(Associated Press)
Mehta: Moderator Chris Wallace lost control of the debate, at one point raising his hands, saying, “Gentleman! Gentleman! Stop!” and imploring President Trump to stop interrupting. His plea came after a raucous exchange over Trump’s tax returns and his COVID response that Trump used to attack Biden’s son Hunter over unsubstantiated allegations. Biden responded with one of his more effective lines of the night, saying it wasn’t about his family or Trump’s family — it was about American families.
Trump denied reports that he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in two recent years, offering myriad responses — he paid millions, any smart person would want to decrease their tax burden “unless they’re stupid,” and Biden was responsible for not dealing with loopholes during his time in Washington. Biden simply responded — “Show us your tax returns.” The men continued to spar, with Biden at one point concluding: “You’re the worst president America has ever had.” Biden was the somber truth-teller, speaking of the toll the COVID-19 crisis has taken on American families. The pair did outline some policy differences on how they believe the economy should be reopened — a vital issue for voters struggling economically who also remain concerned about the coronavirus.
Takeaway: The debate devolves (even more).
Lauter: “He doesn’t want to talk about what you need, you, the American people,” Biden said, looking directly at the camera. This was the segment of the debate on the economy, which has long been Trump’s strong point with voters. But instead of consistently focusing attention on his economic record, Trump veered into accusing Biden’s son Hunter of inappropriately taking money from Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company. That’s been the issue that Trump and his aides have pushed for more than a year, with little evidence that it’s helped him much. Before the debate, Republicans repeatedly suggested that Trump could trigger Biden to lose his temper. So far, that strategy hasn’t worked.
Takeaway: Trump has had trouble throughout this campaign finding a line of attack against Biden that would stick. A third of the way into the debate, he still hasn’t found one.
Bierman: As the discussion turned to the pandemic and Trump’s decision to hold campaign rallies against public health guidelines, Biden looked into the camera: “He’s not worried about you,” Biden said. That’s Biden’s central point, that Trump is in it just for himself. He hasn’t had much time to make that point during this debate, with repeated interruptions from Trump. But he has tried, as much as possible, to talk directly to the public and make the case that Trump is too selfish to take care of the country’s well-being.
Trump has responded by trying to make the discussion about the media, politics and Biden’s family. He blamed Democrats for closing businesses, calling that a political ploy. He attacked Biden’s son Hunter for his overseas work. And he blamed the media for convincing the public that he has done a bad job on the coronavirus.
Takeaway: Trump doesn’t want the election to be a referendum on his handling of COVID.
Arellano: When Joe Biden talks directly into the camera — directly to the voters — is when he’s at his best. When he sticks to a message and ignores Trump, he seems like the president, and Trump comes off as a shrill pretender. Biden did that for the coronavirus topic, and dominated, as much as Trump tried to make it into a victory lap. Biden’s one-liners — “The president has no plan,” “You should get out of your bunker and sand trap,” “14,000 people died of [the 2009 swine flu], not 200,000” — landed and flustered Trump. And then using Trump’s previous comments about coronavirus against him — being gone by Easter, summer, and the wonders of bleach? All Trump was able to do was get mad and triggered by the word “smart.” He was left attacking leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, for reasons known only to him.
Biden took the energy of that topic into his opening remarks on the economy. Trump’s immediate comeback? He talked about how he helped to open Big 10 football — which seemed like a non sequitur of braggadocio but was a bone thrown at the very voters he needs. The big question, of course, was Trump’s taxes. Trump insisted he paid “millions of dollars.” Trump’s line — “In 47 months, I’ve done more than you’ve done in 47 years” — was obviously rehearsed, but a good one. Biden, smartly, didn’t flinch. The economy discussion degraded into a referendum on Hunter Biden. Biden, sadly, fell for the trap. He should’ve stuck to how he started the coronavirus segment — and then he remembered. “This is not about my family or his family, but [voters’] families” is the line that the Democrats should play on a loop for the rest of the campaign.
Takeaway: Biden needs to not get caught in the Trump cobweb — and when he does, his scissors need to be sharp. And smart.