According to Politico, the first debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden took place last night (29 September 2020) and it was pretty heated. Both sides aimed verbal attacks at the other and frequently talked over each other.
Here are the key moments from the heated debate:
Trump and Biden at disagreement over Obamacare
Trump and Biden failed to agree, in the opening moments of the debate, over the consequences if the Supreme Court overturns the Affordable Care Act which is also known as Obamacare.
In answering the first question of the night, Biden made the point that if Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed as a Supreme Court justice and the court overturns former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, 100 million people who have pre-existing conditions may lose their coverage because of Judge Barret’s previously published negative views on the constitutionality of Obamacare.
Trump did not agree with the statement that 100 million people with pre-existing conditions would be adversely affected, before proceeding to attack Biden for his current health care plan which he claimed would “extinguish” the health care of 180 million people who currently have private coverage.
Who’s smarter? Trump or Biden?
The debate quickly went from disagreeing on national issues to personal attacks. Biden said that many more people would die from Covid-19 unless Trump got “a lot smarter, a lot quicker.”
The President retaliated by referring to Biden’s comments from last year that have been taken out of context by conservative media.
“He said he went to Delaware State, but you forgot the name of your college. You didn’t go to Delaware State,” Trump said. “He graduated the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don’t ever use the word ‘smart’ with me.”
Biden’s comments from Oct. 19, saying that he “got his start” at Delaware State University, were actually referring to announcing his run for U.S. Senate at the campus in 1972, according to the Delaware News Journal.
Biden responded to Trump’s attack with, “Oh, give me a break.”
Trump pulls out a face mask on the debate stage
Trump pulled out his mask on stage to deny accusations that he questions the effectiveness of masks.
Trump said, that he selectively wears face masks and pointed out that he didn’t have to put one on on Tuesday night because people were tested and took the proper safety measures.
The president took a jab at his opponent: “I don’t wear a mask like [Biden],” Trump said. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from you, and he’s wearing the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”
Biden unapologetically embraced the attack of being a mask-wearer. “Masks make a big difference,” he said. “If we just wore masks between now and social distanced between now and January, we would probably save up to 100,000 lives.”
Source: Politico.
Image credit: Wall Street Journal.
