US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden began their first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday, 29th September 2020. They did so with heated exchanges over health care, the coronavirus pandemic, and the future of the Supreme Court.
Trump set the tone from the start of the debate badgering Biden and repeatedly interrupting him. Biden, on his part, shifted between ignoring the president and growing visibly irritated during the debate. In the midst of all this, moderator Chris Wallace used a combination of pleading and admonishing Trump to allow his rival to speak.
One thing that was very obvious during the debate was the fact that while an array of complex and substantive issues were on the debate agenda, the candidates’ radically different perspectives and visions for the country were frequently overshadowed by their disdain for each other in the debate.
Various newspapers across the US criticized the tone, tenor, and tactics of the debate between the two candidates.
The New York Times
The leading daily clearly stated that Donald Trump brought chaos onto the debate stage. He frequently interrupted rival Biden clouding any substantive talk on real issues.
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal highlighted the rancor and interruptions that were visible in the debate as real issues were overshadowed. Trump and Biden’s fierce criticisms of each other and their vision for the country going ahead overshadowed the real issues.
The Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times also focused on just how Trump repeatedly interrupted and badgered Biden and pushed the debate into an incoherent volley.
During the debate, Trump said to Biden not to ever use smart with him. He said that there is nothing smart about Biden.
Biden slapped back at the president’s attacks, calling Trump a clown, a racist, and a liar. And at one point when Trump kept interrupting, Biden asked him to just shut up.
The Washington Post
According to The Washington Post, the presidential campaign dissolved into chaos and acrimony as President Trump incessantly interrupted and insulted Biden. During the debate, 74-year-old Trump and his 77-year-old rival Biden traded barbs about each other’s families, making it one of the most chaotic White House debates in years.
The debate on Tuesday this week was the first of the three debates. These debates will take place ahead of the US elections on 3rd November 2020. The next debate will take place on 15th October and the third will be on the 22nd of October. The Vice Presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris will be taking place on 7th October.
