[US Presidential Debate] Unprecedented Ugly Brawl... "Biden Won the Debate"

"6 out of 10 say Biden performed better in the debate"
The debate winner is not necessarily the election winner
Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden and was often reprimanded
Biden compared President Trump to a clown

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Among 10 viewers who watched the first TV debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, 6 said that Biden conducted a better debate.

On the 29th (local time), the two candidates held a head-to-head TV debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. According to a poll conducted by CNN through SSRS, Biden was evaluated to have had a relatively superior debate.

[US Presidential Debate] Unprecedented Ugly Brawl... "Biden Won the Debate"

Donald Trump (left), President of the United States, and Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, are holding their first presidential candidate TV debate on the 29th (local time) in Cleveland, Ohio. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Before the debate, when asked who would perform better regardless of their preferred candidate, 56% responded that Biden would do better, while 43% said President Trump would do better.

In the same question after the debate, Biden received 60%, and President Trump received 28%. This means that Biden performed better than expected based on the debate alone. Responses indicating both did well accounted for 5%, and both did poorly accounted for 6%.

In a question about which candidate’s answers were more trustworthy, Biden also held the advantage. When asked which candidate gave trustworthy answers, 65% of respondents chose Biden, while only 29% chose President Trump. Regarding the heated debate, 69% of viewers said Biden’s attacks were fair, whereas 32% said President Trump’s attacks were fair.

Looking at specific topics, 66% of respondents said they trusted Biden on racial issues, while 29% expressed trust in President Trump. In healthcare, Biden also gained 66% trust, but President Trump only 32%. Although Biden was evaluated to have inspired more trust in most debate topics, the gap narrowed notably in the economic field. Regarding economic issues, 50% said they trusted Biden, while 48% trusted President Trump, showing no significant gap between the two.

This poll was conducted among voters who had stated in advance that they would watch the TV debate.

CNN reported that similar results appeared in the 2016 presidential election. After the first TV debate, 62% of voters said Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton answered better than then-Republican candidate Trump (27%). Clinton was also evaluated to have performed well in the two subsequent debates, but Trump won the election.

Meanwhile, due to the COVID-19 pandemic hindering various election campaigns, this TV debate was a more important opportunity than any other election event for candidate selection, but it was harshly criticized as a terrible debate filled with quarrels between the candidates.

The New York Times (NYT) described the first presidential debate as an "ugly melee." It particularly pointed out that President Trump interrupted Biden or talked over him almost every time he spoke. Conversely, Biden was reported to have called Trump a "clown" and told him to "shut up." The newspaper stated, "Both sides expressed a level of contempt rarely heard in modern American politics through this debate."

Especially, President Trump interrupted Biden whenever he tried to speak, making it difficult for Biden to answer properly. Eventually, Biden asked the moderator to restrain President Trump. However, despite repeated warnings from the moderator, President Trump continuously interrupted Biden whenever he spoke. As this situation continued, an angry Biden said, "Will you shut up, man?"

Despite President Trump’s unsportsmanlike debate attitude, Biden’s side expressed willingness to participate in the next presidential debate. The Washington Post (WP) reported that a Biden campaign official said in a phone call with reporters after the debate, "Biden will continue to participate in debates," and "He will continue to engage in dialogue with American citizens."

The two candidates will have two more TV debates on the 15th and 22nd of next month. The vice-presidential candidates’ TV debate is scheduled for the 7th of next month.