What do we on FR think about the debate tonight? Did Trump do well? Did Biden do well?

Presidential Debate 9-29-20 ^ | vanity

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Trump did not do well in the first debate with Hillary but then destroyed her in the next ones.

Sitting presidents do not do well in first debates. I expected better of Trump, but he got down to Joe’s level and it was like wrestling with a pig - you get dirty, and the pig enjoys it.

I hope Mr. Trump finds a recovery plan quick.

[McGavin999]

AOC and Bernie should be laughed at for believing Biden. Both have huge egos and it will cause a huge row.

[Seaplaner]

You are entirely correct, my good FRiend.

[palmer]

By definition there's no knock-out blow. That would sometimes happen when we used to have a media. But we don't anymore. That ship sailed with McCain and Romney. No use pretending it will come back

Congratulating within an echo chamber is like trusting polls - doesn’t get the job done.

Echo chambers are all that's left. Make them big and loud.

[Fido969]

Biden’s bunker comment was bait for Trump, I’m sure he had a snarky response for Trump’s reply. I think Trump saw it as bait and wouldn’t take it.

[Dawgreg]

Trump loses nothing from this. His law and order riff was great

I’m a die-hard Trump fan but I wish he wouldn’t have interrupted as much as he did just because of how it looked but damn, you can’t blame him......he’s been a marked man since that escalator ride, takes no salary, works night and day, put the Globalist/Europeans on notice that we’re through being the savior of the world and they’re going to have to pay their fair share.......anyhoo I could go on and on but if ever there were a POTUS that cares about Americans....ALL Americans and loves this country, it’s President Trump!!

[cornfedcowboy]

It was a clown show. Fortunately for Trump the “shut up” comment is on many of the headlines.

[vpintheak]

Trump did bad. Talked smack constantly.
Biden did bad. Lied constantly.
Bad night over all.

[rintintin]

Wallace can’t do that,

Yes, so if Trump expected something different he was naive. Maybe Trump wants to be hanged up on, maybe he thinks it makes him look strong when he’s fighting two people. I can’t think of any other reason for agreeing to a moderator who is essentially a Democrat party operative

[Monty22002]

This debate was almost as bad as the RNC guys talking about hand/dick size in 2016. Nobody won, everyone lost, especially wallace. If Trump just hadn’t been so aggressive and interrupting he might’ve taken this. I hope he studies this well on how not to act at a debate, for the most part.

[palmer]

It was a complete disaster for Trump.

That's exactly what the pearl clutchers said about the Hillary debates, mostly just echoing the media. Let Trump be Trump.

[cincinnati65]

I was thinking the same thing about the "white supremacist condemnation". Something about Biden's posture and the way he was pushing Trump to answer said "bait" to me, and Trump backed away from it.

It's damned if you do, damned if you don't on that "question", but clearly Biden was eager to get Trump to condemn them. Over-eager.

[V V Camp Enari 67-68]

The people on this thread that think anybody’s mind has been changed by this rumble of a so called ridiculous debate are off their rocker. Nothing, nothing has changed anyone’s minds. Trumps a fighter and so am I that’s what I love about him and because of that fighter in him I say he WON...period end of story.

[jospehm20]

I think getting Biden to admit he is raising the hell out of taxes makes it a win.

[nathanbedford]

Times Chris Wallace silenced the President tonight: 35

Winston Churchill to Son Randolph: "how dare you interrupt me while I am interrupting you."

Who was interrupting whom? Clearly, Trump was frequently intruding on Biden's time. We are inclined to think that that serves Trump well but we support Trump. Undecideds and independents are typically offended by interruptions.

The question is, was it Trump's objective to debate Mike Wallace or Joe Biden. Or better yet, should it have been Trump's objective to win over undecided voters?

I don't like to say this, I'm distressed to have to say this, but candor requires me to say that Trump entered the debate with the overwhelming advantage of incumbency As President of the United States Of America and left the debate a brawler who was behind in the Real Clear Average of polls. Biden entered the debate as a demented septuagenarian ahead in the polls and left the debate a viable candidate for president of the United States in possession of his faculties ahead in the Real Clear average of polls.

Trump's objective was to turn the polls around, I believe he failed to do that tonight. Biden's objective was to appear presidential rather than demented and to safeguard his lead in the polls, I believe he did that.

This is not to open debate about the reliability of these Real Clear polls, they are certainly suspect especially given the history in 2016 but they are now about all we have to go with. Moreover, Trump works at a disadvantage in the electoral college and cannot afford to lose more than 34 votes from his 2016 count. Up till now the trend, as I have frequently pointed out on these threads, appears to have been Trump's friend but it also appears to have stalled lately and in any event Trump is vulnerable because of the structure of the electoral college.

Killing the messenger, even messengers who live in Europe, does not change reality

[elpadre]

Biden was just a sideshow. He needed to talk to all the independent voters as well as his supporters. He did not do well telling the story of his first term and completely left out his vision for the next. He spent too much time goading Biden. Wallace was nothing compared to the next two moderators. I was disappointed.

[353FMG]

That’s why he is still with FUX.

[Jane Austen]

I agree. Trump was clearly the winner. Some are saying, however, that the loser was not Biden but Chris Wallace.

[Jane Austen]

I agree. Trump was clearly the winner. Some are saying, however, that the loser was not Biden but Chris Wallace.

[Arcadian Empire]

Trump did fine.

It is tough to shine when you’re fighting two people at once.

He came out looking as good as he did going in, however, he needs to choose the moderator for the next debate.