First 2020 Presidential Debate

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Image/Graphics by Olivier Douliery

The first presidential debate set the tone for the upcoming presidential election.

2020 has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but it’s not over yet. The 2020 election is right around the corner, and the candidates for this year’s election are former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, as well as the incumbent, Donald J. Trump. Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, is marked on many Americans calendars, eager to get into the voting booths. Tuesday night’s debate covered some major key factors in the election but also left a lot of unanswered questions. 

Trump and Biden’s Records

As president, Trump claims to have created almost four million jobs, had the lowest unemployment rates before COVID, and the lowest African American unemployment rate ever. As vice president, Biden helped to create Obamacare, a plan that Trump claims he “made better”. Biden also claims that the economy boosted for the last 3 years of Obama’s presidency, more than it ever did with Trump in office.

The Supreme Court

President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barett to take the seat of recently passed Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the supreme court. Trump stated, “I think she will be outstanding, she’s going to be as good as anybody that has served on that court.” Biden opposed this by stating “The people should have a say in the supreme court nominee.”

Amy Coney Barrett
Amy Coney Barrett (Photo credit to Alex Brandon)

COVID-19

Biden came at President Trump hard with his statement “The president has no plan,” continuing to slander him saying “You didn’t panic, he panicked,” finally ending his 2 minutes  with “Go to the oval office, and bring together the republicans and democrats, and fund what needs to be done now to save lives.”

Trump fired back at Biden with “If we had listened to you and left the country wide open, millions would have died.” continuing with “I closed it, and you said ‘he’s xenophobic, he’s racist’,” ending his 2 minutes with “You could never have done the job that we did,  it’s not in your blood.”

Race and Violence

When it came time to debate on race and violence, Biden held no punches. Biden went straight at Trump saying “This is the president who uses everything as a dog whistle, to generate racial hatred, racist division.” Trump made the statement “Someone has to do something about ANTIFA and the left,” claiming that it is mostly them starting the problems. Trump also stated that the racial sensitivity training for law enforcement is in fact racist, but Biden came back at Trump, stating “He’s the racist.” In the midst of chaos, Trump asked Biden “Are you in favor of law and order?” Joe’s response, “Of course I do, everyone is in favor of law and order.” Biden also stated that he believes “Violence should be prosecuted.”

The Economy

When asked about the economy, Trump said the U.S. is coming back “incredibly well,” also saying “We had 10.4 million people in a four-month period that we’ve put back in the workforce,” only half of the 22.1 million jobs lost from April to August. Biden was not as enthusiastic about it, as he claimed “We handed him a booming economy. He blew it.” Biden also stated “You can’t fix the economy until you fix the COVID crisis,” as well as “He oughta get on the job, and take care of the needs of the American people, so we can open safely.”

Overall, the debate showed the true colors of both candidates, and it showed how important this election truly is. If you are able to vote, please do so. If you’re not registered, please register by clicking here. The young generation should take charge and stand up for what they believe in. The future is in your hands, will you take charge?