Childish, Chaotic, Embarrassing: A Review of One of History’s Most Unpresidential Debate

Opinion Analysis by Mounia El Khawand

October 8th, 2020

On Tuesday 29th of September, millions of people tuned in to watch what has become the proclaimed worst presidential debate in living memory, and the only one not to start with a handshake, due to the coronavirus crisis.

Overall, the 90-minute duel forewent productive policy conversation, as the two opponents traded jabs and insults, much to the dismay of the moderator, Chris Wallace, and a stunned audience. While Biden spoke for 43 minutes out of the allotted hour-and-a-half against Trump’s 38 minutes, Trump interrupted his adversary and the moderator no less than 73 times, as reported by CBS news. Counting Biden’s own interjections, not a single minute out of the 90 went by without one of the candidates talking above the other. The heat of the debate even forced TV veteran Chris Wallace to raise his voice and urge Mr. Trump to stop interrupting. 

While Joe Biden tried to keep a level-head, and show his contempt for Trump’s answers in his chuckles and headshakes, the incessant hectoring of the Republican candidate prompted him to exclaim “Will you shut up, man?” in what was arguably one of the most talked about moments of the debate. The former Vice-President went on to compare his opponent to a “clown.” 

The Business Insider spoke with Tim Cunningham, a clown by trade, who, though admitted to laughing at Biden’s quip, clarified that, unlike Trump, clowns are virtuosos, and said “I hope we can set the record straight on what clowns actually are, and they are not Donald Trump.” The debate was split into six segments, each centered around one of the following topics: the two candidates’ records, the vacant seat in the Supreme Court, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, race protests, election integrity, and the economy. 

Amidst the palpable rancor and chaotic mess, in which Wallace was more referee than moderator, it was nearly impossible for either candidates to shed light on their own platforms. But here are the main takeaways of the verbal brawl. 

When the topic of Trump’s taxes was brought up, the President confirmed having paid millions of dollars in 2016 and 2017, despite the recent report of The New York Times stating the amount was no more than $750. After accusing the Republican of taking advantage of the tax code, Biden told Trump that he was “the worst President America has ever had.”

The Supreme Court was another strong point of contention between the two candidates. Trump, who has already filled two of the nine seats during his mandate, sought to press his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett by claiming that “elections have consequences.” In so doing, he would effectively paint the Supreme Court red by securing a 6 to 3 conservative lead. Biden, however, provided no answer when asked if he would increase the number of judges on the bench.

Taking up 20 minutes, the topic COVID-19 was the longest discussed. Biden reiterated the opinions of millions of Americans who believe Trump to have severely mismanaged the crisis. Instead of defending himself, Trump based his argument on hypotheticals, saying that, had Biden been in his place, countless more lives would have been lost. The current President also promised the discovery of a vaccine within the coming two weeks, a claim that was challenged by the chief scientific advisor to the US vaccine program. 

The moment that caught most people’s attention, however, came about when Trump failed to condemn the white supremacist group, Proud Boys, and instead chose to attack antifa. In fact, by telling them to “stand back and stand by,” he gave the group a rallying cry. Indeed, the Proud Boys called his statement an “endorsement.” They quickly responded on social media, saying they are “standing down and standing by, sir,” speaking in a fashion that soldiers would use when obeying their commanding officer. 

When it comes to election integrity, Biden urged the American voters to exercise their electoral right. On the other hand, Trump warned his supporters of potential fraud of an unseen level, when asked if he would ask of his partisans to peacefully accept the results. The question is particularly relevant following Trump’s lack of commitment to a peaceful departure from the White House. 

Although the economy was a point of strength in Trump’s campaign, Biden sought to undermine his opponent’s performance by turning the discussion towards his oft-criticized handling of the pandemic. The two candidates further butted heads on taxes, with Biden seeking to increase payments on high-earners and corporations. 

In the end, however, all sensible policy discussion was overshadowed by the vicious words and sheer aversion the two adversaries had for each other. Their families were not spared by the bitter rivalry either, and Trump brought up Hunter Biden’s (Joe Biden’s son) drug problem, which got him discharged from the military. However, he was mistaken in saying that he was dishonorably discharged. Biden, however, turned to face the cameras – the American people – one more, and claimed that he was proud of his son for overcoming his problem, thus connecting with the numerous families that have shared a similar struggle.

Both sides, of course, will claim victory. While Trump clearly imposed himself as the more riotous of the two, Biden performed at his best when he addressed the cameras directly and ignored his opponent’s comments. However, despite his 48 years in government, Biden still came across as the meeker candidate, and failed to seize several opportunities to deal severe blows at Trump, or to steer the debate in the direction that he wanted.

According to a poll conducted by CNN, six out of ten viewers crowned Biden as the victor of Tuesday’s brawl. However, the mess that was the debate did little to change the minds of the 10% of voters that remain undecided. Reactions to the debate, both local and international, have been abysmally negative. 

BBC’s Anthony Zurcher labeled the debate as a “food fight” from which Biden emerged “least covered in slop.” 

Geoffrey Kabaservice of the Niskanen Center claimed that the potentially educating exchange “turned out to be a distressing and largely unwatchable pissing contest, […] the worst presidential debate in our history and a grievous national embarrassment.” 

The Guardian’s Derecka Purnell commented that “Trump and Biden may have argued who would better protect America and her values, but the people in this country must eventually be saved from them both.”

The BBC, in a summary of various international reactions, reiterates The Times UK’s words, by saying that although no definite winner could be discerned, “The clearest loser from the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was America.”

French journalists described the debate as “chaotic, childish, and grueling,” while Italian journalists voiced many watchers’ thoughts by saying, “Never had American politics sunk so low.” Indian reporters shared a similar sentiment, claiming the “US embarrassed itself before the world for 100 minutes.” German officials saw the debate as no more than “bad entertainment,” whereas the Chinese government “resolutely [opposed] US personnel dragging China into this election.”

Russia, though following the events of the presidential elections, chose not to release any statements as to avoid its words being perceived as interference attempts, according to Reuters.

The debate degenerated into such an uncontrolled disaster – for which Chris Wallace came under heavy fire – that the nonpartisan commission responsible for presidential and vice-presidential debates resolved to change the format of the events, a decision that was not favorably received by the Trump team. One proposed measure is the introduction of a mute button that would cut a speaker’s microphone, in order to try and maintain a semblance of order.  

With two more encounters scheduled for October 15 and October 22, and the candidates’ running mates due to face off on October 7, and the promise of growing animosity between the two camps, the introduction of such regulations seems necessary.However, with Trump having recently tested positive for COVID-19, more measures would also have to be put in place in order to ensure all participants’ safety.

While a pilot does not always make or break a show, the first presidential debate has clearly set the tone for chaotic, messy, and sizzling sequels. Although the candidates fail to sway undecided voters over to their side, they may have convinced many not to tune in for their upcoming encounters.