The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump deteriorated into a slagging match as both men exchanged bitter accusations, personal insults and repeatedly talked over one another. Over the course of an astonishingly combative and chaotic 90 minutes, both men played out their dislike for each other, mirroring one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in recent memory. Trump interjected so frequently that Biden at one point lost his patience and snapped: ‘Will you shut up, man?’. Biden accused Trump of being the ‘worst president America has ever had’, however, Trump snapped back that he had done ‘more in 47 months than you’ve done in 47 years’. Even the host, Fox News Chris Wallace, couldn’t always stay above the fracas. ’I hate to raise my voice, but why shouldn’t I be different than the two of you?’ he said at one point.
One area that Biden did try to hit home with Trump was the recent accusations that he avoided paying any federal taxes for years and paid only $750 in 2016 and 2017. In the hours before the debate, Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, released their 2019 tax returns. According to the documents, Biden paid nearly $300,000 in taxes in 2019. Trump claimed that he had paid millions of dollars in taxes in those years, however, he did not commit to releasing his returns as proof. He also bragged that he took advantage of tax loopholes and that as a successful businessman he didn’t ‘want to pay taxes’.
Immediately following the debate the odds certainly suggest Trump lost it with a CBS News Poll giving Biden 48% of likely voters who watched the contest believing he won, against 40% for Trump. 10% called it a tie.
Round 2 is in the early hours London time on the 16th October for the insomnia sufferers amongst us.