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| Presidential debate live: Biden tells Trump he's the 'worst president America has ever had' | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Candidates face off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the TV showdown | Candidates face off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the TV showdown |
| Biden criticized Trump over reports that he described fallen American soldiers as “suckers” and “losers.” | |
| Biden noted that his late son, Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, served in Iraq for a year and received the Bronze Star. | |
| Trump responded by dismissing the memory of Biden’s son, telling his opponent, “I don’t know Beau; I know Hunter.” | |
| The president then launched into more attacks against Biden’s younger son for his business activities and past drug use. | |
| Biden said Hunter, like many Americans, had struggled with drug abuse, and he said he was proud of his son for working to overcome his addiction. | |
| Fact Check: Law enforcement endorsements | |
| Donald Trump has said that no law enforcement officials support Joe Biden. According to a Fox News report, at least some do: | |
| – Maanvi Singh | |
| Making a general pitch for his candidacy, Biden argued the country had become “weaker,” “sicker” and “more divided” since Trump took office. | |
| Biden also described the president as “Putin’s puppy,” echoing a similar line from Hillary Clinton four years ago. | |
| Biden called on Trump to denounce white supremacist violence, weeks after two anti-racist protesters were shot and killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin. | |
| Trump responded by telling the far-right group Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” | |
| “Look what happened in Oakland,” Donald Trump said. | |
| This Guardian reporter, who is based in Oakland, genuinely asks: What does he mean, what happened in Oakland? There were marches and peaceful protests, calling for justice following the police killings oof George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. | |
| A man suspected of killing two officers amid protests was found too have links to the far-right, anti-government Boogaloo movement. | |
| – Maanvi Singh | |
| Trump was asked about his efforts to block federal employees from receiving racial sensitivity training. | |
| The president argued such trainings are “racist” and teach people to “hate our country.” | |
| Trump then pressed Biden on whether he believed in “law and order,” which has become one of the president’s rallying cries in recent weeks. | |
| Biden responded by saying he believes in “law and order with justice where people get treated fairly.” | |
| Trump criticized Biden for his role in crafting the 1994 crime bill, an odd departure from the president’s recent attacks on Biden for allegedly being soft on crime. | |
| Biden responded by addressing the recent anti-racism protests, saying, “Violence in response is never appropriate. Never appropriate. Peaceful protest is. Violence is never appropriate.” | |
| Fact check : coronavirus vaccine | |
| Donald Trump has continued to boast that a coronavirus vaccine will be available before the election. However, public health experts – including the CDC director, Robert Redfield – have called that timeline unlikely and dangerous. Redfield, testifying before the Senate, said a vaccine would likely be widely available in “late second quarter, third quarter 2021”. | |
| Earlier today, seven former Food and Drug Administration commissioners wrote an op-ed condemning the administration for politicizing the process of seeking and approving Covid-19 vaccines and treatments. “At risk is the FDA’s ability to make the independent, science-based decisions that are key to combating the pandemic and so much more,” they wrote, in an op-ed published by the Washington Post. | |
| As expected, Trump attacked Biden’s son, Hunter, for his business dealings in Ukraine, which became a target of Republican ire during the impeachment inquiry. | |
| Biden tried to redirect the conversation back to the coronavirus pandemic, saying this was about every American family, not his family. | |
| As Trump repeatedly tried to interject and attack his opponent, Biden said, “It’s hard to get any word in with this clown -- excuse me, this person.” | |
| Trump was pressed on the New York Times story about his tax returns, which showed he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. | |
| The president claimed he had paid “millions” in income taxes. Biden responded by repeatedly pressing Trump to release his tax returns, and the president claimed he would soon, which he has been saying since 2015. | |
| “You are the worst president America has ever had,” Biden said. | |
| The live verdicts are coming in thick and fast on Twitter, and the general consensus seems to be that this is the messiest debate ever: | |
| Fact check: rallies | |
| Donald Trump wrongly implied that he holds all his rallies outdoors, and said “we have had no problem whatsoever” with coronavirus following the rallies. | Donald Trump wrongly implied that he holds all his rallies outdoors, and said “we have had no problem whatsoever” with coronavirus following the rallies. |
| Trump has gathered supporters indoors – this reporter attended a Latinos for Trump event in Phoenix at which unmasked supporters were packed into an indoor event space. Moreover, although Covid-19 is less likely to spread outdoors, wearing face masks and maintaining physical distance are key to preventing spread even in open-air spaces – and at Trump’s airport hangar rallies, those safety measures have not been practiced by most of his supporters. | |
| Following a packed rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the county experienced a surge of cases. At a news conference, the director of the Tulsa health department said the increase was probably linked to the rally. | |
| – Maanvi Singh | – Maanvi Singh |
| Biden accused Trump of failing to help small American businesses that are suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic. | Biden accused Trump of failing to help small American businesses that are suffering because of the coronavirus pandemic. |
| The Democrat argued the country is seeing a K-shaped economic recovery from the pandemic, meaning the wealthiest Americans are benefitting while average Americans are struggling. | The Democrat argued the country is seeing a K-shaped economic recovery from the pandemic, meaning the wealthiest Americans are benefitting while average Americans are struggling. |
| Trump defended his response to the pandemic, at one point defensively saying: “I’m the one that brought back football.” | |
| The president was specifically referencing the Big 10 college football conference. Big 10 leaders have said the president had nothing to do with their decision to hold a shortened season this year, after initially saying the season would be canceled. | The president was specifically referencing the Big 10 college football conference. Big 10 leaders have said the president had nothing to do with their decision to hold a shortened season this year, after initially saying the season would be canceled. |
| Trump questioned the effectiveness of masks as a means of mitigating the spread of coronavirus. | Trump questioned the effectiveness of masks as a means of mitigating the spread of coronavirus. |
| Biden noted health experts have said 100,000 lives could be saved over the next few months, if Americans consistently wear masks and practice social distancing. | Biden noted health experts have said 100,000 lives could be saved over the next few months, if Americans consistently wear masks and practice social distancing. |
| The president responded by claiming many health experts have said “the opposite” about masks. | The president responded by claiming many health experts have said “the opposite” about masks. |
| “No serious person has said the opposite,” Biden said. | “No serious person has said the opposite,” Biden said. |
| At the risk of stating the obvious, leading health experts, including members of the White House coronavirus task force, have consistently urged Americans to wear face masks to limit their risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus. | At the risk of stating the obvious, leading health experts, including members of the White House coronavirus task force, have consistently urged Americans to wear face masks to limit their risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus. |
| It didn’t take long (about 18 minutes), but here’s the moment Biden called Trump a “clown” after the president made dubious claims about his healthcare plan and removal of the individual mandate (that we’ve fact-checked below). | It didn’t take long (about 18 minutes), but here’s the moment Biden called Trump a “clown” after the president made dubious claims about his healthcare plan and removal of the individual mandate (that we’ve fact-checked below). |
| After Biden criticized Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the president replied by insulting his opponent’s intelligence. | After Biden criticized Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the president replied by insulting his opponent’s intelligence. |
| “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe,” Trump said. | “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe,” Trump said. |
| Fact check: Travel restrictions | |
| Donald Trump – as he regularly does – has misrepresented and overstated the effect of his travel restrictions. | |
| A couple of key points: | A couple of key points: |
| It was a travel restriction, not a “ban” as Trump has called it. Tens of thousands of Americans and other exempt travelers journeyed from China to the US after the administration issued travel restrictions. | It was a travel restriction, not a “ban” as Trump has called it. Tens of thousands of Americans and other exempt travelers journeyed from China to the US after the administration issued travel restrictions. |
| Epidemiologists have questioned the effectiveness of Trump’s travel restrictions, which were issued after the virus was spreading and circulating within the US. | Epidemiologists have questioned the effectiveness of Trump’s travel restrictions, which were issued after the virus was spreading and circulating within the US. |
| – Maanvi Singh | – Maanvi Singh |
| Biden argued Trump could not be trusted on coronavirus, noting the president previously suggested Americans could protect themselves from coronavirus by ingesting disinfectants. | Biden argued Trump could not be trusted on coronavirus, noting the president previously suggested Americans could protect themselves from coronavirus by ingesting disinfectants. |
| Trump claimed that infamous comment was made “sarcastically”. | |
| The president then promised a vaccine would be available “soon”, although the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said a vaccine will not be widely available to the American public until mid to late 2021. | |
| Trump once again tried to equate the coronavirus pandemic to the 2009 swine flu pandemic, accusing the Obama administration of mishandling the response to that pandemic. | Trump once again tried to equate the coronavirus pandemic to the 2009 swine flu pandemic, accusing the Obama administration of mishandling the response to that pandemic. |
| Biden replied by noting the death toll from swing flu was about 14,000, while more than 200,000 Americans have already died of coronavirus. | Biden replied by noting the death toll from swing flu was about 14,000, while more than 200,000 Americans have already died of coronavirus. |