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Presidential debate live: Biden tells Trump he's the 'worst president America has ever had'
Presidential debate live: Trump tries to steamroll Biden in chaotic clash
(32 minutes later)
Candidates face off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the TV showdown
Candidates faced off in Cleveland, Ohio, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating the bitterly personal showdown
Biden criticized Trump over reports that he described fallen American soldiers as “suckers” and “losers.”
The first presidential debate concluded moments ago, and commentators are already describing the debate as a “dumpster fire” as a “shit show.”
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.
“That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper said. “That was the worst debate I have ever seen. It wasn’t even a debate. It was a disgrace. And it’s primarily because of President Trump.”
Trump responded by dismissing the memory of Biden’s son, telling his opponent, “I don’t know Beau; I know Hunter.”
CNN correspondent Dana Bash put it even more succinctly: “That was a shitshow.”
The president then launched into more attacks against Biden’s younger son for his business activities and past drug use.
Meanwhile, over on Twitter: Hillary Clinton has provided a moment of insight into her frustration during the 2016 debates. She was replying to Guardian US contributor Jill Filipovic, who speculated how Clinton must feel about Biden hitting back at Trump:
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.
To everyone’s surprise, Chris Wallace asked a question about the climate crisis, the first in a presidential debate in 20 years.
Fact Check: Law enforcement endorsements
Wallace noted the wildfires that have ravaged the US west and challenged Donald Trump over his environmental rollbacks. The president responded by saying he wants “crystal clean water and air” and calls the Paris climate agreement a “disaster.” Trump blamed the fires upon poor forest management (scientists have made clear that rising temperatures are exacerbating wildfires)
Donald Trump has said that no law enforcement officials support Joe Biden. According to a Fox News report, at least some do:
Wallace, incredibly, then pressed Trump twice on whether he accepts the reality of climate science. Trump initially repeated his answer on wanting clean air and water, before conceding greenhouse gases are having an impact “to an extent, yes.”
Trump was asked why, then, he rolled back Barack Obama’s clean power plan and he said because it increased energy prices (it was never actually put into force so did not do this). In a back and forth with Joe Biden, Trump then falsely claimed that Democrats want to “take out the cows.In response, Biden promised to create “millions of good-paying jobs” in clean energy and notes the huge financial damage caused by hurricanes and floods. “We are in real trouble,” said the former vice president.Goaded by Trump over the Green New Deal, a plan put forward by left-wing Democrats, Biden distanced himself from it. “I don’t support the Green New Deal,” Biden said. “I support the Biden plan that I put forward.”This response will displease progressive climate activists but, overall, Biden had far more to say on climate than Trump, who was unusually subdued, as if he has conceded that anyone worried about global heating won’t be voting for him.
The first presidential debate concluded with Chris Wallace asking both candidates if they would commit to urging calm and avoiding declaring victory until the election results are independently verified.
Trump avoided making that commitment, saying he was worried about widespread fraud, even though voter fraud is very rare.
“I am urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully,” Trump said.
Biden did commit to urging calm and avoiding declaring a premature victory, emphasizing all ballots in the race must be counted.
With that, the tense and unruly debate concluded. The blog will have more reactions and analysis coming up, so stay tuned.
Joe Biden has claimed that Trump suggested nuking hurricanes to stop them in their path, which Trump immediately denied. You can read the Guardian’s write up of report here. It’s based on claims made by unnamed sources who were present in a White House meeting when Trump apparently said “we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can’t we do that?”
Fact check: Fires in the West
Donald Trump again made odd statements about the dead leaves on the forest floor and evaded Chris Wallace’s question about whether he believed climate change was driving the fires.
For clarity on what is driving the fires, please see my recent explainer:
Read more here:
– Maanvi Singh
– Maanvi Singh
Making a general pitch for his candidacy, Biden argued the country had become “weaker,” “sicker” and “more divided” since Trump took office.
Trump reiterated that the widespread voting by mail in this year’s elections would represent a “fraud,” even though there is no evidence for that.
Biden also described the president as “Putin’s puppy,” echoing a similar line from Hillary Clinton four years ago.
The president claimed Americans may not know the results of the election for “months,” although election officials of both parties have not echoed that concern.
Biden called on Trump to denounce white supremacist violence, weeks after two anti-racist protesters were shot and killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Biden responded, “He’s just afraid of counting the votes.”
Trump responded by telling the far-right group Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
The final portion of the debate focuses on election integrity, and Biden focused his answer on encouraging Americans to vote.
“Look what happened in Oakland,” Donald Trump said.
“Show up and vote. You will determine the outcome of this election. Vote, vote, vote,” Biden 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.
Biden referenced Trump’s attacks on voting by mail, which the president has claimed (without evidence) will be vulnerable to widespread fraud.
A man suspected of killing two officers amid protests was found too have links to the far-right, anti-government Boogaloo movement.
Biden noted Trump himself has voted by mail in recent years, saying, “He sits behind the Resolute Desk and sends his ballot to Florida.”
– Maanvi Singh
Trump attacked Biden for his climate policies, claiming his proposals would cause economic catastrophe.
Trump was asked about his efforts to block federal employees from receiving racial sensitivity training.
When asked whether he supported the Green New Deal, Biden said he did not because he has his own climate plan.
The president argued such trainings are “racist” and teach people to “hate our country.”
“I support the Biden plan that I put forward, which is different than what he calls the radical Green New Deal,” Biden said.
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.
The Democrat argued his climate plan would pay for itself because of the revenue it would generate.
Biden responded by saying he believes in “law and order with justice where people get treated fairly.”
Interruptions, crosstalk, shouting over each other – whatever you want to call it, it’s all happening tonight between Trump and Biden. It’s led for some people to call for the two candidates’ mics to be controlled by the network in the next debates:
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.
The debate has shifted toward climate change, with moderator Chris Wallace asking the two candidates about the recent devastating wildfires along the west coast.
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.”
Trump echoed past comments blaming the fires on poor forest management, even though climate experts say the fires are primarily driven by record levels of drought and heat, which have been attributed to climate change.
Fact check : coronavirus vaccine
I’m at the Glory Days Bar and Grill in Seal Beach, in Southern California, where a local Republican women’s group has organized a debate watch party.
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”.
Trump supporter Sally Cohen, 78, from Huntington Beach, said she is most concerned that Trump gets fair questions. She no longer trusts Fox News to be fair, and believes many on the network have moved left.
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.
For Trump, she said. “I think the challenge for him is not to call names,” like labeling Biden “Sleepy Joe.” She wants Trump to stay calm.
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.
Cohen said she had called Trump campaign members in Washington last week to ask about a photograph she had seen on Twitter claiming that Joe Biden might be using an earpiece to be fed answers.
Biden tried to redirect the conversation back to the coronavirus pandemic, saying this was about every American family, not his family.
Conspiracy theories about Biden using an earpiece have been spread by QAnon conspiracy theorists, as well as Trump staffers.
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.”
Lily Green, 56, who emigrated to the US from Peru, said she feels that Trump has kept his promises, especially on the economy. She’s in the real estate business in Southern California. “I have never made more money than I have now. I’m busier than ever, even with the pandemic.”
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
The president responded by claiming many health experts have said “the opposite” about masks.
“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.
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.
“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:
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.
– 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.
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.
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.
