The stage ahead and road so far: Final Presidential debate preview
The final Presidential debate is scheduled for Oct. 22. Here’s what’s happened so far and what to expect for the last debate.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 29: The debate stage is set for U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to participate in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the first of three planned debates between the two candidates in the lead up to the election on November 3. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Nashville, Tennessee is said to be the birthplace of country music and attracts tourists from around the nation. It also houses the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and a replica of the Athenian Parthenon. However, on Oct. 22, it will be home to the final Presidential debate.
“Hot mess, inside a dumpster fire..”
The first Presidential Debate was an in-person whirlwind of interruptions, arguments and insults. President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden both seemed to forget rules their campaigns agreed to as they plowed over their time limits while repeatedly ignoring Chris Wallace’s requests for peace and respect.
CNN reporter Jake Tapper reflected on the debate.
“[The debate was] a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” Tapper said.
Following the first debate was the Vice Presidential debate. Current Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris took to the stage.
Biden tweeted his admiration for Harris’s performance the next day.
Last night, @KamalaHarris chose truth over lies.
She chose hope and unity over fear and division.
She showed America what true leadership looks like — and I couldn’t be prouder.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 8, 2020
It could be argued that the highlight of the Vice Presidental Debate was the fly that landed on Pence’s head mid-debate. It stayed for about two minutes and was a celebrity before the night was over.
To Debate or Not to Debate
The second Presidential Debate was scheduled for Oct. 15. However, President Trump announced late Oct.1 that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Due to CDC quarantine guidelines and the risk of transmission to others, the debate was canceled. A virtual debate was suggested but President Trump announced he wouldn’t participate. Both candidates did, however, hold their own Town Halls on the same day and at the same time on different news networks. President Trump tweeted that he would be doing a Town Hall the day of.
I will be doing a major Fake @NBCNews Town Hall Forum, live tonight from Miami, at 8:00 P.M. They asked me to do it in place of the Rigged Steve Scully (he is now suspended from @cspan for lying) Debate. I wonder if they’ll treat me as well as Sleepy Joe? They should!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2020
The two candidates took different sides on the President’s record so far.
Biden spoke negatively about President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic so far.
“He missed enormous opportunities and kept saying things that weren’t true,” Biden said.
Biden also stood firm on his agenda for transgender rights claiming that there should be, ‘zero discrimination.’ He also revisited the topic of fracking and his environmental plan. He again claimed that he will not ban fracking and clarified that while the Green New Deal was a framework for his climate plan, they are not synonymous.
In addition, he also still did not provide a clear stance of packing the Supreme Court, a question he and Harris have both repeatedly dodged. However, he said that he will provide his stance before election day.
“[Voters] do have a right to know where I stand, and they’ll have a right to know where I stand before they vote,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, President Trump claimed he takes many COVID-19 tests but was unsure whether he took on the night of the first debate. An honor code both candidates pledged to follow.
Trump’s Town Hall also inquired into the President’s plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act if it is declared unconstitutional. He was also asked about the topic of white supremacy after he declined to denounce them in the first debate. Trump has since denounced white supremacy on a telephone interview with Sean Hannity and again on Thursday’s town hall.
“Are you listening? I denounce white supremacy,” Trump said.
The Stage Ahead
Overall, the Town Halls featured nothing we have not heard before. Yet, the final debate is coming fast and is sure to be a rollercoaster. There will be six topics for the final debate. They are: “Fighting COVID-19,” “American Families,” “Race in America,” “Climate Change,” “National Security” and “Leadership.”
Hunter Biden, Trump’s alleged tax fraud, as well as his recent battle with COVID-19, healthcare and the recent Supreme Court Appointment trials of Amy Coney Barrett in the Senate are some other “controversial” topics that might be mentioned.
The debate will stream over various news networks on Oct. 22 at 9 p.m.
Edited by Madalyn Torres and Donna Mitchell
Featured Photo Courtesy of Win McNamee/Getty Images
