Former Vice President Biden calls out President Trump's race relations during the final presidential debate.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden tussled over health care, the economy and the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in a final debate Thursday that was fiery but far less vitriolic than their first appearance together last month.
Biden, who started off his debate by calling attention to the number of Americans who have died from the virus -- some 220,000 -- fired back by quoting the president’s own words back to him. A last-minute decision to mute microphones during some portions of the debate appeared to lower the temperature, giving both candidates two minutes to answer questions without interruption. In at least two instances, Trump appeared to have his microphone cut off as he ran over his allotted two minutes.
The mute button created a more civil environment – for the most part – but did not lead to any kind of breakthrough moment for either candidate, analysts said. It was probably a draw, they said, and that benefits the front-running Biden. Welker asked both candidates what they would say on their Inauguration Day to Americans who did not vote for them. Trump began by saying that he wants to rebuild the country to what it looked like before the coronavirus wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy and killed more than 220,000 Americans.
“I do rule out banning fracking,” Biden said, adding that the fossil fuel industry needs to be able to “transition” as the country takes action to improve the environment.“Excuse me. He’s against fracking. He has said it,” Trump said. Biden clarified that he’s against fracking on federally owned land.The candidates got personal as Trump hammered away at one of his main arguments, that Biden had his chance during his many years in Washington and didn’t deliver.
As the debate turned to a discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement, Biden jabbed Trump for his boasts that no president since Abraham Lincoln has helped Black people more than he has. The former vice president called climate change an “existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it.”
Trump and Biden battled over race in one of the more emotional moments of the debate. Trump repeatedly pointed to the 1994 crime deal that Biden helped shepherd through Congress, legislation that Biden acknowledged was a “mistake.” “We’ve constantly been moving the needle toward inclusion, not exclusion,” Biden said. “This is the first president who’s said, ‘We’ve got to put an end to that.’”The American Civil Liberties Union said in a court filing that they are unable to locate the parents of 545 children who were among the families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 and 2018.
Those children, known as “dreamers” had a temporary reprieve under the Obama administration but now live in fear of deportation under Trump. Biden said House Democrats approved a spending plan during the summer. But Trump blasted it for benefitting poorly run states and cities governed by Democrats. Biden fired back: “This is the guy who's tried to cut Medicare. The idea that Donald Trump is lecturing me on Social Security and Medicare? Come on."Biden tried to swat away Trump’s constant labeling of the former vice president as a “socialist” by pointing out that he conquered far-left candidates during the Democratic primary to nab the nomination.
Both candidates were limited to two minutes in their initial response to a question. It appeared Trump went over that time as he was discussing his desire to end Obamacare. Asked what he would do to help the 20 million people who get their health insurance through Obamacare if the court overturns the ACA, Trump said he would"come up with a brand new, beautiful health care" plan. Trump, who campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare, has offered few details on what a Republican plan would look like.
“He’s a thug,” Biden said. “We’re going to make sure we control them and make sure they cannot hurt us.”“The Korean peninsula should be a nuclear-free zone,” Biden said. “We’re going to make sure we’re in a situation where we’re actually going to protect preexisting conditions” he added, accusing the president of failing to come up with a plan on this front despite promising one. “He’s never come up with a plan.”Biden said he would crackdown on China economically and move cut the trade deficit that has ballooned since Trump imposed tariffs on the foreign power.
Under pressure over the issue, the president said he has closed his Chinese account, but did not provide proof – which would be in the tax returns he is refusing to release because they remain under audit.Biden told Trump there's a simple solution: Just release the documents.Biden says he’s ‘not taken a penny’ from foreign countries
Biden pointed to Trump not releasing his tax returns after promising to do so for years, saying “What are you hiding?” “The guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy,” Biden said of Trump as the president shook his head with a smirk.Biden once again went after Trump for telling author Bob Woodward in February that he purposely played down the threat of coronavirus., which included the president telling the journalist in a recorded interview weeks before the first death in the U.S.
The exchange represented a departure from the more intense and combative exchanges he has had with the moderators of the first debate and a recent town hall.Trump blames COVID-19 response on 'Democratic states'; Biden says the president is playing politics Biden did not rule out future shutdowns of businesses to combat the coronavirus if elected president, saying reopening must slow down if the rate of infections grows faster than it can be combatted.Biden blamed the “ineptitude” of Trump for putting the country in a situation where many businesses and schools are closed to fight the spread of COVID-19. Biden said he supported health precautions against COVID-19 that would still allow businesses to operate.
"We're learning to live with it. We have no choice we can lock ourselves up in a basement like Joe does," Trump said.No initial interruptionsAfter all the overtalking of the first debate, the debate commission announced that only the microphone of the candidate speaking would be turned on while that candidate had two minutes to give an initial answer to each of the debate topics.
The former vice president said he would urge everyone to wear a mask for months, which could avoid half the projected 200,000 more deaths expected by the end of the year. He also proposed to create programs for rapid testing and national standards for reopening schools and businesses. Family members for both candidates have occupied the front rows in the Curb Event Center at Belmont University. An orange program and a pack of anti-bacterial wipes was placed on each seat in the hall, where about 200 people will watch the candidates square off in person.
"We walked in with a mask on. We sat down - all the seats were socially distanced," she told Wallace earlier this month."I want to be very clear, never one time did anyone from Cleveland Clinic come up and ask any member of our family to put a mask on.
Bobulinski has agreed to cooperate with a Senate investigation into the Bidens and agreed to be interviewed by members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Finance committees on Friday.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden campaign hits back at Trump claim that Biden will raise taxes: ‘He has no proof’Joe Biden has promised to get rid of President Trump’s signature 2017 tax cuts which his campaign says helped millionaires and billionaires, but hurt everyone else.
Read more »
Donald Trump And Joe Biden Open Debate With Sharp Yet Civil Jabs Over CoronavirusPresident Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden opened their debate with a very different tone than their last encounter: It was actually pretty civil. As moderator Kristen Welker spent the fir…
Read more »
Hollywood Reactions To The Donald Trump-Joe Biden Debate Stay In Their LanesIt’s the last debate before the presidential election, and the partisans are lined up in their pews to preach to the choirs of true believers. We’ll update as more celebrity reactions r…
Read more »
Deadline Now: What To Expect In the Final Presidential Debate Between Donald Trump And Joe BidenThursday night’s face-off between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will not just pit the candidates against each other, it will also pit Trump against the moderator’s mute button. High drama,…
Read more »
USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Joe Biden leads Donald Trump by 7 points in pivotal PennsylvaniaA majority of likely Pennsylvania voters say they do not support adding justices to the Supreme Court.
Read more »