Trump vs Biden: 17 key moments from first presidential debate
We watched the debate so you won't have to.
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden faced off in the first night of debates before Americans head to the polls on November 3
Here are the highlights from the tense encounter.
1. The debate lasted for 90 minutes. Trump, according to CNN, had more speaking time than Biden.
2. “I don’t support the Green New Deal,” Biden said. But the former vice president’s website says he does.
3. Trump refused to condemn Proud Boys, a right-wing group that many say is filled with white supremacists. Biden called Trump a racist. The vice president, on his part, refused to condemn Antifa saying even the FBI called it “an idea” and not a leftist terrorist group.
4. Fed up with Trump interrupting him many times, Biden was forced to tell the president, “will you shut up, man?”
5. Asked if he would wait for a final collation of official results before declaring election victory, Trump refuses to give his word. He went on about the possibility of election fraud due to massive mail-in voting.
6. Biden said there was no evidence that mail-in voting was prone to fraud.
7. The former vice president accused Trump of racism in the wake of the riots that broke out following repeated police shooting of black people. Trump fired back by stating the riots were limited to states and cities run by democrats.
8. Trump accused Biden of not supporting the police and “law and order”. Biden disagreed and expressed support for law enforcement. Trump then asked Biden to name one police group that endorsed him. He couldn’t.
9. When Trump challenged Biden on the allegedly corrupt dealings of his son Hunter in Ukraine, China and Russia, the former vice president said he would not answer any question on that.
10. Biden admitted Hunter had a drug problem and was dealing with it.
11. When Biden drew attention to a report claiming Trump disrespected the military, Trump fired back by drawing attention to a video of Biden jokingly calling soldiers “poor bastards”.
12. Biden accused Trump of shutting down the economy. Biden also said he would shut down the economy if elected president and scientists told him to do so.
13. “Biden wants to shut down our country, I want to keep it open,” Trump retorted.
14. Biden accused Trump of trying to destroy Obamacare, a healthcare plan put in place by former President Barack Obama.
15. Trump was asked about his plan for healthcare if Obamacare is repealed. The president had no concrete answer.
16. Trump said Biden’s policies would destroy the suburbs. Biden fired back that the only thing destroying the suburb is the coronavirus which Trump knew was dangerous but failed to stop.
17. Trump recently nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court seat left by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Biden said the next president should be the one to make that call. Trump disagreed by saying he was elected for four years, not three, and would go on to fill the seat as the constitution says. Records show Biden agreed with Trump in the past.
Who won the debate?
