Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in their first debate of 2020 from Cleveland, Ohio. Here's a chronological recap of the night's topics:
The Supreme Court
- Trump defends his SCOTUS choice, Amy Coney Barrett, and the timing of her nomination. "Elections have consequences," the president said. Biden responds by saying that's the why the Senate should wait to confirm a justice.
- Will Biden back some of his Democratic colleagues over packing the court? He'll leave that to voters to decide.
Health care
- Just what is the Trumpcare plan, Wallace asks?
- Trump: Drug prices will come down 80-90%." And Trump says the price of insulin has gone down under his administration so much that insulin's availability is "like water."
- Biden: Defends his plan, despite his opponent calling it "socialized medicine." Claims the president has cost 10 million Americans their healthcare. "He has not lowered drug cost care for anyone."
COVID-19 response
- Biden: Accuses POTUS of downplaying the pandemic. "He still doesn't have a plan,” whereas "I laid out a plan in March."
- The first mention of "Bleachgate."
- Why is Trump holding big rallies during the coronavirus pandemic? "Because people want to hear what I say." As for COVID-19 infections at his rallies? Trump claims he's had "no problems." Why is Biden not holding rallies? In summary: Because he’s social distancing.
The economy
- Trump: Pushing hard for states to open up amid the coronavirus.
- Biden: Claims millionaires are doing well, while the middle class suffers. "You can't fix the economy until you fix the COVID crisis," Biden responds.
Trump's tax returns
- What does Trump think of the NYT's claim that Trump paid only $750 in income taxes from 2016-17? He says it's false. "I paid millions of dollars."
- Biden: "I'm going to eliminate the Trump tax cuts." He pledges to bolster the middle class with his tax plan. As for Biden's increase on taxes on the rich and corporation? It would create $1 trillion-plus in the economy and create 7 million new jobs. Corporate tax will go up to 28%.
- Trump's response: Obama had "the slowest economic recovery since 1929." And if Biden's tax plan is implemented, dozens of companies will leave, resulting in a depression.
- Biden's rebuttal: Manufacturing under the president "went in a hole," while Biden touts his and Obama's bailout of the auto industry.
Race relations
- Wallace: Why should voters trust you over your opponent about race?
- Biden: It's about equity. Biden attacked the president's record on Charlottesville, how Blacks have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
- Trump: Biden helped passed the now-infamous crime bill in 1994 that is blamed for a massive rise in incarceration rates among African Americans and Latinx Americans. Trump is touting his record on "law and order," accusing Biden of being afraid "to even say it."
- On systemic injustice, Biden agrees the nation has a problem with systemic racism. He's pledging to work with law enforcement to promote "transparency" in the nation's law enforcement. Trump accuses Biden of agreeing with violent protests.
- On ending critical race theory training and racial sensitivity training: Trump ended it, he said, because it's teaching people "to hate our country." Biden's response: Racial sensitivity can help end divisions among Americans among people. "We are all Americans," the former vice president said.
- Biden has gone on the record saying he will not defund the police. But he is in favor of "community policing," citing his work on his Unity Task Force with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
- Will Trump condemn white supremacists, Wallace asks? "Sure," Trump said, but the president also brought up ANTIFA, saying the left has done more than the right to divide the country.
Each other's records
- Trump touts filling three SCOTUS openings and hundreds of federal judge openings. Biden brings up the Russian bounty program, that crime has gone down and Trump's alleged comments about calling Americans who died in war "suckers and losers."
Climate change
- Trump claims the Paris Climate Accords were "a disaster," and defends his comments about the California wildfire. When pressed, Trump says he believes the science "to an extent," and pivots back to California's handling of its wildfire, calling it poor forest management. He also attacks California Gov. Gavin Newsom's order that bans all gasoline-powered new cars by 2035.
- Biden says he will pass policy that will make renewable energy as affordable to coal. He claims he can reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings, and -- despite what Trump said -- create new jobs with green energy. Biden wants to rejoin the Paris Accords. Instead of the Green New Deal, Biden is pushing his own plan on climate change.
Mail-in ballots
- Biden points to studies saying that voter tampering will not be a significant issue with mail-in voting.
- Trump thinks otherwise, claiming some mail-in voting will be "a fraud like you've never seen," and that mail-in voting will be a disaster. "There was no transition," when Trump took office, alleging he was attacked and spied on by Obama's administration since Trump entered the White House. He also claimed ballots are being "sold" and "dumped in rivers" to ensure he loses.
- On the topic of voting irregularity and if Biden is concerned if SCOTUS will step in (with a possible 6-3 conservative majority), Biden says he is confident that voting will be fair.
- Will either candidate pledge to not declare victory until the election is certified? Biden says yes. Trump says he's worried about mail-in voting tampering, the postal service can't possibly handle the influx of mail-in votes and it's already on the record that there has been ballot tampering.
10:39 p.m. ET: And that's it for the first presidential debate. The next debate will see both campaigns' veep nominees: Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (Calif.) on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET.