Trump, Biden debate was just a click away

WASHINGTON—“In February I said ‘This is a serious problem.’ Trump denied it,” Democratic nominee said in a hall in Philadelphia, answering a question about . “He missed enormous opportunities, and kept saying things that aren’t true.”

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“He has to say that. He’s a friend of mine, he’s a good guy. Wrong or not wrong,” said in Florida, answering a question about Chris Christie admitting he should have worn a mask to the White House. “You have to understand, I’m the president, I can’t be locked in a room.”

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“When a president doesn’t wear a mask, people say well it must not be that important,” Biden said. “I think it matters what we say.”

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“I’ve heard many different stories about the masks,” Trump said. “One that they want, one that they don’t want.” He cited a doctor who he said opposes masks, and moderator Savannah Guthrie pointed out that the person he was citing wasn’t an infectious disease expert. “Well, I don’t know,” Trump said. “He’s one of the great experts of the world.”

The were to have faced off Thursday in the second of three scheduled debates. But Trump’s COVID diagnosis two weeks ago led organizers to insist the debate be held remotely — after which Trump backed out. ABC scheduled a town hall with Biden in its place. NBC followed up by scheduling a town hall with Trump at the same time. So the men went head-to-head in a different way, one the reality TV star president may prefer: competing for ratings among channel flippers on different networks.

I clicked back and forth, trying to construct a debate from the candidates using my remote. It wasn’t the most coherent way to get a sense of the candidates. But then, the debate in late September when they shared the same stage was anyhow. If nothing else, this format meant Biden got to finish his sentences.

That’s something Trump keeps insisting he can’t do — just Thursday afternoon, he was saying he wished he could watch Biden’s event just to “see if he can last.” But Biden looked comfortable and in command of both his faculties and the relevant facts as he spoke for 90 minutes with moderator George Stephanopoulos.

A Trump supporter asked Biden about rolling back Trump’s tax cuts — wouldn’t that hurt regular people? “$1.3 trillion of his $2 trillion tax cuts went to the top one-tenth of one per cent, that’s what I’m talking about rolling back,” Biden said. He said that during the COVID crisis, billionaires had increased their wealth by an additional $700 billion — and that those people need to contribute while stimulus should help those suffering, not those thriving.

“Let me be clear, I do not want to ban fracking,” he said to another question. But, he said, it must be regulated, and he pivoted to his plan to invest heavily in Green Energy to both protect the environment and create jobs. “The president thinks it’s a joke, I think it’s jobs,” Biden said.

Biden acknowledged that the crime bill he pushed through Congress in the 1990s was, in many ways, a mistake that was racist in its application. He sheepishly apologized for rambling, and told questioners he hoped he’d answered their questions.

And he addressed a question he’s taken some flak for not answering: When Biden spoke about how he thought the constitution implied that a Supreme Court seat shouldn’t be filled once an election had begun, Stephanopoulos pressed him on whether he would expand the Supreme Court to balance Trump’s last-minute pick. Biden said his final response would depend on how the current confirmation process unfolds. But he promised a firm answer before election day.

As for Trump, he’s spent the past week on a marathon of rallies after returning to the trail after COVID treatment. Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Wednesday in Iowa, Thursday afternoon in North Carolina. Hours before his town hall, Trump had told the North Carolina rally that NBC was “setting him up” to look bad as part of a “con job,” but he’d figured what the hell, “It’s a free hour on television.”

In contrast to Biden’s laid-back tone, Trump brought that bombast to Florida, taking a combative approach to moderator Guthrie, who challenged him often. “You do read newspapers?” he asked her at one point. “Did you ever hear of a word called negotiation?” he asked at another. “You telling me doesn’t make it a fact, let me tell ya,” he said.

He blamed China (again) for the coronavirus, blamed Nancy Pelosi for holding up a stimulus deal (“Nancy Pelosi we are ready to sign”), and blamed the Internal Revenue Service for his lack of tax transparency (“I’m treated badly by the IRS. Very, very badly”).

Turning to the recent New York Times reporting on his tax returns, Guthrie asked Trump who he owes more than $400 million to. He appeared to confirm the paper’s reporting on the size of his debts, while denying they were anything nefarious. “I don’t owe Russia money,” he said, “I will let you know who I owe. It’s a small amount of money.” Compared to his assets, he said repeatedly, it’s a small percentage of his net worth. “$400 million is a peanut,” he said.

Given the opportunity, he refused to disavow the bizarre QAnon conspiracy theorists who support him. But he did give the answer people have wanted to hear to ease concerns he might reject election results if he loses. “They ask, will you accept a peaceful transfer (of power), and the answer is, yes I will,” he said. “Ideally I don’t want a transfer, because I want to win.”

At times flipping back and forth did provide a proxy for a debate. Both candidates discussed corporate tax rates — Biden promised to raise them, while pointing out that a Wall Street firm had reported his platform might create 18.6 million jobs. Trump said he’d lowered the tax rates to attract companies. “Our corporate taxes were the highest in the world, and now they’re among the lowest, and what that means is jobs.”

But in many ways, the experience may have been preferable to many viewers than a traditional debate could have been. Viewers got to see the candidates interacting with voters, answering at length, presumably in the way they wanted to. The approach and tone of each candidate was obvious — and the differences were significant.

And unlike the debate in September, when a candidate was cut off without being able to finish a thought, it was because the viewer chose to hit the button on their remote.

In closing, Trump was asked to address voters unhappy with his performance but willing to give him another chance — what would he say to them? “I’ve done a great job,” Trump said, going on to recite his familiar stump speech boasts about the pre-COVID economy.

Biden was asked to contemplate losing — and suggested he’d go back to his work at the Biden Institute, trying to ease the divisions in the country. That would be his project, he suggested, win or lose. “That’s what presidents do, we’ve got to heal this nation,” Biden said. “We’ve got a great opportunity to own the 21st century, but we can’t do it divided.”

Those switching between networks saw Trump — argumentative, boastful, on the edge of his seat — as always compelling if uncomfortable viewing. And then CLICK: there was Biden: relaxed, speaking softly, leaning back, and promising to change the channel.

Edward Keenan is the Star’s Washington Bureau chief. He covers U.S. politics and current affairs. Reach him via email: