CNN agreed with the statement, taking the description even further. Washington Times reported that Jake Tapper of CNN said, “a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck.”
Chris Wallace did his best to moderate. This debate was of two strong-willed opponents. They both were trying to get their message out to the American public.
Trump touted his record as President. Biden was not specific enough on any policies other than the green new deal. The debate led to more questions than answers.
