First Trump-Biden US presidential debate described as a 'hot mess' and 'depressing 90 minutes'

TV encounter likely to go down as a low point in US presidential debate history

WASHINGTON • United States President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden were set to campaign in three US states that will play a key role in the November election yesterday, the morning after a chaotic debate marked by interruptions and recriminations.

The first of three televised matchups represented one of Mr Trump's few remaining chances to change the trajectory of a race that most national opinion polls show him losing, as the majority of Americans disapprove of his handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and protests over racial injustice.

Mr Trump and Mr Biden nodded politely to each other at the start. But from the opening question by moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News, the tension was unmistakable and the clashing quickly got out of hand. What resulted is likely to go down as one of the low points in US presidential debate history.

Mr Trump's frequent interruptions and personal barbs during the roughly 90-minute showdown were the personification of his re-election strategy, which has focused largely on exciting a core group of die-hard supporters who revel in his willingness to insult and shock while giving no ground.

But Mr Biden's weighted assaults made clear that the challenger was not going to wilt as the two rivals engaged in a verbal slugfest the likes of which US voters have not seen on the modern debate stage.

NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt said the debate was "a low point in political discourse".

Dr Richard Haass, president of US think-tank Council on Foreign Relations, said: "That was the most discouraging, most depressing, most troubling 90 minutes I can recall. If you are not worried about the future of this country, you were not watching."

CNN's Jake Tapper said of the debate: "That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck... The American people lost."

The insults featured heavily during a chaotic encounter in which Mr Trump often talked over Mr Biden and Mr Wallace.

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The tone of the debate was set early, as a question about the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg set off a back-and-forth between the candidates that quickly turned personal.

Mr Biden, who has refused to answer the question of whether he supports expanding the Supreme Court, was consistently cut off by Mr Trump as he tried to answer a question. He initially ignored Mr Trump's interruptions, but after the President said, "He's not going to answer the question", Mr Biden hit back: "I'm not going to answer the question."

As Mr Biden tried to restart his explanation, the President cut him off again, and the Democratic nominee shot back: "Will you shut up, man? This is so un-presidential."

During another exchange on the topic of Mr Trump's tax history, the US President cut Mr Biden off as the former vice-president argued that the current administration's tax cuts had been ill advised, saying that Mr Biden's long career in public service should have produced the improvements he sought.

Mr Biden responded with a blunt retort: "You're the worst president America has ever had."

Mr Trump retorted that "in 47 months, I've done more than you have in 47 years", referring to his rival's career in Washington.

Mr Biden even called the President a "clown" - twice.

At one point, he apparently thought better of it. "It's hard to get any word in with this clown, excuse me, this person," he said, during their exchange about taxes.

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On Twitter and at campaign rallies, Mr Trump, 74, has called Mr Biden "Sleepy Joe", an apparent dig at the 77-year-old Democrat's vitality. He did not use the nickname on Tuesday. But in their first debate, Mr Trump had plenty of disparaging things to say about his rival, whom he trails in national opinion polls ahead of the Nov 3 election.

The President brought up Mr Biden's son's struggles with drugs and mocked his opponent's academic performance at the University of Delaware where, according to the Washington Post, Mr Biden graduated 506th in a class of 688.

"He was the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word smart with me," Mr Trump said. "Because you know what, there's nothing smart about you, Joe."

Mr Trump also suggested that Mr Biden could not drum up enough interest to hold large in-person rallies, when Mr Biden criticised him for flouting social distancing rules at events.

During a segment on race relations, Mr Wallace asked Mr Trump whether he would denounce white supremacists. Mr Trump answered only with an ambivalent comment on the "Proud Boys" - a white supremacist group which held a gathering in Portland last week. "Proud Boys stand by, stand back, but somebody has to do something about (the far left anti-fascist network) Antifa," he said.

He also declined to say he would accept the election results, repeating his unfounded assertion that widespread voting by mail would lead to massive fraud.

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Mr Trump was set to spend yesterday in Minnesota with a fund-raiser in the afternoon before a rally in Duluth. Mr Biden and his wife, Jill, were to embark on a train tour through six cities in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, including counties that Mr Trump won four years ago on the strength of working-class white voters.

Until Tuesday, Mr Biden still led Mr Trump by some seven points in nationwide polls. More than a million Americans are already casting early ballots and time is running out to change minds or influence undecided voters.

Meanwhile, election betting odds on Betfair Exchange, the operator of the world's largest online betting bourse, showed Mr Biden's probability of winning at 60 per cent, up from 56 per cent before the debate. Mr Trump has a 40 per cent probability of victory.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 01, 2020, with the headline First Trump-Biden US presidential debate described as a 'hot mess' and 'depressing 90 minutes'. Subscribe