The final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden happened Thursday night. This time around each candidate was given two uninterrupted minutes to answer each question, a new rule which Trump and Biden largely followed with the threat of having their microphones muted.
The mute button decision was made by the Commission on Presidential Debates after the candidates’ chaotic first debate marked by crosstalk and insults.
Moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News, debate topics included COVID-19, family separation, race, climate change, national security, the federal minimum wage and the oil industry.
The two candidates went back and forth on recent information that Trump had a Chinese bank account before running for election in 2016. Trump’s tax returns came up again as well.
Biden got attention when said he would begin a gradual transition from reliance on oil to more renewable energy under a Biden presidency. This was seen as a triumph for Trump, as he pushed Biden on the claim.
In terms of the accuracy of their remarks, CNN’s Daniel Dale said that Trump uttered “far more” false statements than Biden did.
Some questions:
Was the debate commission justified for threatening to cut mics to force the candidates to allow the other to speak?
What issue stood out to you most — race, the economy, child separation at the US-Mexico border, foreign policy or handling of the pandemic?
Should the U.S. phase out reliance on fossil fuels?
How well did moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News keep the candidates in check?
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