HAPPY DEBATE DAY! 

Live at 3PM HST (9PM EST)

On Tuesday (September 29), President Donald Trump will square off against Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the
first of three presidential debates. The debate will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will run for 90-minutes without commercial
breaks. It will be aired on every major news network, including Fox, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and C-SPAN.

The debate will be moderated by Fox News host Chris Wallace and will cover six topics: the Supreme Court vacancy,
the coronavirus outbreak, election integrity, the economy, the political records of both Trump and Biden, and race
relations and the violence in cities across the country.

Each segment will be 15-minutes long, and each candidate will be given two minutes to respond to Wallace's questions.
They will also be given additional time to respond to their opponent's answers. President Trump will field the first question
from Wallace.

The debate is being held at the Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and there will be between 80-100 invited
guests, who will be socially distanced throughout the venue. The Commission on Presidential Debates said that all
attendees will be tested for COVID-19, and the traditional handshake between the candidates has been scrapped due
to coronavirus. Trump, Biden, and Wallace will not be wearing masks during the debate.

The debate is expected to be must-see TV as 74% of all registered voters are expected to tune-in.

The next presidential debate will be a town hall-style debate and will take place in Florida on October 15. The final
debate will be in Tennessee on October 22 and will be moderated by NBC's Kristen Welker.

The vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will take place on October 7 in Utah.

https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-09-29-how-to-watch-the-first-debate-between-president-trump-and-joe-biden/?mid=485073&rid=98839342&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline3_readmore

"The Trump campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of the debaters for electronic devices or transmitters. The President has consented to this inspection, but Biden has not"

"The Trump campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of the debaters for electronic devices or transmitters. The President has consented to this inspection, but Biden has not"

Trump also called for drug testing before and/or after the debate.   

Not sure if true, but heard Biden's team asked there be a 5 minute break scheduled every 15 minutes.     It's a 90 minute event! 

A reporter asked Biden, "How do you think you'll be able to debate the President for an hour and a half?" 

Biden:  "Depends."

I wish trump had the ability to contain himself better. Instead of calling Biden out on the lies he instead decided to just attack Biden. I missed the middle of the debate but the beginning and the end was pretty miserable to watch.

If I could pick a a topic I think he nailed Biden on was when they talked about “peaceful transition” or something like that. When he Told Biden He gave the the idea to go after Flynn Biden didn’t say shit.

I wish trump had the ability to contain himself better. Instead of calling Biden out on the lies he instead decided to just attack Biden. I missed the middle of the debate but the beginning and the end was pretty miserable to watch.

If I could pick a a topic I think he nailed Biden on was when they talked about “peaceful transition” or something like that. When he Told Biden He gave the the idea to go after Flynn Biden didn’t say shit.

Biden called Trump a liar and a clown multiple times.  I didn't hear Trump use a derogatory name for Biden at all.  The only "nickname" I heard him use was "Crooked Hillary Clinton".

I was hoping Trump would give Joe more space to hang himself, but the format left little time for any rebuttals.

Each time Joe tried to make a point, it was ambiguous or some fake headline from the MSM and Liberal blogs.  He told lie after lie regarding Charlottesville, calling vets names, and "dog whistles" (a totally fake conspiracy theory).  Hard for Trump to allow time for his points if he's busy answering lies.

One major point for Trump was the question for Joe:  Name one law enforcement agency or group that endorses the Biden-Harris campaign.  Joe's response:  We don't have time for this.

Another was the Green New Deal.  Joe listed items from the GND manifesto (AOC's bill) that are in his energy and climate change "plan".  When asked point blank if he supported the GND, he said no.  Can't have it both ways.  He and Bernie have been using AOC to court the far left, and Bernie made public statements that he was incorporating his policy ideas with the Biden campaign so Bernie Bros would vote Biden.

One thing I was disappointed Trump didn't raise was Biden's hand --- when Joe raised it after the moderator asked which Dem candidates would pay for illegal immigrants' healthcare under Obamacare or Medicare.  I half expect Joe to backtrack that one.

Joe appeared more coherent than I think many were expecting.  Trump was about what most expected.  I didn't see much of a difference between this performance and the 2016 debates.

Trump gave facts and figures for many of his points.  Joe chuckled, called Trump a liar or responded with "COVID-19!!" rather than providing what he believed IS the actual fact.  When called out on a lie, Biden gave no proof.  Most of us have seen the information that debunked 80% of Biden's character attacks.  For Joe to continue making those claims shows he's either totally lying or has no idea what the truth is.

In 2016, Hillary made all kinds of predictions about the state of the nation if Trump was elected (Lions and tigers and bears!).  I saw nothing different from Joe.

Joe offered no specific plans for taking care of the riots in Dem cities.  He said, "I'd go talk to them."  Talk?  What's stopping him from talking to them NOW?  His response:  I'm not a government employee at the moment.  LOL!  He makes all kinds of comments about COVID-19, stimulus monies and other issues on national TV.  Nothing says he can't use his position as the DNC Nominee/Party Leader to discuss solutions with Democrat mayors and governors.

He had no response for Trump's FACT that Obama/Biden left 128 federal judge seats vacant, giving Trump the opening to appoint more federal judges in 1 term than any other president in 2 terms since Clinton.  Bill appointed 378 Article III justices including 2 Supreme Court justices.  Trump will have filled over 300 vacancies by November including 3 to the Supreme Court.  When Trump begins his second term, he may very well be able to fill over half the federal judge positions before leaving office, not to mention a chance at 1-2 more Supreme Court vacancies if circumstances permit.

The format of the debate really seemed to be designed to keep Trump locked down.  It's hard for him to be brief, concise and to the point.  Way too many adjectives in his vocabulary!   

Biden did considerably better than I imagined. I had very low standards, like he would say "where am I?" He avoided a lot of specific questions, didn't have any details, and I'm against his policies, but he did well and will be seen as winning the debate. Trump did make it difficult to watch with his interruptions.

Biden did considerably better than I imagined. I had very low standards, like he would say "where am I?" He avoided a lot of specific questions, didn't have any details, and I'm against his policies, but he did well and will be seen as winning the debate. Trump did make it difficult to watch with his interruptions.

Trump interrupted about as much as Biden, but wasn't as easily shushed by the moderator, so he kept on talking.

I would have advised against the Hunter issue for the first debate.  Not enough time to get his points made as it was.  Going on a tangent made him run over time too often.  It was probably Joe's plan -- hit him with a flaming lie and waste Trump's time trying to stomp it out.

Trump has a hard time NOT latching onto every false attack.  These lies and unsupported Liberal attacks should wait until the third debate, where Trump could pick one rebuttal period and list all the lies explaining why they are false.  Could make for a 2 minute, well cited list of facts that would destroy every benefit Joe gained from them in the first 2 debates.

I'm not even going to say if there was a winner.  The media will score this like a prize fight, giving "points" they make up among themselves to the debaters. 

I saw Joe unable to stay focused.  He was stooping down to name calling.  How can he be the "more presidential" candidate when he's as bad as, if not worse, than the man he claims is a stupid, lying, unpresidential clown?  Pot, meet kettle.

I saw Trump less prepared than I'd have liked.  Most debates, the candidates show up with rehearsed talking points.  No matter the question, they say, "I'm glad you asked me that," then shoehorn in a talking point as if it answered the question.  Trump could have done that to a degree, only have actual answers prepared.  We all knew what the topics tonight were.  They were included in the news releases announcing the debate.

I'm not even going to say if there was a winner.  The media will score this like a prize fight, giving "points" they make up among themselves to the debaters. 

I saw Joe unable to stay focused.  He was stooping down to name calling.  How can he be the "more presidential" candidate when he's as bas as, if not worse, than the man he claims is a stupid, lying, unpresidential clown?  Pot, meet kettle.

I saw Trump less prepared than I'd have liked.  Most debates, the candidates show up with rehearsed talking points.  No matter the question, they say, "I'm glad you asked me that," then shoehorn in a talking point as if it answered the question.  Trump could have done that to a degree, only have actual answers prepared.  We all knew what the topics tonight were.  They were included in the news releases announcing the debate.

This is the first presidential debate I ever watched. Isn’t the moderator supposed to intervene with facts? Like when Biden said Trump doesn’t take care those with pre existing conditions and then trump says yes I did, isn’t the moderator supposed to have the answer to that question?

Trump interrupted about as much as Biden, but wasn't as easily shushed by the moderator, so he kept on talking.

I would have advised against the Hunter issue for the first debate.  Not enough time to get his points made as it was.  Going on a tangent made him run over time too often.  It was probably Joe's plan -- hit him with a flaming lie and waste Trump's time trying to stomp it out.

Trump has a hard time NOT latching onto every false attack. These lies and unsupported Liberal attacks should wait until the third debate, where Trump could pick one rebuttal period and list all the lies explaining why they are false.  Could make for a 2 minute, well cited list of facts that would destroy every benefit Joe gained from them in the first 2 debates.

Bingo you hit the nail on the head right there. That’s what I was trying to articulate when I said He was feeling the pressure of the fake news. He wasted too much time trying to disprove the lies.

This is the first presidential debate I ever watched. Isn’t the moderator supposed to intervene with facts? Like when Biden said Trump doesn’t take care those with pre existing conditions and then trump says yes I did, isn’t the moderator supposed to have the answer to that question?

No.  The moderator is not supposed to play fact-checker.

After the debate, the people giving the post-debate critiques, and the actual fact checkers for various organizations, provide followup analysis.  That's when you get "Joe was not accurate on this, Trump was mostly right on that when Joe called him a liar, that answer was non-responsive to the question asked, etc."

When Obama and Romney had their second debate, Obama actually asked the moderator, CNN's Candy Crowley, to produce the transcript of his speech to refute Romney's comment.  She pulled out the transcript!  No pre-debate cooperation between Obama and the agency running the debate, huh?

I kinda hope next debate, Trump pulls out his phone and says, "I just have one thing to say, and it's not a sexually suggestive hispanic pop song."

Then play a loop of the video where Biden said, "Clap, you stupid bastards!" to a group of military members.

He said it, then he said it was a joke, and now he says he never said it.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/team-biden-says-stupid-bastards-comment-was-made-in-jest

Frank Luntz focus group feedback on the debate.

Biden called Trump a liar and a clown multiple times.  I didn't hear Trump use a derogatory name for Biden at all.  The only "nickname" I heard him use was "Crooked Hillary Clinton".

Biden also said "You're a racist".

As opposed to what Kamala said to Biden during a Democrat primary debate, "I don't think you're a racist, but..."

Biden also said "You're a racist".

As opposed to what Kamala said to Biden during a Democrat primary debate, "I don't think you're a racist, but..."

When it comes to slinging insults and name calling, I'm sure Biden took that trophy.

I blanked on the racist accusation, probably because I'm desensitized after 4+ years of hearing it.

Biden's eyes look creepy

The more I dwell on the debate performances, the more I am thinking the next debates should be held on Twitter.   

Their decorum would have been much more appropriate in that venue.

The more I dwell on the debate performances, the more I am thinking the next debates should be held on Twitter.   

Their decorum would have been much more appropriate in that venue.

The only solution to such debate "problems" would be for each candidate to be on stage in their own 100% soundproof booth and their microphones only turned on during the pre-determined amount of time for their comments. The video feed would also need to be on 5 second delay so that the director could blur the booth of any candidate making "hand gestures".

Because, what... someone's gonna sit Trump down and say "Stop interrupting! When Biden says you called dead service members "losers" and "suckers", or when the moderator leads Biden with the "good people on both sides" Charlottesville bullshit, just stand there calmly and quietly and wait for your turn to speak."?

I don't think so.