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| Biden and Sanders confront coronavirus crisis in first one-on-one debate | Biden and Sanders confront coronavirus crisis in first one-on-one debate |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Democrats face off in TV studio without audience, standing far apart and bumping elbows instead of shaking hands | Democrats face off in TV studio without audience, standing far apart and bumping elbows instead of shaking hands |
| Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders auditioned in real time for the job of president on Sunday night during the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic primary, as the world confronts the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic and American public health officials warn that the worst is yet to come. | Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders auditioned in real time for the job of president on Sunday night during the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic primary, as the world confronts the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic and American public health officials warn that the worst is yet to come. |
| The debate was dominated by an extended, substantive discussion centered on the fast-escalating national emergency over the coronavirus. Both candidates were sharply critical of Donald Trump’s response to the crisis. As of Sunday night, the US had 3,244 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 62 reported deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. | |
| “Well, the first thing we have got to do, whether or not I’m president, is to shut this president up right now,” Sanders said. “He’s undermining the doctors and the scientists who are trying to help the American people. It is unacceptable for him to be blathering unfactual information, which is confusing the general public.” | |
| The two-hour primetime, hosted by CNN and Univision, took place as viewers across the nation retreated into their homes amid disruptive, even draconian, efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus. Hours earlier, New York City had ordered public schools closed; California had asked bars to shutter, and the Federal Reserve announced it was slashing interest rates to near zero. | |
| As the debate opened, the US Centers for Disease Control published an advisory on its website recommending that events of 50 people or more be cancelled or postponed for the next eight weeks throughout the United States. | |
| The debate itself was relocated from a convention center in Phoenix to a television studio in Washington to limit unnecessary travel and exposure. There was no live audience, press filing center or spin room. And ahead of the event, the Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, a moderator who may have been exposed to the virus, bowed out as a precautionary measure. | The debate itself was relocated from a convention center in Phoenix to a television studio in Washington to limit unnecessary travel and exposure. There was no live audience, press filing center or spin room. And ahead of the event, the Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, a moderator who may have been exposed to the virus, bowed out as a precautionary measure. |
| Biden and Sanders both said they would deploy the US military to help confront the coronavirus crisis, a step Trump has not yet taken but that senior administration officials have said is on the table. | |
| “This is like a war,” Biden said. “And in a war, you do whatever is needed to be done to take care of your people.” | |
| In a sign of the times, the candidates, both septuagenarians at higher risk of getting sick from this virus, bumped elbows instead of shaking hands and their podiums were arranged noticeably far apart. | |
| Sanders used the crisis and warnings about how the shortcomings in the American healthcare system will affect the nation’s response to highlight his signature policy issue, Medicare for All. | |
| Biden said a single-payer healthcare system is not the solution, pointing to Italy, where the outbreak has overwhelmed the country’s national health services. | |
| The race has changed dramatically since the Democrats’ last debate before the South Carolina primary three weeks ago, when Sanders was winning early contests as Biden verged on collapse. In a sharp reversal of fortunes, Biden stepped on to the debate stage as the frontrunner while Sanders fought for the future of his candidacy. | The race has changed dramatically since the Democrats’ last debate before the South Carolina primary three weeks ago, when Sanders was winning early contests as Biden verged on collapse. In a sharp reversal of fortunes, Biden stepped on to the debate stage as the frontrunner while Sanders fought for the future of his candidacy. |
| After rebounding in remarkable fashion, Biden now leads Sanders by roughly 150 delegates after a second consecutive week of commanding primary victories. A strong showing on Tuesday - when Illinois, Ohio, Arizona and Florida will go to the polls to vote for their preferred candidate - could all but guarantee Biden’s ascent to the nomination to face Donald Trump in the November election. | After rebounding in remarkable fashion, Biden now leads Sanders by roughly 150 delegates after a second consecutive week of commanding primary victories. A strong showing on Tuesday - when Illinois, Ohio, Arizona and Florida will go to the polls to vote for their preferred candidate - could all but guarantee Biden’s ascent to the nomination to face Donald Trump in the November election. |
| This week, Sanders telegraphed his intention to press Biden on a laundry list of proposals, including healthcare, climate change, student debt, immigration and wealth inequality. | This week, Sanders telegraphed his intention to press Biden on a laundry list of proposals, including healthcare, climate change, student debt, immigration and wealth inequality. |
| Ahead of the debate, Biden extended an olive branch to the party’s left wing, adopting a bankruptcy reform plan introduced by his former rival Elizabeth Warren and expanding his higher education platform to move closer to Sanders’ proposal to eliminate college tuition at all two- and four-year public colleges for students regardless of income. In a statement, Sanders said the plan did not go far enough. | Ahead of the debate, Biden extended an olive branch to the party’s left wing, adopting a bankruptcy reform plan introduced by his former rival Elizabeth Warren and expanding his higher education platform to move closer to Sanders’ proposal to eliminate college tuition at all two- and four-year public colleges for students regardless of income. In a statement, Sanders said the plan did not go far enough. |
| The candidates sought to strike a delicate balance between debating the issues and addressing the urgent health crisis gripping the nation. At one point, they sparred over | |
| Asked what preventative measures the septuagenarians are taking to guard against the virus, both emphasized their good health and said they had not displayed any of the underlying symptoms. | |
| “I wash my hands God knows how many times a day,” Biden said. | |
| “I’m not shaking hands,” Sanders said, noting that he held a “fireside chat” from his home on Sunday instead of a rally. |