The final showdown between President Trump and former Vice President Biden went down tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, but it was a much more subdued event than the first meeting back in September. Moderator Kristen Welker did a laudable job at keeping time and controlling the debate without inserting herself into the argument.
Final 2020 Presidential Debate
Candidates: President Donald J. Trump and Former Vice President Joe R. Biden
Date: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020
Location: Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee
Moderator: Kristen Welker, NBC News
Full Debate Video
Here is the complete video of the final 2020 presidential debate. The debate lasted just over 90 minutes split into six segments.
Debate Topics
The debate was split into these six topics, but some of the topics overlapped or weren’t focused on quite as strongly:
- Fighting COVID-19
- American Families
- Race in America
- Climate Change
- National Security
- Leadership
Debate Analysis
President Trump clearly got the memo about delivering a much more tempered and controlled performance compared to the first debate. Both candidates were far more cordial, at least for the first half of the debate. The second half of the debate became more intense but at least there was far less cross-talk than the first debate.
Kristen Welker, with her debut as a presidential debate moderator, deserves kudos for the way she kept the topics moving but also stepped back and let the candidates discuss. After the combative environment allowed by Chris Wallace at the first debate, a lot was riding on Welker’s performance to present a civil discussion to the American people.
Vice President Biden tended to shine most during moments when he could look straight into the camera and empathize with hurting Americans. There seemed to be some discontinuity, however, on Biden’s Covid-19 plans trying to square greater restrictions with helping to ease economic distress. President Trump was more prepared to argue the Covid-19 issue and defend his record, a point he sorely needed as polling shows his record suffers in the eyes of voters.
Some of the most heated exchanges came during the portion on race relations. The President managed to put Biden on defense over his 1994 crime bill, but Biden also came back with pointed statements about speaking to families of color who deal with fear over discrimination.
The end result was a very different debate than we saw back in September. Both candidates were much more respectful and Americans watching were treated to a better exchange of ideas.
Election Day is November 3 which in this age is about 100 more news cycles between now and then. Don’t forget to vote!
