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| Presidential debate live: Donald Trump tries to steamroll Joe Biden in chaotic clash | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Candidates faced off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the bitterly personal showdown | Candidates faced off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the bitterly personal showdown |
| White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was at least pleased with some of the post-debate coverage last night. | |
| One of the segments making the most headlines this morning is the president of the United States refusing to condemn white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys, and contradicting his own FBI director over whether they pose a domestic terrorism threat. Here’s that exchange again: | |
| Well, Politico’s John F. Harris hasn’t minced his words in the opening to his analysis of last night’s debate. | |
| It’s perhaps a little bit of a hyperbolic reaction. He goes on to squarely blame the president: | |
| Harris ultimately calls into question the utility of the current debate format with the current candidates as part of the election process. | |
| Read it here: Politico – An epic moment of national shame: the debate was an embarrassment for the ages | |
| CBS News, along with many others, polled voters immediately after the debate. Their panel represented pretty accurately the national split in support of the two candidates, with 48% saying Biden won, while 41% thought Trump was the winner. 10% called it a tie. | |
| But what leapt out from the figures were how unhappy the audience were as a whole with the debate. CBS News report that more than eight in 10 voters who watched describe the debate’s tone as negative, including majorities of each candidate’s supporters. And there’s this: | |
| This sort of exchange, where faced with a barrage of interruptions Joe Biden eventually retorts “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential” is maybe a clue as to why people ended up feeling this way | |
| Our Daniel Strauss in Washington DC has pulled together his key takeaways from last night: | |
| The debate was a mess, largely of Trump’s making – moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News was unable to rein in the candidates and that meant Donald Trump was mostly free to interrupt, make false claims, rant and violate the previously agreed structure and rules of the debate. | |
| When asked if he would denounce groups like the Proud Boys and other white supremacy organizations, Trump refused to do it. | |
| It got very personal – Biden was clearly exasperated and struggling to keep his cool. “Will you shut up man?” Biden said at one point as Trump repeatedly tried to speak over him. | |
| There were non-answers on policy questions – Trump was pressed on what his plan is to replace Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), Biden didn’t give a definitive answer on whether he supported calls to add seats to the supreme court. | |
| Biden wanted to talk to the American people, Trump wanted to talk to his base. | |
| Read it in full here: A mess of Trump’s making: key takeaways from the first presidential debate | |
| “Donald Trump set the tone for a brawl that offered a bleak picture of American democracy” – that’s how we have headed our panel verdict on last night’s debate. It features Lloyd Green, Derecka Purnell, Geoffrey Kabaservice and Art Cullen. | “Donald Trump set the tone for a brawl that offered a bleak picture of American democracy” – that’s how we have headed our panel verdict on last night’s debate. It features Lloyd Green, Derecka Purnell, Geoffrey Kabaservice and Art Cullen. |
| Kabaservice, director of political studies at the Niskanen Center in Washington DC, said there were ‘no winners’: | Kabaservice, director of political studies at the Niskanen Center in Washington DC, said there were ‘no winners’: |
| Derecka Purnell, social movement lawyer and DC-based writer, said: | Derecka Purnell, social movement lawyer and DC-based writer, said: |
| Lloyd Green has picked up on moderator Wallace’s performance, which has been widely cirticised: | Lloyd Green has picked up on moderator Wallace’s performance, which has been widely cirticised: |
| Art Cullen, editor of the Storm Lake Times in Iowa, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, called it as a firm victory for the Democratic nominee. | Art Cullen, editor of the Storm Lake Times in Iowa, where he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, called it as a firm victory for the Democratic nominee. |
| Read it here: The first 2020 presidential debate: our panelists’ verdict | Read it here: The first 2020 presidential debate: our panelists’ verdict |
| Trailing in the national polls, Donald Trump needed to land blows in last night’s debate, but even Fox News have been a little lukewarm in their reception to his performance in places. In an opinion piece, Liz Peek writes: | Trailing in the national polls, Donald Trump needed to land blows in last night’s debate, but even Fox News have been a little lukewarm in their reception to his performance in places. In an opinion piece, Liz Peek writes: |
| Read it here: Fox News – First presidential debate leaves no clear winner, Trump needs to do this at next faceoff | Read it here: Fox News – First presidential debate leaves no clear winner, Trump needs to do this at next faceoff |
| This is Martin Belam taking over the blog in London – you can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com | This is Martin Belam taking over the blog in London – you can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com |
| That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. My colleague Martin Belam will take it from here. | That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan, for today. My colleague Martin Belam will take it from here. |
| I leave you with CBS political analyst (and former debate host) John Dickerson’s take on the debate. | I leave you with CBS political analyst (and former debate host) John Dickerson’s take on the debate. |
| “When the stakes were that high, the debate couldn’t have been lower,” he says: | “When the stakes were that high, the debate couldn’t have been lower,” he says: |
| Here is the full story from my colleagues Kari Paul and Lois Beckett on how the Trump was received at watch parties in California: | Here is the full story from my colleagues Kari Paul and Lois Beckett on how the Trump was received at watch parties in California: |
| After recording in the early hours UK time and with, he says, his “jaw somewhere close to the floor”, the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland discusses the highlights and lowlights of the debate with Guardian columnist Richard Wolffe on this today’s episode Politics Weekly Extra: | After recording in the early hours UK time and with, he says, his “jaw somewhere close to the floor”, the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland discusses the highlights and lowlights of the debate with Guardian columnist Richard Wolffe on this today’s episode Politics Weekly Extra: |
| Van Jones, the CNN political contributor and CEO of the organisation Reform, which advocates for criminal justice reform, said: | Van Jones, the CNN political contributor and CEO of the organisation Reform, which advocates for criminal justice reform, said: |
| “The commander in chief refused to condemn white supremacy on the global stage in front of my children, in front of everybody’s families. And he was given the opportunity many times to defend white supremacy.” | “The commander in chief refused to condemn white supremacy on the global stage in front of my children, in front of everybody’s families. And he was given the opportunity many times to defend white supremacy.” |
| Here is our story on that moment from the debate: | Here is our story on that moment from the debate: |
| The New York Times headline for Wednesday 30 September puts the blame for that chaotic debate on Trump, while the Washington Post’s subheading reads: “Trump interrupts, jeers ceaselessly.” | The New York Times headline for Wednesday 30 September puts the blame for that chaotic debate on Trump, while the Washington Post’s subheading reads: “Trump interrupts, jeers ceaselessly.” |
| One of the moments that stands out from the debate is Biden’s response to Trump’s attacks on his son Hunter. | One of the moments that stands out from the debate is Biden’s response to Trump’s attacks on his son Hunter. |
| Here is some of that exchange, in which Trump quickly moved the conversation away from Biden bringing up the president’s previous criticism of US soldiers as “suckers” and “losers”. | Here is some of that exchange, in which Trump quickly moved the conversation away from Biden bringing up the president’s previous criticism of US soldiers as “suckers” and “losers”. |
| Hunter Biden was not dishonourably discharged, but he was discharged from the Navy Reserve after he failed a drug test. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 when he was 46. | Hunter Biden was not dishonourably discharged, but he was discharged from the Navy Reserve after he failed a drug test. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 when he was 46. |
| The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany: | The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany: |
| CNN’s Eric Bradner: | CNN’s Eric Bradner: |
| Here is Guardian political correspondent Lauren Gambino’s story on tonight’s debate: | Here is Guardian political correspondent Lauren Gambino’s story on tonight’s debate: |
| Hi, Helen Sullivan joining you now. | Hi, Helen Sullivan joining you now. |
| I’ll be bringing you analysis of and reactions to the debate for the next while. If you have questions, facts you’d liked checked or have news you think we should see, get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan. | I’ll be bringing you analysis of and reactions to the debate for the next while. If you have questions, facts you’d liked checked or have news you think we should see, get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan. |
| That’s it from us tonight. My colleague Helen Sullivan will be providing more analysis of the first presidential debate for the next while. | That’s it from us tonight. My colleague Helen Sullivan will be providing more analysis of the first presidential debate for the next while. |
| Here are some of the key takeaways from the night: | Here are some of the key takeaways from the night: |
| The debate turned into a chaotic mess, largely because of Trump’s constant interruptions. The president consistently interrupted Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, creating an unproductive stream of crosstalk with little substantive discussion of policy. | The debate turned into a chaotic mess, largely because of Trump’s constant interruptions. The president consistently interrupted Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, creating an unproductive stream of crosstalk with little substantive discussion of policy. |
| Wallace was criticized for losing control of the debate. A number of commentators said Wallace failed to sufficiently curtail Trump’s interjections, resulting in what many longtime political reporters called the worst presidential debate in recent US history. | Wallace was criticized for losing control of the debate. A number of commentators said Wallace failed to sufficiently curtail Trump’s interjections, resulting in what many longtime political reporters called the worst presidential debate in recent US history. |
| Trump refused to condemn white supremacist violence. Addressing the Proud Boys, Trump told the far-right group to “stand back and stand by”. Social media posts indicated that members of the Proud Boys took the comment as a sign of encouragement from the president. One Proud Boys social media account even posted a photo of the group’s logo with the words “stand back and stand by” alongside it. | Trump refused to condemn white supremacist violence. Addressing the Proud Boys, Trump told the far-right group to “stand back and stand by”. Social media posts indicated that members of the Proud Boys took the comment as a sign of encouragement from the president. One Proud Boys social media account even posted a photo of the group’s logo with the words “stand back and stand by” alongside it. |
| The night was defined by insults and personal attacks. Trump attacked Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter, and dismissed Biden when he reflected on the loss of his eldest son, Beau. In moments of frustration, Biden also criticized Trump as a “liar” and a “clown”. | The night was defined by insults and personal attacks. Trump attacked Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter, and dismissed Biden when he reflected on the loss of his eldest son, Beau. In moments of frustration, Biden also criticized Trump as a “liar” and a “clown”. |
| The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned. | The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned. |
| It’s also important to remember that Trump came into tonight’s debate trailing in the polls. | It’s also important to remember that Trump came into tonight’s debate trailing in the polls. |
| According to the FiveThirtyEight average of national polls, Biden currently has a 7.1-point advantage over Trump. The Democratic nominee is also leading in polls of key battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. | According to the FiveThirtyEight average of national polls, Biden currently has a 7.1-point advantage over Trump. The Democratic nominee is also leading in polls of key battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. |
| So Trump needed to win over undecided voters and potentially even pick off some of Biden’s supporters with his performance tonight, and it’s very unclear if his strategy of constant interruptions achieved that. | So Trump needed to win over undecided voters and potentially even pick off some of Biden’s supporters with his performance tonight, and it’s very unclear if his strategy of constant interruptions achieved that. |
| One woman from Pennsylvania who was part of a post-debate focus group said she was undecided going into tonight but is now leaning toward Biden because Trump acted like a “crackhead” tonight. | One woman from Pennsylvania who was part of a post-debate focus group said she was undecided going into tonight but is now leaning toward Biden because Trump acted like a “crackhead” tonight. |
| After a chaotic debate tonight, the United Farm Workers would like Americans to be “thankful for the workers who bring us tequila after this debate”. | After a chaotic debate tonight, the United Farm Workers would like Americans to be “thankful for the workers who bring us tequila after this debate”. |
| The farmworkers union has been engaged in get out the vote efforts, focused on empowering agricultural communities and Latino voters to cast ballots. | The farmworkers union has been engaged in get out the vote efforts, focused on empowering agricultural communities and Latino voters to cast ballots. |
| – Maanvi Singh | – Maanvi Singh |