The final debate has arrived, but our path here was not expected. After the first debate the president and his administration tested positive for COVID. This caused the debate committee to evaluate the risk factors of having an in person debate and they ultimately decided that the second debate had to be virtual. Trump did not want to participate in a virtual debate so Biden and he both held separate in person town halls instead. This means that instead of the normal three presidential debates, we now only get two. Some may say that this is a predicament because many issues will likely be rushed in this final debate. There have also been reports that mics might be muted tonight when it is not a candidates turn, a response to the multitude of interruptions amongst the candidates during the last debate. 

Kristen Welker (moderator) introduces debate, candidates enter

The mics will be muted…

How will you continue to fight COVID?

• Trump says mortality rate is down, talks about spikes going down, the vaccine is coming, people are getting better faster. Many countries have congratulated Trump on his response.
• Biden blames all COVID deaths on Trump. We should just wear masks, more rapid testing. National standards on how to open schools and businesses.
• Trump says vaccine is not guaranteed to come that fast, but we believe it is a very high chance, the distribution will be extremely fast.
• Biden says Trump does not have a plan 
• Trump says we’ve learned, studied, and understand the disease, we are fighting this and we will eradicate it. Brings up Biden’s poor response to the swine epidemic.
• Biden claims Trump was too kind to China, and then changed his tune. 
• Trump says we can’t lock ourselves up anymore, life needs to go on. People don’t have the means to hide at home. Commends the doctors and hospitals, 99.9 of people recover.

What will you say to American who thinks the economy outweighs the risk of the virus?

• Biden says that those concerns regarding the economy are real. I haven’t ruled out more shutdowns. When we open we need to give people the capacity to open safely, we need to support that with money.
• Trump says the democratic governed states are where people are dying the most. We won’t have a country if we don’t open. People are losing their jobs, committing suicide, getting hooked on drugs.
• We can’t open without resources…….
• Trumps says NYC is dying, everyone is leaving
• Biden says most spikes are happening in red states
• Trump is asked a question about how he bashed public health officials, he says that the health officials kept changing their opinion on what should be done. Even health officials make mistakes.
• Biden asks people to think about how Trump downplayed the virus. 

Officials have confirmed that Russia is interfering with our election, what will you do about this threat?

• Biden says anyone who influences our elections will pay a price for interfering with American sovereignty. Why won’t Trump take on Putin when Putin is actively working against us?
• Trump says that Biden got 3.5 million dollars from Russia, I didn’t get money from Russia. Russia wants me to lose, I’ve been the toughest on Russia. You are colluding with Russia, you owe an explanation to the American people.
• I haven’t taken money from a foreign source in my entire life. Trump will not release his tax returns, what are you hiding? 
• The returns will be released soon, I prepaid tens of millions of dollars of taxes. I don’t make money from foreign countries, you do Joe. As soon as my audit is done the returns will be released.
• When are you actually going to release them, you’ve been saying this for four years.

Were any of your foreign connections unethical?

• Biden says no, he carried out U.S. policy, nothing out of line. 
• Trumps says that Biden’s unemployed son somehow got 180,000$ a month from Ukraine
• Trump says he has many bank accounts, just because he has a bank account in China doesn’t mean that it’s a conflict of interest. He says that he was simply doing business in China, the bank account is now closed.
• Biden is asked a question about making China pay for their lack of transparency on COVID, Biden says he will make China play by international rules.
• Trump says that China is already paying, so far 28 billion dollars, in the form of tariffs

Do you see North Korea’s continuation of the missile program as a betrayal of the new relationship?

• We are not in a war right now. We have a great relationship, they will not enter war with us. I avoided nuclear war.
• Biden says that Trump is conspiring with awful people. The only way Biden would meet with the North Korean president if there was a precondition that they would weaken their nuclear program. 

What will you do for the 20 million Americans losing healthcare with your plan to abolish Obamacare?

• Trump says that by terminating Obamacare it will run more smoothly and be better, It will protect people with pre-existing conditions. 180 million people have great private health care, Biden will terminate those policies.
• Biden says that if Obamacare is abolished he will make Biden care. It will be an automatic public health enrollment for those in need. He also says he will lower premium drug prices. Biden says he does support private insurance, no one will lose their private insurance. This is not a step towards socialized health care. 
• Trump said that Biden has been in politics for 47 years and he has never done anything, Biden is being driven by his Vice President. He also supports fracking, he keeps changing his mind.
• Biden says people deserve to have affordable health care.

Why haven’t you passed the minority relief bill?

• Trump says that Nancy Pelosi does not want to work with Republicans and approve it. She thinks not passing the bill helps her politically it doesn’t.
• Biden claims he has been pushing for the bill to be passed. I will run as an American president, not a Democratic president, I will be a president for all people.
• Biden says this is the time to pass a higher minimum wage. Businesses need help, but these guys won’t help them. 
• Trump asks how on earth raising the minimum wage helps small businesses, they end up having to fire employees because they go broke. 

Where did the parents on the 500 children at the border go?

• Trump says we let people in legally, our border is strong. We have a plan to reunite the kids but many of the kids come over with cartels and gangs.
• Biden says the children got separated at the border from their parents, our nation is a laughing stock. Kids were ripped from their parents arms and those kids are alone with nowhere to go.
• Biden says that his immigration reforms took too long last time, but he will be president now. Reform will come within the first hundred days of his presidency.
• Trump says that Biden has eight years to do all of this, and he did nothing but build cages. The people never come back for their hearing only 1%.

Why do people of color fear for their children?

• Biden says if you are a person of color, regardless of class, you are more likely to be targeted by the police. There is institutionalized racism in America, we are only moving slowly towards more inclusion, but Trump is halting this needle.
• Trump says yes he understands why, and once again says that Biden has never done anything to help people of color, and that no one has done more for the black community than he has. He says he reformed the criminal justice system, prison reform, made opportunity zones, and he has helped historically black colleges. Ten year long term funding for historically black colleges.
• Biden says Trump likes putting people in prison and does not defend people of color.
• Trump says BLM is a hate organization, and that he has great relationships with all people. He says he is the least racist person in the room, and that his policies prove that.
• Biden says that Trump pour fuel on every single racist fire in the U.S. and only creates division.
• Biden responds to why he passed a bill that put black people in jail for minor drug possession. He says that it was a mistake, and that he will fund drug treatment, not jail. 
• Trump says Biden is all talk and no action. 

Climate Change

• Trump says we have the best carbon admission numbers in 35 years. The Paris Accord would have taken away tens of millions of jobs.
• Biden says climate change is an existential threat to humanity, and we pass the rate of no return in eight years. He claims people worried about jobs support his plan because his plan will create new jobs. 
• Trump says that Biden’s plan is an economic disaster, his plan was developed by AOC and she knows nothing about climate. The economic devastation wouldn’t be restored for centuries.
• Biden says his plan isn’t that expensive and that it is endorsed by a lot of environmental experts. Biden says that Trump thinks windmills cause cancer.
• Trump says that we are energy independent and windmills are dumb because they are made in China.

What will you say to Americans that did not vote for you?

• Trump says that before the pandemic people who did not originally support him were working with him, success will bring us together. He will cut taxes while Biden raises taxes.
• Biden says he will say he is an American president who will represent all people, and hope will bring everyone together. We will deal with the economy and systemic racism. Clean energy will create more jobs. Decency is what is on the ballot.

Now that we have all of the debate recapped, go re-read them. Breanna Reynolds has also written an article on the candidates’ policies. After looking over these resources, vote on the EMC poll, in our mock election! Being versed in politics is important, even in high school, because pretty soon you will be able to vote. For now this is good practice on being politically informed.