*This article was co-written by Seychelle Balog and Kaitlin Tam
This election has been the most interesting and important one in recent years, so let's take an impartial look at a subset of the good points made by both sides (because if you look hard enough, you can actually find some substance!).
Trump: 0 Biden: 0
On the topic of COVID-19, Biden criticized Trump’s handling of the pandemic. Trump refuted this attack by referencing Biden’s tweets and comments from March. At that time, Biden rebuked Trump for closing international travel from China when he did, a factor that made a difference in preventing the spread of the virus. Trump used these comments to make the point that if Biden had been president and maintained that opinion, the U.S. would likely have more cases. +1 for Trump because he provided evidence that Biden disagreed with a beneficial decision Trump made.
Trump: 1 Biden: 0
However, questions regarding the president’s mask usage were brought up in which Biden mentioned how Trump still holds large rallies and gatherings despite the CDC’s warnings. Biden concludes his argument by saying Trump has been, “totally irresponsible in the way in which he has handled the social distancing and people wearing masks.” So despite Trump’s decisions to contain COVID-19, his distaste for wearing a mask contradicts these actions. Trump also made fun of Biden for wearing a mask during his speeches. +1 for Biden because Trump demonstrated a general disdain for the science supporting the positive effects of mask-wearing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect others.
Trump: 1 Biden: 1
When discussing healthcare, Biden brought up Trump's campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, which he has not done yet in his presidency. Trump responded by discussing the acts that he’s signed to change healthcare, which was swiftly refuted by Biden who pointed out that Trump's efforts were not what he said he’d do on the 2016 campaign trail. In 2016, Trump promised to get rid of Obamacare and establish a new comprehensive health care plan, and Biden highlighted the fact that Trump didn’t accomplish that. One example of this is Trump’s executive order getting rid of the individual mandate on healthcare. The individual mandate meant that everyone had to get health insurance or face a penalty fee, which lowered rates for sicker people and varied the pool of citizens with health insurance. The impact of the removal of the individual mandate was that insurance premiums rose. +1 for Biden because it was made evident that Trump did not do what he said he would in terms of healthcare.
Trump: 1 Biden: 2
Chris Wallace brought up racial injustice and the BLM movement that was prominently in the media this past summer. Trump was asked to condemn white supremacy and he evaded this question, instead switching the topic to a criticism of antifa. Trump said that he couldn’t comment on all groups, so Biden offered the specific example of the “Proud Boys,” a far-right extremist group. Trump again refused to directly condemn this group, but did say “Stand back and stand by.” This comment was taken two ways: as a way of telling them to remain peaceful or as telling them to “stand by” and prepare for further violence. Either way, Trump’s noncommittal response to white supremacy did not go over well following the debate. +1 for Biden because Trump refused to respond to such an important issue.
Trump: 1 Biden: 3
In discussing the economy, Biden again referenced another one of Donald Trump’s campaign promises: to decrease the trade deficit with China and Mexico. Biden claimed that during Trump’s administration the trade deficit with both countries increased. In reality, the trade deficit with Mexico has fluctuated over the past four years, but averaged out to where it was before Trump’s presidency. However, Trump’s policies have caused the trade deficit with China to decrease. While these improvements were not as stellar as Trump claimed they would be, Trump still accomplished part of his agenda in office and Biden did not tell the truth on this point. +1 for Trump because he demonstrated that he accomplished something positive and Biden invented a fact on this point.
Trump: 2 Biden: 3
Also in the discussion of the economy, Trump brought up several points in regards to Biden’s past 47 years in office. While Trump maintains a slight lead in polls regarding the economy, the question is still a coin toss: which candidate would better serve the economy? In regards to the economy under Trump, Biden starts his argument by saying that Trump received an upward trending economy from the Obama-Biden administration. This is true, the economy was benefitting from Obama’s presidency, however it doesn’t tell enough information about how the economy will do under Biden’s leadership. On the other hand, Trump stated that Biden will shut down the country again and destroy the economy. And while this is a bit exaggerated, it is also partly true. Biden believes that COVID-19 remains of stark importance at this time and he has mentioned plans to focus and minimize the effects of the pandemic. This includes contact tracing and increased testing. And while Biden never planned on re-closing the country, he does emphasize that his focus remains on the pandemic as opposed to the economy. +1 for Trump because he showed that the economy survived the first wave of the pandemic and he plans on focusing on policies to continue economic growth.
Trump: 3 Biden: 3
The Supreme Court and the nomination of Amy Coney-Barrett, who’s since been confirmed, was an important topic during the first debate. Both sides made claims about members of Congress who were either for or against voting on a nominee before the election and whether or not the American people should have or have had a say in the vote, making this a moot point. However, a relevant part of the discussion surrounded the concept of packing the court. To clarify, “packing the court” refers to adding more Supreme Court justices and is a topic that is brought up whenever the court has a conservative or liberal majority. This topic typically has a negative connotation and while Trump outright refused to pack the court, Biden refused to answer the question. Trump repeated the question multiple times and Biden still would not answer it, showing indecision on this policy point. +1 for Trump because Biden didn’t answer the question and Trump promised not to pack the court.
Trump: 4 Biden: 3
With the many issues surrounding voting this year, the question of voting fraud has been all over the news. When asked to respond to this and whether they would accept the results of the election, Trump and Biden had two very different responses. Trump emphasized all the issues that he has with the voting process this year, and made it clear that if he believed voter fraud was a problem, he might not accept the results of the election. His rhetoric on the topic placed doubt on the verity of individual votes and election results, yet did not offer a solution. Biden, on the other hand, acknowledged the possibility of voter fraud, but demonstrated a strong belief in our democratic system. While Trump, either intentionally or not, caused concern for voters, Biden encouraged citizens to vote and participate in our government. +1 for Biden for placing trust in our democracy and trying to reassure voters.
Trump: 4 Biden: 4
Both candidates interrupted the moderator (and each other), personally insulted each other, invented stats and numbers, and generally acted unpresidential. -4 for Trump, -4 for Biden.
Final tally: Trump: 0, Biden: 0, America: 0. Election Day is November 3rd, so make sure your voice is heard. Please remember to vote if you are able, and if not, encourage others to do so!
Sources:
The debate itself.
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