Masha Fante
Last night’s presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was (blessedly) the final presidential debate of the 2020 election. The 90-minute back-and-forth was heated, but notably less contentious than the first debate, and moderator Kristen Welker was praised for keeping the candidates on track. The Presidential Debate Commission also notified the campaigns that they would have the ability to mute candidates’ microphones if they exceeded their allotted two minutes, although the use of the mute button wasn’t terribly noticeable during the debate.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump discussed a range of issues during the debate, focusing mainly on the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump turned in a markedly less combative performance compared to the first debate, although he did meekly attempt to smear Biden by attacking his son, Hunter, and called the democratic candidate a “career politician.” Biden attacked Trump’s handling of the pandemic, his failure to pay taxes, his secret Chinese bank account, and his overall (mis)handling of the job of president.