The debate had an “untraditional” start to say the least. There were no handshakes between the candidates and no opening statements, either, due to COVID-19. The topics discussed during this debate (in chronological order) were the Supreme Court, healthcare, the coronavirus, the economy, rally sizes, racial issues, and voting.

The Supreme Court

The first question was related to the Supreme Court, and how each candidate would go about electing a new justice to take the spot of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Over the weekend, Trump had nominated Amy Coney Barret. Joe Biden however, felt like President Trump’s decision was an “abuse of power.” The question to each of the candidates was why they were right, and why their respective opponent was wrong.

Trump: President Trump’s response was that the republican party had won the election, they had nominated a “phenomenal” nominee for the Supreme Court, and they also have control of the senate. He went on to say how “outstanding” and “respected” Barret is. He also pointed out that some of her biggest endorsers are very liberal people. Trump claimed that the democrats would do the same if they were in the republican party’s position, but they would try to do it “faster.” Before the 2016 election, the democrats had Merrick Garland ready to fill the position of the late Antonin Scalia, but they did not win the election, “so they were stopped.”

Biden: Former Vice President Biden on the other hand, felt that it was the American people’s “right” to elect the Supreme Court nominee just as the American people have to vote for a senator and the President. Biden feels that we as a country should wait to see what the outcome of the election is, because the “only way” that the people can express their views. He remarked that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was at stake. Biden claims that ending the ACA will take away “20 million” people’s chance of having health insurance if it goes into court. At the end of the day, he does not feel it appropriate to do this before the results of the election. 

Healthcare

The next topic was on healthcare, and what the official Trump healthcare plan consisted of. Wallace mentioned how Trump and his party have talked about overturning the ACA and replacing it with their own healthcare plan, but haven’t as of yet. Wallace put it simply when he said that they have not come up with a “comprehensible plan” within Trump’s four years of presidency. It was also brought up by the moderator that Trump signed an executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions 5 days prior to the debate. Before Wallace could get his words out, he was interrupted multiple times by the President. 

Trump: The President said that he was cutting drug prices and going with “favored nations,” which he claims no other US president had the courage to do. He said that because he signed this order, drug prices would be coming down “80-90%.” He gave an example of how the order is helping by saying that he is getting insulin for so cheap it’s like “water.”

Wallace then moved on to ask Biden if adding a public option on Obamacare will “end private insurance and create a government takeover of health care.”

Biden: He says that the public option would automatically enroll those who are so poor that they “qualify for Medicaid.” They can get that free in a majority of states with the exception of states governed by those “who would deny” them of Medicaid. That being said, the majority of Americans would not be in that category. Biden then went on to say the President is not for people needing healthcare, because he has cost “10 million people” their healthcare due to his recession.

COVID-19

There have been more than seven million cases of coronavirus in the US, accompanied by roughly more than 200,000 deaths. Even when a vaccine is developed, scientists and experts claim that it could take months or years to have the normalcy that we all crave. The question to each of the candidates was why should American people trust you over your opponent to handle this crisis (based on what each of them have said and done, and what their plans are for 2021)?

Biden: The former Vice President started off by saying how poorly President Trump dealt with this health crisis when the statistics and information about COVID-19 were presented to him. He says that the President has no plan, even while being aware of the severity of the coronavirus back in February. Biden’s plan entails providing as much PPE, money, and support needed for people, small businesses, and the economy. 

Trump: Trump made claims that if we were to follow Joe Biden’s plan, more people would have been infected and/or died. He went on to say how one death from COVID-19 is too much, and pinpointed the virus on China. He also explained to his opponent that countries such as China, India, and Russia are not giving 100% accurate numbers. He said how his choice to close the country saved many people’s lives. His plan helped make ventilators, distribute PPE and masks, and advance research into a possible vaccine which he said would be here in weeks. He ended his time by claiming that Joe Biden could “never have done the job” that he did.

Economy Pt.1

Former Vice President Biden has been more “reluctant” to reopen the economy than President Trump. The question was why is he not keen on opening, and why the president is.

Biden: He is concerned with reopening the economy, because he does not feel confident in President Trump’s plan or lack thereof. If Biden was incharge, he would want to fund these businesses that need the support, all while providing proper sanitation and protective gear. He claims that California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and New York Senator Chuck Shumer have a plan, but Trump will not meet with them.

Trump: He wants to open the country back up. Trump said that he had to originally close the country, because there was not a lot of information available on the coronavirus. Now that we know more about COVID-19, Trump can go through with his plan. Despite knowing how this novel disease affects people, the President feels that Biden will not want to open back up the economy and the nation.

Rally Sizes

President Trump has been holding crowded rallies filled with thousands of people outdoors, while Joe Biden has been hosting much smaller events where masks are required. The question was why each of them decided to hold their rallies that way.

Trump: The President feels that many people want to hear what he has to say, and so far, there have been no coronavirus related issues according to him. Trump made the claim that if Biden could “get the crowds,” then he would be holding his rallies the same way.

Biden: Former Vice President Biden holds smaller distanced rallies to be socially responsible and safe. He feels that the President does not care about the safety and health of those who attend his rallies, because he is not always wearing a mask at them.

Economy Pt.2

The economy has recovered quicker than expected from the shutdown due to COVID-19. The unemployment rate is decreasing. Biden claims that the country is in a K-shaped recovery, while President Trump says that the country’s recovery is V-shaped. The question to both of the candidates was what do those terms mean for the American people.

Trump: Now that Trump has reopened the economy, he says that the country is doing “record business.” He has also put “10.4 million” people back into the workforce. The President claims that Biden will close the economy and “destroy this country.” 

Biden: Biden stated that the rich have done very well for themselves throughout this crisis and continue to make more money due to the President’s tax cut proposal.  He also claimed that Trump will be the first President to leave office with “less jobs” in his administration than when he was elected. He also said the people who have lost their jobs are frontline workers who have put their life on the line everyday to get us through this crisis. Joe Biden also mentioned that the President has not done enough to help the economy/small businesses, schools, and the American people.

Taxes

Former Vice President Biden wants to focus on “big government, big taxes, big spending,” while the President has his own plan that won’t “hurt the economy.” The question to the candidates is to expand on each of their plans.

Biden: He claimed that his plan would create “7 million” more jobs (according to analysis done by Wall Street Firms) than the President could during his four years. Biden also said that his plan would create “$1 trillion” in economic growth. He wants all the funding made by companies in America. He then went on to say that he will make the corporate tax “28%” instead of it being at the current “21%.” He claimed that under Trump, there were “91” companies not paying taxes, and making “billions” of dollars.

Chris Wallace then asked if President Trump would continue his “free market approach, lower taxes, and more deregulation.”

Trump: He did not actually make a statement or response to the question due to crosstalk between him, Biden, and the moderator.

Racial Issues

Biden stated that President Trump’s response to the Charlottesville violence stemming 3 years ago was what drove him to run for President. Trump has said that he feels he has done more for African American than any other President with the exception of Abraham Lincoln. The question was why should voters trust one of the opponents over the other in dealing with race related issues over the next four year.

Biden: He wants to fight for equality for everyone in the country. He brought that when a woman was killed during the violence in Charlottesville, the President said he thinks there were “very fine people on both sides.” He also mentioned how the President Trump dealt with the peaceful protest in front of the White House regarding the murder of George Floyd. He talked about how Trump had the protestors tear gassed so that he could take a photo holding up a bible. He said that the Bishop of that very church was “disgraced.” Biden made it very clear that he feels that the President has done “virtually” nothing to help African Americans.

Trump: He said that Biden referred to Black Americans as “super predators” when passing a crime bill in 1994. He said that African American community will never forget that. He also talked about how much support he has from law enforcement and government officials. He then accused Biden of being “wrapped around” the Democrats’ fingers. 

Voting

The question was why should voters elect either Biden or Trump to be president over their opponent?

Trump: He claimed that no President has accomplished as much as he has within three-and-a-half years. Despite going through all the bad press, accusations, and “hoaxes,” he has prevailed. He has done more than any President (according to him) for the economy and the unemployment rate. He has been and is planning to continue building the country back up. He wants to take care of our war vets and support and expand our military. During his presidency, he has filled “300” federal judges and court of appeals judges. He hopes to be able to fill three Supreme Court Justices. 

Biden: He feels that under Trump’s presidency, the country has had an increase in violence, racial division, weaker, and “poorer.” When he was Vice President, he had to rebuild the economy and the country alongside President Obama. By the end of his term, he left Trump a “booming” economy, and he put the country back into a recession. He also feels that the rich have gotten richer, and the poor have gotten poorer. He also said that the crime rate was lower by “15%” when Obama and he were in office. 

Climate Change

In the West, the forest fires are “raging.” So much land has been destroyed, along with people’s homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced out of their houses to seek refuge. State officials have blamed the fires on climate change, but the President said he doesn’t think the “science knows.” Wallace mentioned that the President has “pulled out” of the Paris Climate Accord and “rolled back” on many environmental advancements made during Obama’s presidency. The question was what do they believe about the science of climate change and what will they do in the next four years to confront it.

Trump: The President said that he wants clean air and water. He claims that under his presidency, the country has the lowest carbon without “destroying” any businesses. He said that he removed the US from the Paris Climate Accord, because it was a “disaster.” He also talked about wanting to implement forest management for the forest fires. He said that he believes in climate change and wants to do everything that he can to help our planet and our country. He stated that he “rolled back” Obama’s clean power plan which limited carbon emissions in power plans, because it cost a lot of money.

Biden: During his administration, Biden said that he was able to bring down the cost of renewable energy to oil and coal. He wants to make the transition to renewable energy. He also wants to run the federal fleet on their “electric vehicles.” He also wants to build “500,000” charging stations on all of the highways. By “building the future,” Biden will create millions of good paying jobs according to him. He would want to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, because he feels that the country is “falling apart.” 

Election Integrity

Chris Wallace said that millions of people are voting early and mailing in their ballots. The questions asked to each of the candidates was if the election would be a fair one, and what each of them are prepared to do in the next five weeks.

Biden: He mentioned that Trump’s own homeland security official along with the FBI director, have both said that there is “no evidence” that mail-in-ballots can be manipulated or “cheated.” He also said that he wants to make sure that those who want to vote in-person, have the opportunity to while being safe. He spoke to the American people saying that we have the power to determine who leads this country if we vote.

Trump: He feels that the democrats have been “spying” on his campaign since day one, and feels that all of them have “disgraced” our country. He claimed that he had caught them on tape. He says that mail-in ballots are a disaster, but solicited ballots are “okay.” He thinks the mail-in ballots are frauds, because they have “been found” in creeks (with Trump votes on them). He feels that the ballots are rigged and that we won’t have the results by November third because everything is “all over the place.” 

Final Question

The moderator asked each of the candidates if they “pledge” to not declare their victory until the results of the election are in, and will they both encourage their supporters to not engage in any “civil unrest.”

Trump: He wants to urge his supporters to go to the polls and watch “carefully.” He hopes that it will be a fair election, but he won’t stay quiet if there are manipulated votes. 

Biden: He said that no matter the amount of ballots sent in, they will have time to count them to make sure that there are no fraudulent ballots. They have been using the process of voting by ballots since the end of the Civil War. He said that no matter the outcome, he will support the American people’s decision.