[US Presidential Debate on TV] "Keep Talking" vs "Please Shut Up" (Summary)

Trump's Offensive Met Head-On by Biden
Veteran Moderator Sweats Through Heated Exchange
Policy and Vision Take a Backseat
CBS Poll Shows Biden Leading with 48% Support

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, the first TV debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden, held on the 29th (local time), ended in a fierce clash.

Against President Trump’s aggressive attacks, Biden surprisingly held his ground and the two engaged in mutual exchanges. However, both candidates focused more on pressuring each other rather than presenting their policy visions, and even engaged in power struggles with the debate moderator, showing a level of chaos unbefitting a presidential TV debate.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

This TV debate gained importance as large-scale rallies became impossible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both candidates spent 90 minutes with flushed faces, putting all their effort into attacking and defending against each other.

The debate was so intense that veteran moderator Chris Wallace struggled to manage it. As the two kept shouting "Mr. President" and "Mr. Vice President" during their heated exchanges, Wallace, unable to hold back, finally shouted "Gentlemen!" before he could continue moderating.

The two candidates clashed over six topics: ▲personal background ▲federal Supreme Court ▲COVID-19 ▲economy ▲race and violence ▲election integrity.

"Liar" "Socialist" Personal Attacks Clash

The core issues of the debate were undoubtedly the federal Supreme Court nomination and mail-in voting.

The two clashed fiercely from the first topic, the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the federal Supreme Court. When President Trump claimed, "My term is not three years but four years," asserting his right to immediately nominate a Supreme Court justice, Biden countered, saying, "We need to wait for the election results," insisting the winner should make the nomination.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Biden attempted to shift the topic by accusing Trump of trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, known as 'Obamacare,' through the nomination of a conservative Supreme Court justice. He also claimed this was an attempt to overturn women's abortion rights, but was interrupted by the moderator.

In response, President Trump attacked Obamacare as socialist, painting the Democrats as radical leftists. The two ended up exchanging personal insults such as "socialist" and "liar," causing veteran moderator Wallace to struggle with the debate’s flow.

During the debate, both candidates interrupted each other and ignored the moderator’s attempts to control the discussion. President Trump appeared to use interrupting Biden as a deliberate strategy. Biden, while smiling during Trump’s remarks and showing resilience, gradually showed signs of agitation rather than amusement as time passed.

Regarding mail-in voting, Biden argued, "No one has proven that mail-in voting is linked to fraud," to which Trump replied, "It has already been proven." Biden mocked Trump, saying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about." Trump then cited multiple cases of mail-in voting fraud.

President Trump claimed about the election count, "We might not know the results for months. This will not end well." Biden clearly stated his acceptance of the results, saying, "If I am not the winner, I will accept the outcome."

On the responsibility for the COVID-19 crisis, Biden attacked, "The president had no plan. He offered nothing," to which Trump responded that he had done "amazing things."

When Biden pointed out that Trump pressured scientists to rush vaccine development, Trump countered by saying a vaccine would be available soon.

Regarding the recent massive wildfires in the western U.S., when asked about the connection between climate change and science, Trump avoided the question and repeatedly claimed that forest management issues in California were the cause of the fires.

Trump Claims "Paid Millions" When Asked About Tax Payments

The two also clashed over personal matters. When Biden proudly mentioned his late eldest son Beau Biden’s service in Iraq, Trump abruptly interrupted, mocking Biden’s second son Hunter for being dishonorably discharged due to drug use, causing both to visibly lose composure.

Wallace directly questioned Trump about his tax payments, a topic not originally scheduled, but did not receive the answers he wanted. The issue of Trump’s tax payments, which surfaced before the first TV debate, became a key point of contention.

Wallace repeatedly asked Trump how much tax he paid in 2016 and 2017, but Trump only claimed, "I paid millions of dollars," without revealing the exact amount after tax refunds. The New York Times had reported that Trump paid only $750 in taxes for each of those two years.

Immediately after the debate, CBS News released a poll showing Biden as the winner with 48% of respondents, ahead of Trump’s 41%.