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| Presidential debate live: Trump and Biden face off for first time | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Candidates take debate stage in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the TV showdown | |
| Fact Check | |
| Donald Trump wrongly refuted Joe Biden’s assertion that 100m Americans with pre-existing conditions. | |
| The 100m figure refers to the number of Americans, outside of Medicare and Medicaid, with preexisting conditions. The Affordable Care Act, which Trump and Republican lawmakers have fought and sought to repeal, keeps insurance companies from denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions. | |
| – Maanvi Singh | |
| Biden took issue with Amy Coney Barrett’s past writings about the Affordable Care Act, but he avoided launching any personal attacks against the supreme court nominee. | |
| “I’m not opposed to the justice. She seems like a very fine person,” Biden said. | |
| Trump justified advancing the nomination of Barrett before the election by saying, “I’m not elected for three years. I’m elected for four years.” | |
| When Trump claimed Biden wanted to push the country toward “socialist medicine,” the Democrat emphasized that he is not a socialist. | |
| Biden replied to Trump’s broader attacks against Democrats by saying, “I am the Democratic party right now.” | |
| The first question of the night goes to Trump, and moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News asked about the supreme court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. | |
| Wallace noted Republicans have been criticized for trying to get Barrett confirmed before the election. | |
| Trump justified advancing the nomination by saying “elections have consequences,” referring to his White House victory in 2016, and by pledging Barrett would be “as good as anybody that has served on that court.” | |
| “We won the election, and therefore we have the right to choose her,” Trump said. | |
| Biden responded by saying the results of the upcoming election should determine who nominates the justice to fill the seat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. | |
| “We should wait and see what the outcome of this election is,” Biden said. | |
| Donald Trump and Joe Biden have now taken the debate stage in Cleveland, Ohio. The first presidential debate is officially underway. | |
| Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News opened the debate by noting he chose the topics for tonight’s debate and has not shared the questions with either candidate. | |
| Several of Trump’s family members are not wearing a mask in the debate hall, in apparent violation of Cleveland Clinic rules, a pool reporter noted. | |
| Trump family members, including Ivanka Trump, and Jill Biden have now taken their seats in the Samson Pavilion, with the first question just moments away. | |
| Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News then walked out onto the stage to greet the small audience and explain the debate rules. | |
| Biden has arrived at the Samson Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio, where tonight’s debate will take place. | |
| Both candidates are now at the venue and ready to kick off the first presidential debate, which will begin in about five minutes. | |
| Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News is expected to begin the debate by going over the ground rules for tonight’s event. | |
| Wallace will then launch into his first question, which will be posed to Trump. | |
| Hillary Clinton spoke to MSNBC moments ago, as part of the pre-debate spin for Joe Biden. | |
| The 2016 Democratic nominee said she planned to watch the debate tonight and looked forward to Trump being held accountable for his first term as president. | |
| “I’m going to watch it with real interest and a certain level of expectation because, unlike four years ago, Donald Trump now has a record,” Clinton said. | |
| As the only other person to ever participate in a general election debate against Trump, Clinton urged Biden not to get drawn into the president’s “craziness.” | |
| With a wink toward Trump’s history as a reality television host, Clinton said of the president, “His series is about to be cancelled.” | |
| The first presidential debate is less than 30 minutes away, and Trump is en route to the debate venue in Cleveland, Ohio. | The first presidential debate is less than 30 minutes away, and Trump is en route to the debate venue in Cleveland, Ohio. |
| Tonight’s debate will take place at Samson Pavilion, jointly owned by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. | Tonight’s debate will take place at Samson Pavilion, jointly owned by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. |
| In recent weeks, Trump and his allies have tweeted out videos of Biden’s verbal missteps to argue the former vice-president does not have what it takes to be commander-in-chief. | |
| But the Trump team has been modifying that attack strategy in recent weeks, painting Biden as an experienced debater in an attempt to raise expectations for the Democratic nominee’s performance tonight. | But the Trump team has been modifying that attack strategy in recent weeks, painting Biden as an experienced debater in an attempt to raise expectations for the Democratic nominee’s performance tonight. |
| Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump simultaneously insulted Biden’s intelligence and suggested he had an advantage over the president on the debate stage. | Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Trump simultaneously insulted Biden’s intelligence and suggested he had an advantage over the president on the debate stage. |
| “He’s a dumb guy. Always known as a dumb guy. But we look forward to seeing him in the debate,” Trump said. | “He’s a dumb guy. Always known as a dumb guy. But we look forward to seeing him in the debate,” Trump said. |
| “He’s got a lot more experience. He’s got 47 years. I’ve got three and a half years. So we’ll see. But he’s got 47 years of experience.” | |
| For what it’s worth, when Biden was preparing to debate Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan in 2012, Trump praised the Democratic vice-president as “a seasoned and feisty debater”. | |
| Another topic sure to be brought up tonight: Trump’s tax returns, some of which were obtained by the New York Times. | Another topic sure to be brought up tonight: Trump’s tax returns, some of which were obtained by the New York Times. |
| The Times reported Sunday that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency. | The Times reported Sunday that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency. |
| In a clear attempt to criticize Trump for refusing to release his tax returns, Biden and the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, released their 2019 returns earlier today. | |
| The returns showed that Biden paid nearly $300,000 in federal income taxes last year. It seems very likely Biden will use the release of his tax returns today to attack Trump for lack of transparency with the American people. | The returns showed that Biden paid nearly $300,000 in federal income taxes last year. It seems very likely Biden will use the release of his tax returns today to attack Trump for lack of transparency with the American people. |
| Democratic lawmakers, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, have also argued Trump’s large debt obligations could represent a national security risk. | |
| Pelosi and Schumer have called on Trump to reveal to whom he owes money because they say those parties may have leverage over the US president. | Pelosi and Schumer have called on Trump to reveal to whom he owes money because they say those parties may have leverage over the US president. |
| The debate will have six 15-minute segments. It will run for 90 minutes, with no breaks for commercials. There will be no opening statements, and the first question will go to Trump. | The debate will have six 15-minute segments. It will run for 90 minutes, with no breaks for commercials. There will be no opening statements, and the first question will go to Trump. |
| Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News said he’s hoping to let the debate flow. He isn’t expected to factcheck either candidate – it would be a mammoth, time-consuming task – and has said he will strive to be as “invisible as possible”. | Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News said he’s hoping to let the debate flow. He isn’t expected to factcheck either candidate – it would be a mammoth, time-consuming task – and has said he will strive to be as “invisible as possible”. |
| Wallace was in charge of selecting the six topics, and they were announced by the Commission on Presidential Debates last week. They are: | Wallace was in charge of selecting the six topics, and they were announced by the Commission on Presidential Debates last week. They are: |
| The records of Trump and Biden. | The records of Trump and Biden. |
| The supreme court. | The supreme court. |
| Covid-19. | Covid-19. |
| The economy. | The economy. |
| Race and violence in our cities. | Race and violence in our cities. |
| The integrity of the election. | The integrity of the election. |
| As the president prepares for his first debate of this election cycle, the vice-president is campaigning in the swing state of Pennsylvania. | |
| “People will ask me, ‘How long has the president been preparing for the debate?’” Pence said at a farm in Lititz, Pennsylvania. “All his life.” | “People will ask me, ‘How long has the president been preparing for the debate?’” Pence said at a farm in Lititz, Pennsylvania. “All his life.” |
| The vice-president later added: “After you see the debate tonight, you’ll forget I was even here.” | |
| According to CNN, Trump did less than two hours of debate prep total for tonight’s event, while Biden has been largely off the campaign trail in recent days to prepare for the debate. | According to CNN, Trump did less than two hours of debate prep total for tonight’s event, while Biden has been largely off the campaign trail in recent days to prepare for the debate. |
| In his remarks, Pence also attacked Biden, arguing the Democratic nominee would be “nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left”. | |
| According to two recent polls, Biden has a nine-point lead among likely voters in Pennsylvania, which Trump won by less than one point in 2016. | |
| With about an hour to go until the start of the debate, Joe Biden has sent a tweet mocking Trump’s recent attacks against him. | With about an hour to go until the start of the debate, Joe Biden has sent a tweet mocking Trump’s recent attacks against him. |
| Tweeting a photo of Apple earbuds and Jeni’s ice-cream, the Democratic nominee said, “It’s debate night, so I’ve got my earpiece and performance enhancers ready.” | |
| The tweet was a clear jab at Trump, who has suggested (without evidence) that Biden may take drugs or use an earpiece tonight to boost his debate performance. | The tweet was a clear jab at Trump, who has suggested (without evidence) that Biden may take drugs or use an earpiece tonight to boost his debate performance. |
| The Jeni’s ice-cream was also a bit of an homage to Ohio, where tonight’s debate is taking place. The ice-cream company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. | |
| Hello, live blog readers, and welcome to the first presidential debate. | Hello, live blog readers, and welcome to the first presidential debate. |
| Donald Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to take the debate stage at 9pm ET in Cleveland, Ohio, for their first face-off of this election cycle. | Donald Trump and Joe Biden are scheduled to take the debate stage at 9pm ET in Cleveland, Ohio, for their first face-off of this election cycle. |
| The debate will be unlike others in recent years because of the coronavirus pandemic. The two presidential nominees have been instructed not to shake hands, and the debate audience will be severely limited. | The debate will be unlike others in recent years because of the coronavirus pandemic. The two presidential nominees have been instructed not to shake hands, and the debate audience will be severely limited. |
| The debate may also be uniquely contentious, given the attacks the two campaigns have launched against each other in recent weeks. | The debate may also be uniquely contentious, given the attacks the two campaigns have launched against each other in recent weeks. |
| In the hours leading up to the debate, the Trump campaign peddled baseless claims that Biden may take drugs or use an earpiece to boost his performance tonight. | In the hours leading up to the debate, the Trump campaign peddled baseless claims that Biden may take drugs or use an earpiece to boost his performance tonight. |
| The Biden campaign replied by accusing the Trump team of trying to distract from the substance of the debate out of concerns about the president’s performance. | The Biden campaign replied by accusing the Trump team of trying to distract from the substance of the debate out of concerns about the president’s performance. |
| The nominees may repeat those attacks when they take the stage, so moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News will probably have his work cut out for him. | The nominees may repeat those attacks when they take the stage, so moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News will probably have his work cut out for him. |
| The candidates will take the stage in a little over an hour, so stay tuned. | The candidates will take the stage in a little over an hour, so stay tuned. |