There was a lot to take in following the first of three presidential debates between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Following the debate, Kern County political experts joined 23ABC's Jessica Harrington to break down what they witnessed.
The 90-minute event was split up into six 15-minute segments and with no commercial interruptions. The six segments included: “the Trump and Biden records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in our cities, and the integrity of the election.”
According to the Associated Press, the first debate between President Trump and Biden deteriorated into bitter taunts and near chaos Tuesday night. Trump in particular repeatedly interrupted his opponent with angry — and personal — comments that sometimes overshadowed the sharply different visions each man has of a nation facing historic crises.
There were heated clashes over the president’s handling of the pandemic, the integrity of the election results, deeply personal attacks about Biden’s family and how the Supreme Court will shape the future of the nation’s health care. Trump also refused to condemn white supremacists who have supported him, telling one such group known as Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
Debate moderator Chris Wallace struggled to keep control of the debate, frequently trying to keep President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden from interrupting each other. While Wallace at several points told Biden to allow Trump to speak, Wallace frequently told the president to stop interrupting, and at one point reminded Trump of the debate rules.
