US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden, on Thursday (local time) met for their final debate ahead of the presidential election that is scheduled to take place on November 3.
Originally, this debate, which is taking place in Nashville, was to be the third and final debate this election season. However, the actual second debate, which was to take place in Miami on October 15, had to be called off, which means that the Nashville debate will be the second time Trump and Biden will be facing off.
The Miami presidential debate was cancelled after the debate commission did not budge on its decision to hold the it virtually after Trump tested positive for coronavirus on October 2.
The Trump camp, and the President himself, had objected vociferously to the commission’s decision to hold the debate virtually, instead of in-person, as, according to them, the format favoured Biden.
The first debate, meanwhile, took place in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29.
Here are all the major updates:
*Will choose science over fiction, hope over fear and move forward, says Biden
*We’ve to make country the way it was before the ‘plague’ came in from China: Trump
*We have best carbon emissions in 35 years; look at China, India. their air is filthy
*Donald Trump says he’s the ‘least racist person in this room’
*My first glimpse of Black Lives Matter was of them insulting police: Trump
*You did a terrible job and that’s why I had to run: Trump
* We will change the system, says Biden; why didn’t you do it earlier, asks Trump
*Biden rejects Trump’s allegations, accuses Trump of saying ‘there are not enough people in jails’
*Donald Trump says no President, except may be Abraham Lincoln, has done more for the black community
*In 1994, Biden called black community ‘super predators’: Trump
*Joe Biden says there’s ‘institutional racism’ in America
*A black parent has to teach their children not to have hoodie on in the street: Biden
*He was vice president for eight years , he did nothing; doesn’t know immigration law: Trump
*Children from abroad brought to the US by coyotes, cartels, says Trump; their parents brought them here: Biden
*We now have the strongest borders we’ve ever had: Trump
*First responders deserve minimum wage of 15 dollars: Biden
*Biden says we should be bailing out small businesses ‘right now’
*When he talks about public option, he’s trying to destroy the country: Trump
*Will pass Obamacare with public option to make it ‘Bidencare’: Biden
*I’d like to come up with a better, brand new health care: Trump
*Trump says Obamacare is ‘no good’, what we’d like to do is terminate it
*I will make China play by rules, Trump makes friends with ‘thugs’ like Putin and Kim: Biden
*Biden says his son Hunter didn’t do anything ‘wrong’ in Ukraine
*My son has not made any money from China, only President Trump did: Biden
*I’ve prepaid my taxes, says Trump; you’re not or you are paying low taxes, Biden responds
*Have not taken a single penny from any country whatsoever: Biden
*There has been no one ‘tougher’ on Russia than me: Donald Trump
*Any interference in US elections won’t be tolerated: Biden
*Biden says Trump knew in January what was going on, says Americans didn’t panic, Trump did
*Trump says New York is turning into ‘ghost town’
*Can’t close down the country or people will start committing suicide, says Trump
*It’s not my fault, it’s not Joe’s fault, it’s China’s fault the disease came to the US: Trump
*We can’t close our nation, 99.9% people recover; we can’t stay in basement like Joe Biden: Trump
*We’ve done everything he (Biden) wanted us to do: Trump
*We’re ready to go soon as we have a vaccine, says Trump; he doesn’t have a plan, responds Biden
*Anyone who is responsible for 2.2 million deaths has no right to stay, Joe Biden
*Will ensure everyone wears mask and move towards rapid testing: Joe Biden
*A vaccine is ready, it will come soon, says Trump
*We had to close our economy due to this horrible disease that has come from China, says Trump
*The final debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden begins; Trump to speak first