The moment that everyone’s been waiting for since November 2016 has finally arrived, barely intact and with higher stakes than ever. Election Day is less than two weeks away and the fate of the presidency is truly unknown. Sure there may be polls, but with the glaring questions of election security, how can anyone be sure of what the White House will look like on inauguration day?
President Donald Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. met for the final debate where they focused on the topics of: the coronavirus, race relations, climate change, national security, and leadership. This was the final push for both candidates to get to the finish line on election night.
I watched the debate so you don’t have to.
Here’s what you need to know:
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Trump says country should stay open despite COVID-19 rising numbers and does not advocate for extra covid safety measures, only to make sure the older population “gets tested”
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Biden suggests we should be able to “walk and chew gum at the same time” in terms of economy and safety from getting sick from the virus
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Trump says he plans to finally release his tax some time “soon” despite having said this for the last 4 years
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Trump does not condemn Russia and Iran for their attempted to interfere with the election
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Biden grilled over his 1994 Crime Bill and how it unjustly put young black men in prison, says it was a mistake and he’s been trying to change it ever since
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When asked about racial issues and thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump says the first he’d heard of them, he thought they were “terrible” because of a saying he heard. And that he’s “done more for the Black community than anyone since Abraham Lincoln.”
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Despite the parents of 545 migrant children separated at the border by Trump and still not having been found, Trump answers Obama and Joe put those cages there in the first place and that these children are being treated very “good.”
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Biden compares Trump’s relationship with North Korea to the likes of the Adolf Hitler before WWII
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Trump paints Biden as a typical politician, “all talk, no action.”
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Trump argues that it’s not him but Nancy Pelosi that’s preventing the coronavirus relief deal from passing through, despite the Republicans having the majority vote
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Biden says with Trump’s supreme court nominee about to be confirmed, the Affordable Care Act is in jeopardy during a time when people need health insurance the most.
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Talking about Climate Change, Trump blamed windmills and Biden suggests he’d stop fracking. Biden has not come out in support of the Green New Deal.
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In closing statements, Trump attacks Biden for wanting to raise taxes suggesting he’s better for the economy, and Biden gives his vision for a united country
So what?
Personally, this debate was clearly more civilized and comprehensible compared to the mass hysteria of the first debate. You got a better reminder of what the candidates are selling and who’s buying. The moderator Kristen Welker did a much better job—with the help of muting mics of course—than Chris Wallace on this front.
I don’t think Trump made his case to all the undecided voters out there, but instead focused on rallying up his already supporters. There wasn’t really a reach to undecided voters or even the democratic base to pull them on board the Trump train, whereas Biden made it very clear he’s running to be America’s president and not just the blue states.
At times I’m not sure Trump remembered that he’s actually the incumbent president running and not Biden, he made multiple cases of Biden not doing enough, despite the fact he hasn’t been in office these four years.
There are clearly two different visions for the future of the nation layed out in front of us, and it’s more critical than ever to make our voices known to what future we choose to make for ourselves.
Please do your part and vote in this November election. Lives quite literally depend on it.
https://www.centerforvoterinformation.org/voting-information/