On September 29, 2020 (US time) the first presidential debate between President Donald J. Trump and his challenger Joe Biden took place in Cleveland, moderated by the well-respected Chris Wallace of Fox News. Here just a few impressions.
Only at times, Donald Trump tried to show his serious face. It was (partly) a different Trump. At times, he tried to focus, bring a clear message through. For people who do not follow the president and his lies on a daily basis, Trump looked (relatively) serious only in a few instances. Trump was very disruptive, probably especially when he thought that Biden had a point.
Trump shot below the belt. Donald Trump about Joe Biden: “You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don’t ever use the word smart with me. Don’t ever use that word. Because you know what? There’s nothing smart about you, Joe. Forty-seven years you’ve done nothing.”
President Trump repeated false accusations that Biden had claimed that he went to Delaware State University, the only historically Black university in Biden’s home state. Trump: “So you said you went to Delaware State but you forgot the name of your college? You didn’t go to Delaware State.”
That was a Trump lie. Joe Biden went to school at the University of Delaware. He never claimed that he attended Delaware State. He has said that he got his “start” there, meaning he announced his first Senate campaign in 1972 at the Black university.
Joe Biden attacked Donald Trump on his handling of the COVDI19 pandemic: “This is the same man who told you by Easter this would be gone away, by the warm weather it would be gone miraculously like a miracle”. Joe Biden added: “And by the way maybe you can inject some bleach in your arm and that would take care of it.”
Donald Trump responded immediately with a lie (he was serious when he asked during a White House briefing in April to explore the possibility of injecting desinfectant in the body to fight COVID19): “That was said sarcastically and you know that. That was said sarcastically.”
Joe Biden (rightly) said that Donald Trump was a “liar”. A fact. The former vice-president also called the president a “clown”. Was that latter remark helpful, lowering himself to the level of Trump?
Donald Trump, asked by Chris Wallace whether it was true (New York Times article) that he paid only $750 in 2016 and 2017, said: “I paid millions of dollars in taxes…” Joe Biden: “Show us your tax returns.”
Joe Biden said, Trump talks about “The Art of the Deal” all the time, but we have a higher trade deficit now than before. True. Donald Trump said, the Obama/Biden administration gave up on manufacturing, they said it was impossible to bring back manufacturing jobs to the USA but he, Trump, brought back 700.000 manufacturing jobs to the US. Indeed, he brought some jobs back, but it was a limited success.
Joe Biden said that his son had served one year in Iraq and earned a Bronze Star, referring to the reported (and repeated) remarks by Donald Trump about “loosers” and “suckers”. Donald Trump said: “Hunter Biden was dishonorably discharged for cocaine use.” It is a fact that Hunter Biden failed a drug test. Joe Biden defended his son and said he had had a drug problem but got over it.
Joe Biden said he would apply to rejoin the Paris accord on his first day as president and then “lead an effort to get every major country to ramp up the ambition of their domestic climate targets.”
At times, Joe Biden lost the plot, did not have a clear message. But overall, he resisted the Donald Trump onslaught better than Hillary Clinton four years ago. Trump used to be a reality-TV star, one of the rare businesses where he was “successful”. He is a master at stirring up controversy, emotions.
Overall, the “debate” was pretty dreadful. With (mainly) Donald Trump constantly interrupting Joe Biden. Often, you could not hear what they were trying to say. A truly serious discussion would be needed. How can you choose the leader of the free world based on such a vicious debate? Chris Wallace had a truly hard time.
Will this debate change the race to the White House? No. What matters are the interconnected two policy fields: (the state of) the economy and the fight against the pandemic. So far, it does not look good for President Trump. Voter mobilization by the two political camps will be key.
Suggested reading / book: Jules Witcover: Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption, 2019, 576 pages. Order the paperback written by political columnist and veteran Washington correspondent Jules Witcover (*1927) from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk. Order the Kindle eBook from Amazon.com.
Article added on September 30, 2020 at 03:59 Madeira time.
