I watched five minutes of last night’s “presidential” debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, then I turned it off and went to bed. Life’s too short and it’s called self-care. In those five minutes, I was actually worried that a totally different Trump was going to show up for the entire 90 minutes. I remembered how strange he acted during the debates with Hillary Clinton – he was genuinely afraid of her, and while he spouted tons of lies in those 2016 debates, Hillary kept her cool and largely, so did Trump. I worried that Trump would simply stand back and let Biden yammer and talk himself into corners. Yeah. That didn’t happen. Trump kept interrupting Biden, and Trump kept sh-t 100% bonkers.
Fun fact: did you know that Trump’s precondition for turning up to the debate was that Chris Wallace wouldn’t talk about the 206,000 Americans dead from the coronavirus? Apparently, another precondition was a far-right smear campaign throughout the day that Biden would use drugs AND an earpiece during the debate. Asinine. Anyhoodle, here are some “highlights.”
“Will you shut up, man?” THE MALARKEY OF IT ALL. Yeah, this was a total sh-tshow. I guess some of the biggest moments were these:
Joe Biden tried to speak about his late son Beau Biden, a wonderful man who served his country in uniform and as an elected official in Delaware: “My son was in Iraq. He spent a year there. He was not a loser, he was a patriot and the people left behind there are heroes.” Then Trump interrupted Biden to smear his other son.
President Trump: "Are you talking about Hunter?"
Joe Biden: "I'm talking about my son Beau Biden!"
President Trump: "I don't know Beau. I know Hunter."#Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/PVOU7exo0Y
— The Hill (@thehill) September 30, 2020
Trump also refused to condemn violent white supremacists and he told the white supremacist terrorist group Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
Asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace to condemn white supremacists and militia groups, Pres. Trump replies, "Sure, I'm willing to do that."
"Then do it, sir," Wallace says. https://t.co/5Bl4Ob3O2t #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/K4nG4VlQxu— ABC News (@ABC) September 30, 2020
And it will just be nice to see a healthy marriage between two people who adore each other in the White House again.
Trump and Biden greet their spouses post-debate. pic.twitter.com/AFeNAqFN8v
— The Recount (@therecount) September 30, 2020
WOW.
“We had an avalanche of lying from President Trump”
CNN’s Daniel Dale breaks down the fact check of the first presidential debate of the 2020 election between President Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. #Debates2020 https://t.co/RCXrUzFWml pic.twitter.com/oAnS7xqxjC
— CNN (@CNN) September 30, 2020
'That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck' — Cable news wasn't impressed with the first presidential debate #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/otmNIcbZ57
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 30, 2020
Photos courtesy of Getty.
It was the middle of the night here so I frickin recorded CNN. I haven’t watched any of it yet. Did they really not address 200,000+ deaths???
From what i’ve read it was a precondition from the Dump campaign team.
Then why have a debate at all. Seriously. It will look to some people like there must be a reason why it wasn’t mentioned, I assume many don’t know about these preconditions. Why the hell would Biden agree to that? I don’t understand anything anymore.
I would’ve brought it up anyway. Fuck ’em. He won’t honor RBG’s wish, so why should anyone respect his? And what would the consequence be, he just storms offstage? GOOD. The more we can do to push that image of him as a whiny-ass, thin-skinned manbaby, the better.
It was brought up. Biden brought it up, which Chris Wallace then ran with. Allowing them to get out of that precondition.
The only pre-conditions that should ever be allowed in a debate is the debate format. That’s it. You insist on pre-conditions? You don’t get to participate, and the other candidate can answer questions without any rebuttal, except from the moderator.
If they can shut people up at the Oscars, they can shut Trump up. If I can make my four-year-old child behave, they can make his ranting racist ass shut up. They can turn off the mic. Hell – I think they should play music from an orchestra to drown him out when he goes past his time. Obviously, the same rules would apply to Biden, but he’s not an insane man hyped up on coke, so it really wouldn’t be an issue for him.
They could make him behave, but just like they let him get away with all of his other behavior, they choose not to.
You interrupt the other candidate? Your mic gets cut off. If you keep breaking rules, you get a warning and then your ass is escorted out while “Hey Hey Hey Goodbye” by Steam is played in the background. Since Joe Biden follows the rules, he gets to answer questions without any rebuttal, except from the moderator.
That means they know it’s their weakness.
Keep mentioning it in social media, until even the oblivious got it.
Biden brought it up, so yes it was addressed. While Biden asked about trusting the scientists, all Trump could talk about was how he “knows” the people in big pharma companies who are making the vaccines, as if scientists have nothing to do with that.
Wallace was pretty terrible. At one point he said he was going to ask them a question about race but then said Trump didn’t have to answer that and could talk about anything he wanted.
“I don’t have to answer that” is, in many ways, the only answer we needed. The US has had plenty of leaders in all levels of government who were/are jaw-droppingly racist, but even most of them knew that they should at least PRETEND to give a shit about minorities. Apparently, that just happens to be the one thing Trump WON’T lie about.
I thought the whole “you don’t have to answer that” was just because Wallace knew that Trump didn’t care about the questions and was just going to talk about whatever he wanted. To me it was more an acknowledgement that the debate was off the rails and he couldn’t get it back.
I have been reading that Wallace lost control of the two and Trump bullied him and Biden – because he is a bully. Some called him a master manipulator, but I don’t agree since a great many of us see through his avoidance of facts and his bully tactics.
I would love to have a woman with intellect and poise moderate for one debate. Maybe Condoleezza Rice, Michelle Obama or Hillary. Maybe a round robin type of Q&A like we have for job employment. That would be GOLDEN.
Kristen Welker is moderating the third debate, and you know he’s not going to like having a woman try to control him. I like her a lot, but I wonder how she’s going to handle him if he is like he was last night.
@Becks1, I will definitely watch the last debate if that is the case. I will also make some popcorn and sit back to enjoy the Sh!tshow that will inevitably take place.
Actually, Joe Biden referred to it when Trump said that the Obama administration didn’t do well on H1N1. Biden replied 14,000 deaths to 204,000. Then he asked the American public how many of them faced empty places at the dinner table or had to talk to dying family members on a phone.
If CNN really agreed to not mention the 2k+ dead then they are a trash news organization. They should have refused and let Biden answer the questions across from an empty podium.
Chris Wallace works for fox entertainment, not CNN
CNN had no involvement.
Thanks guys. It sounds like I need a glass of wine for this horrorshow.
Not having wine was perhaps my mistake! I’ll be better prepared next time. 😉
I had Valium; it didn’t help
LOL, Lightpurple. Thanks for the laugh. I hope you’re managing to find some somewhere in this sh*tshow.
As a rule, I do not listen to Ronald Dump (or his Beast People) speak. I had lots of wine and still had to pace, scream, and donate hundreds of dollars to Biden For President in order to get through it. It was level 10 crazy peaking with the terrifying call out and salute to the Neo Nazi group Proud Boys.
Wallace did bring up the number of infected and the number of dead.
Joe Did talked about the 200,000+ covid deaths.
They spoke about it.
Oh yes, of course Biden got that in. Lord please let trump get covid and sit out the election on a ventilator.
My God, Clomo….what a horrible thing to say. You are proving that you are no better than either of the name callers, Trump and Biden. Asking the Lord to strike another human down with a possibly fatal infectious disease???? Karma may pay you a visit and then what?
Just cast your vote in November and consider that as doing your part to rid yourself of loathing our President. Peace be with you.
This is tough. I like both of them.
The next moderator has to be a woman who cuts Trump’s mike off whenever he interrupts.
Chris allowed Trump to bully him and didn’t punish him. After few warnings, Trump should have been walked off.
yeah, the moderator did not do his job. When Trump starts interrupting or going past his time, you cut his mic. end of. That’s how you deal with bullies like him, cut them off.
The part that particularly bugged me was when Chris would ask Orange to let Joe speak and then add that he would “like the next question”. He did that more than once during the first hour that I watched.
Chris after like a lax parent trying to placate a child who is behaving horribly by telling them they will get a treat soon.
One more quibble – Media called the debate “chaotic” and a “mess” without specifying it was because of ONE participant and poor moderation.
Joe came prepared to debate on substance. He managed his temper far better than most could, given the circumstances. Some of the clips do not show how bullying Orange was being before Joe snipped at him a couple of times.
Exactly, Christin. Media who are not specifically calling out Trump’s behavior alone as making the event chaotic are flat out wrong.
But they have been at fault all along for indulging him. He should have been dismissed as the crackpot he is decades ago but apparently the media couldn’t resist.
Jake Tapper, after saying it was a disaster, said it was because of Trump. He led with that.
I screamed when Wallace asked Biden why He didn’t call the Mayor of Portland or the Governor to get them to use the National Guard….WTF kind of question is that to someone who holds no public office?! I feel like I’m in crazy land
Ac18, I shrieked at that question too. Biden has no authority and it would have been totally out of line for him to give directions to Governors when he doesn’t hold elected office right now.
It was mortifying when Wallace had to remind Trump that he agreed to the terms of the debate, which included that he’d let the other person speak UNINTERRUPTED for 2 minutes. It was like a parent, “remember, I said if you eat all of your veggies, then you can have some cake.” It was so undignified that it had to be said at all, but it was necessary because Trump was out of control. And today, I haven’t seen that part in the clips of the debate.
Biden did just fine. He was not bullied. Trump showed again he is pond scum!
I don’t know, it seemed like Trump’s constant interruptions while Biden spoke threw him off his train of thought and Biden had to choose between finishing his point and responding to whatever crazy accusation Trump was peppering him with. A lot of times he responded to the interruption and was on the defensive and didn’t really get to finish a cohesive point. It was so hard to watch. Trump made it a lose/lose situation. Either let some wild accusation go unanswered or uncorrected or not finish answering the moderator’s original question.
I agree. Trump needled Biden and Biden took the bait and got rattled. This is why you can’t engage with a narcissist.
Biden’s Twitter followers increased by quite a bit, so that’s a good thing
Am in the UK so it was too late to watch it but from what I’ve read about it and from clips i’ve seen – holy crackers. It seemed that at times Joe let Dump get under his skin which is what Dump’s end game was. But on the other hand – he stood up to the bully and the bully did not like it. I watched the clip of Dump and the moderator arguing and it was just WTF – this guy is pretty much on your side and you were arguing with him.
As for the proud boys moment – that was a call to action to his personal militia.
How many other debates will there be?
Two more are scheduled. Somehow, someone has got to make it clear that if Trump continues to refuse to follow any of the rules, each one will be immediately terminated.
That is the perfect summation of the problem: “…someone has got to make it clear that if trump continues to refuse to follow any of the rules…” that there will be consequences. There have either been no consequences, or consequences so light they are laughable.
I have been reading multiple media news outlets and can’t keep which one stated which, but it was echoed many times that if the mics get shut off – that will stop them and get their attention. At times I feel like they are insulting our intelligence because from one clip I did watch, Trump did not even answer the question and when he did, he lied. So why bother going through all the smoke and mirrors????
I can’t believe there are 2 more. Should networks even be giving Trump air time after he told white supremacists to stand by, recruited cult members to “watch polls” and said he refused to acknowledge the results of the election if he loses. This lunatic should not be given a platform to incite violence.
Emily, I agree. I think the debate commission should announce that since Trump is incapable of following the rules, they are cancelling the next two debates and instead holding town halls where voters can ask the candidates questions. Biden deserves to have an interrupted moment to talk about his plans to take the country back from this deranged monster.
Trump did get under Biden’s skin but it was in a normal way – like any normal person up there participating in that debate would have lost it like Biden did. It came across as very relatable to me actually because he just said the things I was thinking – “SHUT UP” lol.
Trump arguing with Chris Wallace makes me think he may back out of the other two debates, because Wallace was probably going to be the friendliest towards him.
I agree that it was normal, and the fact that he could stand up there for over an hour with that clown when most of us can’t even listen to him speak for more than 3 minutes, is a testament to his mental and emotional fortitude. It probably was relatable to a lot of people. However, it was exactly what I feared would happen. While it’s relatable to a segment of the population, I feel it would have been better if he’d kept better control of himself to show he can keep cool under pressure. I would have liked Biden to keep a cool head, so people could see such a marked contrast between the idiot in office now and what a real leader should look like.
I think it Biden hadn’t called out Trump, he would have looked weak to a lot of people. I think he held his own, but didn’t ignore the racist elephant in the room.
Biden handled things pretty well. He got in digs and called him a clown more than once. That said dump kept interrupting non stop and Wallace did not shut him down enough so it was a chaotic mess. Dump was looking to sabotage this and has brought shame to decent Americans. It was not a debate. It was Biden trying to state facts and the crazy man lying and whining like a baby, along with insults to Biden’s son Hunter.
@Nic919, I did not watch, but I don’t understand the personal attacks at all towards Biden’s son. That mean that The Princess and Jared the Evil are fair game.
I really wish that Biden would have brought up the fact that Ivanka, Jr., and Eric are all banned from running charities in NY because they steal money from children with cancer.
You know, some of his closest advisors, not to mention his unwholesomely beloved daughter and grandkids, are Jewish. I don’t know how they manage to reconcile that with his cheerleading for white supremacy, but it’s pretty vile.
God, Trump has the debating skills of a petulant toddler.
Some have suggested that the moderators should be able to mute mics when necessary, but I think I’ve got a better idea: shock collars. And maybe for an additional fee, the audience can play along at home! The ratings would soar, and we all know that’s Trump’s REAL priority.
EDIT: Going after Biden’s son when Coke Bloat Junior can’t even manage a coherent softball Fox News appearance? Really?
Taser works for me. That idiot is the one to talk. All his children are morally challenged with the exception to the minor in the WH.
I did not have huge high hopes for the first Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, but I certainly didn’t think it would dissolve into a shouting match in which moderator Chris Wallace could not even contain sociopath Trump – ugh!
I simply wanted a civil & constructive conversation between these two candidates. Mind you, I cannot stand Trump, but I would have at least heard him out tonight. Instead? He behaved like I know he would. Like a child, a bully in the school yard, interrupting and insulting everyone and everything. It is all he knows how to do. He is not intelligent. He has failed our county in so many fundamental ways. He is a con man, and that has been revealed in the NY Times article with his tax return information, in the latest news. The so called “billionaire” did not pay Federal tax for the last 10 out of 15 years, and then paid $750 for the years 2016 and 2107. If that doesn’t anger you, something is wrong with you – LMAO. Just saying. I am a single mother, and I pay more tax than Donald Trump.
And then he took a $72 million refund, which the IRS is auditing him for. In other words they think it’s fraudulent LOL. Plus, apparently, he owes millions to “others”. Yikes. So glad some Americans voted this ass into office. Thanks from the bottom of my heart – truly 🙂
But yes, back to this shit show of a debate. I have never been more embarrassed for our country as I was tonight. We are in trouble. Our President is a sociopath, has no morality, or empathy, and he still has so many people who support him no matter what he says or does. That is what disturbs me more than Donald Trump himself. I have no doubt this chapter of history will be looked back upon with horror. No doubt in my mind.
But I sat in embarrassment watching this debate tonight.
It remains shocking that around 40% still support this monster.
This nightmare has allowed us all to see the type of people who inhabit the earth with us. And it’s truly mind-blowing and disheartening to know that there are 40% (or more) people who think and behave like The Orange 🤡. It’s scary that there are so many indecent people with little morals or empathy for others.
@Edna – This is my takeaway from the past four years (including the behavior during this pandemic). The masks have been lowered, no pun intended. People are showing who they really are, and there are more than I would have assumed.
Twenty percent, sure. But forty? Sad.
@Nic919 @Edna @Christin Yes to everything you ALL said!! I think that is the one thing that depresses me more than actually Donald Trump – the 40% or so that support this sociopathic monster! Who saw last night’s disgusting debate, and said wow he’s so awesome! I saw that crap on my Facebook page!! UGH!!! I know, I know, I should delete these “friends”…..
I don’t want to sound elitist in anyway, but these people are simply uneducated and hang onto his stupid ass sound bites. “Fake news”, etc. Did anyone of them actually listen to those interviews with Bob Woodward? Did anyone of them read the NY Times article about his tax returns? Do anyone of them listen to anything OTHER THAN FOX NEWS AND DONALD TRUMP???????
I do…I read a lot. From both sides, and I pride myself on being very educated about all these issues. Donald Trump is neither a Republican or Democrat. He is a selfish POS looking out for himself and has no morals, no empathy and is a sociopath, IMO. He is the worst thing to happen to our Presidency, EVER. BTW, he has always been this way. This is no breaking news to anyone who has been paying attention.
Yeah, some of them are even relatives. I don’t know about y’all but some of mine came crawling out of the woodwork today to attack me for condemning Dump for telling the white supremacist group to “stand by.”
One of them insisted that Kamala Harris vowed that rioting would continue after Biden is elected. I had to ask her three times for the quote and source. She shows me a fact check that proved that Harris never said that. I explained to her what she just sent me, she agreed Harris didn’t say that, I said “so what’s the problem”’and she said “we’ll just leave it at that.”
Yes-as horrible as he is-it’s honestly more shocking that so many people willfully look past it, make excuses for him, say the media is unfair or blah blah blah (don’t know, don’t care anymore what their purported reasons are). He is the worst, but they are horrible for propping him up.
I was just looking at an article that said google searches for “move to Canada” skyrocketed during last night’s debate. I wish I could say we have the room people, come join us. I’m not saying you won’t find racism, but our leaders aren’t hateful morons.
Dana Bash on CNN said it was a shit show, and it was. Trump interrupted repeatedly, was insulting, and was certainly not presidential. There were rules for the “debate” and Trump broke every one of them. I see no reason for Biden to participate in the other two scheduled debates, as Trump will ignore all rules, decorum, and basic decency. It was excruciating.
If Biden backs out (and he would be justified to) there would be an avalanche of criticism that he is weak, that he can’t keep promises etc. He has no choice but to continue as he did last night. I thought that he was right to address the cameras and thus the home audience rather than to engage too much with the Bully in Chief, and some of his lines (“Clown”, “worst president ever” and most especially “it is what it is because you are what you are”) had resonance.
My husband noticed that as well. He really liked that Joe looked at the cameras. He was speaking to us and not Trump. My husband is a registered Republican and can’t stand Trump. He thought Joe did a great job considering who he had to debate.
Biden needs to participate and hopefully Trump will totally lose it, throw “something” then walk off the stage huffing, pumping, yelling and screaming. That would seal his fate with the fence sitters or swing voters that have still not made up their minds who to vote for.
“it is what it is because you are what you are” was really powerful and TRUE.
Joe Biden should have been more agressive towards Trump. Anyway good luck to the American people.
As an Italian I remember the only one who menaged to contain Berlusconi (who compared to Trump now seems like freaking Churchill) was Prodi, and he wasn’t aggressive AT ALL.
He achieved that simply by staying calm and talking about politics, about his program, and asking really really precise questions to Silvio about numbers, about his plans for the future of the country, Berlusconi was cornered and didn’t know what to do, or how to answer because showing facts, about their lack of politics, showing numbers about their failures while completely calm is the only to get under their skin.
Yes! Thank you for providing a real world example for what I’ve been thinking.
Did Berlusconi not use Trump’s gaslighting tactics of deflection and projection when he felt cornered? There is no cornering Trump because he will immediately deflect and change the subject. See his response to “will you denounce white supremacists and discourage any further violence by them” which turns into “Biden won’t denounce antifa and the issues with violent protests are from the radical left” or his response to any facts about the number of coronavirus deaths in America and how early he knew about the risk and failed to warn the public or establish a plan (deflection to an accusation that Biden wants to shut down the whole country and Biden didn’t approve of Trump closing off the country from certain hotspot areas weeks too late for it to do any good)
That is correct. It is important to stay calm and respectful. I would have loved to have seen Berlusconi cornered!!!
I completely agree. Nothing bothers a bully more than not being able to elicit a reaction.
This was a great example. Thank you, Eleonor.
I agree, Eleonor.
@Kate that’s why the other person has to do all the homework and be prepared: keep calm and go on with the question.
Berlusconi went on screaming his slogans and barking nonsense to me, while Prodi remained calm and explained his program to the Italians.
That was the only time when Silvio lost the election.
This is the only way to beat them: through politics. If you shout and scream you play their game, they will always scream louder than you.
I don’t think so. It would have just been uglier. Biden had to show that he was the calm grownup in the room. Who in the world would not be bewildered and rattled by Trump’s deranged attacks? He was fine.
Exactly, @Esmom. My husband and I went to the dark side to see how Fox was covering and it was all how Biden told him to “shut up” and he called him a clown, etc.
I’m so tired.
I hate Trump, and I also hate that the debate was essentially a stage for insults and lies. I don’t think it’s a victory for Biden to tell Trump to shut up, even though we want him to; that is the job of the moderator. I completely understand why Joe did it, and I admire the way he handled the Trump’s attacks on his sons. But it just points out how far we’ve fallen as a society under the Trump regime that last night happened the way it did.
@Ripley I accidentally left FoxNews on after the debate and you’re right they were only focusing on Biden’s decorum and his few instances of losing his cool. They talked about when Biden says “man” that is a tell that he is irritated and, you guys, he said “man” a lot. So…ya know, typical abuser tactics of inciting an emotional reaction and then playing victim or acting like the person who responded to the abuse was out of line.
The only way to handle a narcissist in meltdown mode is to show as little emotion as possible, aside from amusement at their antics. Joe got under Trump’s skin by remaining calm. If he’d been more aggressive, Trump would have “won” by getting the reaction he was looking for. Somebody coached Joe very well.
At times, early on, he was openly laughing at Trump and his stupidity and then drove Trump wild.
Yep and Joe laughed at him in his face a few times. Nothing pisses that turd off than people laughing at him.
Joe did well. He did not have to rant at him.
I agree. Joe needs to realize what he’s dealing with and that civility doesn’t work with crumbs like Trump. Trump went after Joe’s late son and that was tacky and inappropriate. It would be like if Joe went after Barron instead of talking about what was important like the virus and unemployment.
Brought to mind the ole saying, “if get in the mud and rassle with pigs, you get mud all over you and the pig loves it.”
The whole thing was an embarrassment. I watched from Canada and I don’t think there should be a second or third debate. Trump asked white supremacists to stand by, asked supporters to watch the polls (I know there is a position as poll watchers but this was a broad call for voter intimidation) and multiple times refused to acknowledge the results of election and called into question mail in voting. It is dangerous for any network to give him air time.
On the right side of the screen, we had a dignified, prepared, rational, professional, gracious, caring adult. On the left side of the screen, we had a racist, sexist, selfish, ill-mannered, ignorant orangutan
Yes. An orangutan throwing his poop around.
It was so hard to watch, and I’ve already voted (in person, safely), but I felt like I needed to perform some kind of civic duty. As someone on Twitter said, with Christie and Giuliani handling Trump’s prep, what could possibly go wrong? I’ll watch Kamala eviscerate Pence, but not watching anymore of the Trump Tantrum Shitshows. My liver can’t stand it.
One was the example of how not to behave, and the other of how to conduct oneself (even as confronted by a menacing bully).
At first I felt saddened for any children watching, but then realized what life lessons could be gleaned. Debates should teach us about civics, but last night was a lesson (from only one on that stage) about civility.
I watched some of it yesterday on youtube and after about 5 minutes I had to stop and I went to watch a 90 day fiance clip. I mean I have to double my dose for hypertension this morning still to get over my incandescent rage.
Omg, I love 90 day fiance!
I amazed myself by lasting 55 minutes. That’s the most I’ve listened to trump in my life. I was impressed by Biden’s ability to stay focused and speak to the camera. I wanted to kick trump in the shin five minutes in.
I didn’t watch the debate because I already voted for Biden, but according to my Twitter feed, last night’s winner was Hillary Clinton.
Hillary handled him that’s for sure. I would wonder if any of the misogynists in our media and our punditry would come out and admit she was actually a great candidate, but that would a ludicrous question. They won’t.
It always really bothered me when people acted like she wasn’t worthy, or felt like they were “forced” to vote for her because the only other option was Trump. I may not have agreed with everything she said or did, but dammit, I was PROUD to vote for her. I really hope that posterity gives her the respect she’s been denied in her own time.
Nope, people are still obsessed with saying she was the worst candidate ever. She’s not a natural campaigner like Bill is, but she was a damn good candidate for people with anything more than feathers in their skulls. I was ecstatic to vote for her.
And I still think she actually won.
I would love the opportunity to see Kamala Harris wipe the floor with someone’s orange ass!
I was also proud to vote for her! And I think many people at my polling location were too, I saw more women with big smiles on their faces than I’d ever seen before when voting.
I was, too. I was so hopeful for our future, then
Hillary handled him much better than Biden did, but it makes sense if you consider she has a lifetime of dealing with men who wont let her get a word in edgewise etc.
I don’t disagree but due to misogyny it will be said that Dump interrupted Biden more than he did Hillary because it is not normal for a man to be interrupted like that whereas sadly interrupting women is not viewed as poorly.
Any undecided voter should be repulsed at what dump did. If they aren’t then they never were undecided, they were always for dump.
She did, but I also legitimately think Trump has deteriorated mentally since her debates, so in some ways, keeping cool and addressing things would be hard for anyone because he’s even less coherent now than he was then. Though, I do think it’s telling how shocked Biden was at being interrupted like that consistently. Women in positions of power have the experience to know how to deal with it because they’ve encountered it all their life. Joe Biden likely legitimately has never encountered something like this before.
@Veronica, you’re so right about Joe never having been confronted like that. Before the debate started I said he wasn’t prepared to deal with someone behaving like Trump would. He’s a true moderate who expects a level of civility and respect when he interacts with people. Sadly, I would say most women have experienced a man ranting and raving while we had to keep our cool and continue making sense.
Wow, both of you make excellent points here, Veronica and Tara.
I was watching from Australia and I was disgusted beyond words. I have never seen something so disgraceful. How he was not kicked off the stage is beyond me. He is a bully and is never called out on it. I read Mary Trump’s book and she was spot on – he’s been getting away with this behaviour his entire life. It’s not tough in any way, shape or form. It’s outright bullying and narcissism on full display. Joe is tough. His life has thrown him so many challenges and yet here he is, prepared to do his bit to save the US.
Trump is the laughing stock of the world and anyone that supports him is as bad and i would not be able to give them the time of day.
I am so angry and it’s not even my country. The world needs a strong leader in the US. I plead to all those that can, that they vote!!! And vote blue all the way!
I wish all the US celebitchers the very best over the coming weeks. I think we are all going to need it.
He should have been kicked off. His behavior was abhorrent. And any media outlet whose headline isn’t about anything else but Trump’s deranged behavior has failed us. In no way should this be judged as a typical debate, there are no “both sides” when one completely refuses to play by the rules. Which pretty much sums up Trump and the Republican party in a nutshell.
His repeated attacks on Hunter alone, especially the one where he flat out dismissed Beau while Biden was talking about the heroic service of our troops, should have disqualified him.
That was vile. Trump actually proved he has not an ounce of decency, as any other sane person would’ve acknowledged the reference to Beau in a dignified way. Not Trump.
How can he even consider calling out Hunter, when his leach children are scamming the country and are appearing at the national convention off their heads on drugs. Joe should’ve said (after covering Hunter’s recovery) that he wishes Don Jr well with his addiction.
I seriously screamed at the TV.
Joe’s team need to push for more consequences for breaking the rules at the next debate.
I’ve been around narcissists like Trump who simply can’t get beyond themselves, they want to talk about something then it’s all they hear, as if ‘let me know when we’re talking about what I want to talk about.’
Well, I didn’t watch it because for me it’s like being locked in a room with my abusive husband, whom my family forced me to marry. It actually makes me meltdown and I’m not really a melter. But I did see a lot of people on Twitter saying Biden should cancel the next 2 debates. I just don’t know if that’s the solution? It seems to me the message will be that Trump bullied Biden and scared him so bad he’s afraid of him. And if he can’t stand up to trump how’s he going to stand up to (insert latest right wing boogeyman here)
I don’t know. I feel as if we are all trapped in a house with our malevolent, unhinged, sadistic abuser and I don’t know how to get out. Win, lose or draw the next few months are going to be insane. Insane. 2020’s not done with us yet.
Biden cant cancel the next two debates for the reasons you mentioned. But I kind of think Trump might. He was NOT happy last night.
Yeah I think Trump may pull out of the last 2 debates – Joe will learn from this one and come even more prepared next time. I think part of Dump’s issue was that Joe was stealing HIS airtime. I think Joe talking direct to the camera instead of him really triggered Dump – if there is one thing a narcissistic bully hates it’s being ignored.
NO WAY, I can’t imagine the megalomaniac bully not showing up for the last two debates. I do have a theory though. Most of these politicians have a certain decorum and code of behavior – if you want to win votes you need to behave or appear to behave a certain way in public. THE FACADE. Not all but a great deal of them. Trump is a business man and will do anything to get what he wants – regardless if it follows or does not follow certain norms. And he does not care one bit about what he throws out there. I think this throws off many – like Clinton and Biden. Regardless of how prepared they may be, when he breaks a norm, they have no way to retaliate. For example, when Biden told him to shut up, it was kinda like WOW. But that is EXACTLY what Trump needs, someone who stoops t his level because one needs to fight fire with fire.
Darla, thank you for saying this!! For those of us who have lived with narcissists and abusers, this is 100% how last night felt. It feels like Trump has unleashed all the abusers to do their worst to us and our country and there is no safe haven. I think so many of us are dealing with our stress responses to that still today. We all need to take good care of us. At the end of the day, we survived our first narcissists, we can survive Trump too.
I was never in an abusive marriage but I grew up in an abusive household powered by an alcoholic. So I get it. I don’t think I even realized how much of that this guy brings back for me.
Dump’s entire presidency has been forcing me to re-live my marriage to an emotional abuser. It’s taken a toll.
I watched five minutes and had very visceral flashbacks to last Thanksgiving with my father. I think my 15-year-old did too, as she came into my room a few minutes later sobbing about how awful Trump was. The Trump presidency has been a terribly triggering event for all of us who have dealt with narcissistic, abusive authority figures in our lives.
I am so sorry to hear of your plight. I will pray for your sanity, safety and freedom. Wishing you peace.
@Darla I hear you loud and clear. I couldn’t watch more than a few seconds online (as I’m in the UK) because that bloated Mussolini has the same tone, tactics and is completely impervious to ant reasoning that isn’t his – it reminded me of the time my ex jumped up and down on my back with his kid in the next room, and after a forty minute beating said, as nice as pie: ‘I’m just going to take (the child) off to the soft play centre, okay?’ Narcissists continually rip the rug from beneath your feet and argue that black is white, every way til Sunday. I truly admire Joe Biden for his performance last night and I’m praying, HARD, that Mussolini has a catastrophic meltdown during the next debate. Joe just needs to needle Trump about his ‘intelligence’. That’ll get him going.
God. So Triggered!
If trump can demand no mention of corona virus deaths Biden can demand mike cuts. Otherwise there should be no more debates.
Why was that even allowed? Why is anyone pandering to the Orange Turd?
I didn’t watch it but was the hot topic this morning before boxing class. Consensus was the whole thing was a hot mess, was not going to help anyone undecided or decided to change their mind, and that Chris Wallace was clearly biased towards Trump, which was the biggest surprise as folks expected him to be impartial based on his record.
The President of the United States, stood in front of the American people, refused to disavow white supremacists and literally solicited a crime. He told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” and they’ve announced that they are going to be ready to do his bidding. Chris Christie was on GMA this morning defending it. WTF?
The Proud Boys have already made patches with that slogan on them. I’ve seen some people on my media humble-bragging about not watching the debates last night, and that is a form of privilege. My family, friends and loved ones who are endangered by the Proud Boys are IN.DANGER. TODAY. Closing our ears to the President’s racist battle cry doesn’t deprive him of oxygen, it allows the threat to grow without consequence.
His supporters need to be confronted with his statements and made to denounce them. We can’t let people that support him “just for the taxes” to pretend they aren’t supporting a white supremacist.
Trump behaved like everyone would’ve expected him to. I’m angrier at CNN for not asking him about the 200k covid deaths. 50-60K Americans died in Vietnam. How is this not considered a crucial matter?
Chris Wallace works for Fox so he’s the one who agreed not to ask about that.
Chris Wallace is from Fox News and did a terrible job. Let’s hope the next 2 moderators come down hard on this behaviour and if he goes off like he did last night shut his mic down and walk him off the stage. I actually couldn’t bring myself to watch it even though, as a Canadian, this election is hugely important for Canada. I knew he would turn into a frothing-at-the-mouth rage monster spewing idiotic lies and I wonder if his “handlers” will be able to get him to tone down the spoiled child tantrums at the next 2 debates? I think not, his mental instability has increased exponentially over the last 4 years and if he can do that at a debate he’s sure as heck doing it with everyone around him.
If it makes you feel better, his behaviour exposed just how horrible and dangerous he is. Any sane person must reject him. Any people who still support him are confirmed they are disgusting people.
I watched for 3 mins and my blood pressure went through the roof because Trump was being such a deranged lunatic so I had to turn it off and instead I just followed the Pod Save America feeds on Twitter to get my fix.
What an absolute sh*t show.
Happy to see that all the polls reported that Biden won at least.
My husband had a late meeting and got home just as the shit show started and asked why I wasn’t watching. I have him my best, ‘Are you kidding me?’ look. My favorite quote came after the psychopathic exercise, ‘Oh my god this debate is so frustrating to watch. it makes me want to put my laptop in the microwave for 60 sec, then take the microwave and throw it in the trash, steal a garbage truck, collect the trash, then drive it into a volcano. then seal the volcano with cement.’
LOLLLLL!!! That quote is gold. Thanks for the laugh, I needed it.
The president also, in that debate, admitted to election fraud. The fact that no one is talking about it is insane.
It was his story about the alleged military ballots that were found in the garbage can, that he claimed all said “Trump on them”.
Except election officials can’t start tabulating mailed ballots until Election Day, or in some cases until after the polls close. So did they illegally unseal military mail in ballots in this story mentioned by Trump tonight?
Because… um, that’s a crime!
There is so much to talk about, this would takes months if not years because that sh#t show was so bad.
I think I read an article about that. Apparently it was the GOPs own fault the ballots were tossed.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/the-9-discarded-ballots-were-tossed-because-republicans-won-their-lawsuit-requiring-them-to-not-be-counted-report/
Our polling places always used big new garbage cans with a slot cut in the lid for us to deposit our paper ballots. Maybe that was the slim basis for his story, somebody might have mentioned ballots in garbage cans without explaining to Trump that they were just temporary depositories.
The only ones authorized to open those ballots would be the election officials. So I’m baffled about what he thinks happened, unless he just made it all up as usual.
I don’t think Trump has had much experience voting, he seemed very unfamiliar with the process during a documentary years ago that followed him around the city, including on Election Day. In 2016, he and Melania were shown side by side in very open voting stations (no curtains). Donald was blatantly peeking over at Melania. I thought he was making sure she voted for him, but maybe he was looking to see what the heck he was supposed to do. Melania seems to be the one who knows how the American system works.
How do we get the UN to monitor this election? The sitting “president” literally made a call to action to the most violent of white supremacist militias to interfere at the polls; in the past he’s made remarks about getting rid of ballots; he refuses to say he’ll have a peaceful transfer of power – he’s absolutely saying they will cheat and/or use violence to retain power. someone from outside the country needs to monitor this shit show.
Excellent question.
Yes, this.
Biden should refuse to debate Trump further, honestly. Instead, he should hold virtual “fireside chats” like FDR to explain his policies and ideas, and can then comment on Trump’s shenanigans from a distance, without legitimizing Trump’s voice.
I do tend to disagree, though, that people will think Biden is weak for pulling out of the other debates. He can make a strong statement about how debating Trump is a waste of time, and then go his own way. I think further contract with the Orange Disaster just damages Biden at this point.
Trump called his white supremacist militia to action and encouraged his maggot maga base to commit voter intimidation which is a crime. He showed his true Nazi colors and Chris Wallace let it slide which notmalized racism. On national tv and for the world to see. But I will tell you one thing: when Biden was speaking about his son Beau and Trump steamrolled over him to denigrate Hunter – and Biden admitted to Hunter’s having had issues and overcoming them and said he was proud of his son – the look on Biden’s face and the way his voice cracked at that moment… my heart just broke for him and for Jill Biden having to witness that. Trump is really the lowest scum. And the fact that Joe Biden went back at Trump about Trump’s children (which fucking unhinged Trump seriously find a clip of his reaction he lost it) and stopped himself and pivoted and said Trump should worry about the American peiple who should be his family. That says everything about Joe Biden. Trump is evil. I hope all of you who voted for him or are voting for him again are proud of yourselves. How anyone can justify supporting this monster is beyond me. Also, I would give anything to watch Kamala Harris debate Trump and make mincemeat out of him. Trump absolutely cannot deal with intelligent articulate women. And an intelligent articulate woman of color? His worst nightmare. Watching him implode in that situation would be EVERYTHING.
It was such a cluster. Chris Wallace was out to lunch and Biden did his best to get any words in while Trump screamed, threw poop at the audience and told the proud boys to stand ready. God help us. Biden did fine, but was justifiably frustrated at times. I already hated Trump but he actually gave me a headache just watching him last night.
Ugh that picture of Trump picked as the thumbnail for this post is ugh just gross
Did you looked at his face last night. He was so 😠, that’s a perfect picture thumbnail. 45 told a white supremacist group to “Stand by”, for what, to shoot us if he does not win this election. We are better than this.
It is so often the face cartoonists use for him, it is good to see it captured in real life! He is such a disgusting man. I don’t know Biden could have practiced for the s***show, but to reply with any coherence was a win for him.
I am so angry that people were allowed to be present without masks, they should have been escorted out. And next time, there must be a way to shut him up!
I knew it would be bad. I didn’t realize it would even worse than I could have expected. Like….streaming this sober was not my smartest idea. I will say that I didn’t expect Biden to do as badly as he did, like he hadn’t mentally prepared himself for just how insane this was going to be, but I’m willing to give him a break because I’m not sure how much better anybody else could have handled this. People really underestimate how overwhelming it is to encounter personality disorders like NPD up close. It’s the first time I came out a debate and every single reporter on every channel we flipped through looked shellshocked.
It did confirm my suspicions that those of us living in states like Pennsylvania need to heed the warning signs that our states are poised to potential become actual battleground states. The call to arms and what it means for the tension going into November is some scary sh*t. Stay safe, guys. Have an exit plan if need be.
In that situation, there was no other way to handle it other than how Biden did. Trump had lost the plot. Short of actually having him carted off, which wasn’t possible, what else could do but what he did? This debate was not about issues, and issues are not going to influence voters here, because the issues are all right out there for all to see, and have been all along. It’s only going to be emotional now. Trump was hysterical and out of control, Biden was calm, showed he was was not intimidated and revealed a bit of passion. For people who are watching and hearing without listening, Biden was good, I thought. He came across as strong, but not crazy. But it did cross my mind- I really hope that whoever is in charge is not giving Trump the REAL nuclear codes. Is it possible that if Trump loses he may claim ill health (he certainly is looking and acting not like a well man) to avoid jail time, and the other alternative to him forcing himself back in through violence is a ‘collapse’ and withdrawal that way? Too ill to take the stand? Just wondering.
So Trump was definitely drugged up but did he have an earpiece and who was on it? Stephen Miller?
I couldn’t bring myself to watch that inevitable horror show but I have been reading about it all morning. It sounds like it was actually worse (as far as Trump) than expected, which is a feat in and of itself. I *will* be tuning in, though, to the Harris/Pence debate. She is no doubt going to eviscerate that troll and I’m here for it!
I think she will do well, but Pence was surprisingly good at the VP debate in 2016 – he knows to a large extent his job is to be the anti-Trump (in temperament and behavior, not policy obviously) and I think he did that in 2016 against Kaine. But now, at this point, we know that he doesn’t really have much sway over Trump and he does nothing to tamp down Trump’s insanity, so I think he’ll have a less of a leg to stand on there. And of course, Harris is Harris.
Pence just kept denying the very real Trump quotes Kaine was giving throughout the 2016 VP debate. He was outright lying about words I heard Trump say myself. Kaine did not know what to do about it, Pence just smirked and kept shaking his head and denying things that were so easily checked. I hadn’t realized before that Pence was such a relentless liar. It was so bad that when Pence claimed to not be in the loop for Flynn’s reports about his conversations with Russians, I realized he was quite likely lying.
So glad I didn’t watch this clusterfuck. My anxiety levels are bad enough as it is. Given the massive amount of debt Trump owes to foreign entities, the Security community must be terrified. He’s a security risk. Imagine the secrets Trump can sell to the highest bidder.
Edna, I’m with you.
I only watched it intermittently, and it was a complete shitshow. We shouldn’t even have the other two, why bother, but if they do they should cut off trumps mic when he interrupts and talks over people.
My husband recorded it for us to watch since I went out to do groceries.
I checked online when he started it and told him I would not watch a garbage fire (or as Tapper said, “A hot mess inside a dumpster fire part of a train wreck”) We watched about an hour of CNN recap and then switched over to the Seth Meyers. I again apologize to Americans for this disaster that has been the last four years and hope you go out and VOTE for an adult – Joe Biden and kicka$$ Kamala
I know they’re inhumane for dogs, but Trump needs one of those electric shock collars for the next debates. Just zap him when he’s out of line. They could also spray him with water from a spray bottle, but he was so sweaty through the whole thing, he might have enjoyed that.
All Biden needs to do is act like a statesman, discuss his proposed policies and let Trump be Trump. Trump is so desperate to remain in the White House he is becoming more and more deranged. Chris Wallace needs to learn how to moderate a debate properly. If Trump (or Biden) continues to talk when the other candidate has the right to speak, then his microphone should be turned off.
I watched in five minute increments and when I couldn’t take it anymore, switched to West Wing as a sort of palate cleanser. This went on for half an hour or so and then I just gave up on the debate entirely. Trump is nucking futs.
I wasn’t going to watch this, but my husband wanted to and so we sat in horror for an hour. Finally, at 7 PM, I turned the channel to MASH, my favorite show to watch after dinner.
If I were Biden, I’d insist on having someone sitting next to the moderator who can turn off the microphone when interrupting starts. Actually I think the debate should be a Zoom meeting where the moderator has control over the microphone.
It was a terrible, noisy mess of a debate. Trump does not care. However, one thing that stood out Trump will do is utmost to throw out lies to undermine vote by mail and call it fraudulent, in order to challenge the election if he loses. It may not look “presidential”, but Biden has to keep swinging at Trump, call out his lies and utter incompetence. He needs to get out a stronger message on law and order though. What was most infuriating was how afterwards, there were people still saying they’re undecided. These people irk me to no end and are being disingenuous or lying.
For reasons I know nothing about, the last day of the month and the last day of the quarter are big in political fundraising circles and today is the last day of the month and the last day of the final full quarter before the election. I have spent the morning making donations, small ones but even small ones help, to various candidates. Biden/Harris, of course and the DNC House Campbell as they’ll know which House candidates need it most. My rep and Senator will win re-election easily so they don’t need anything but my vote. On the Senate side, I have made donations to Jaime Harrison in SC, Hickenlooper in CO, and Hegar in Tx. Before the end of the day, I will be supporting the Senate candidates in Montana, Maine, Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, Alaska, and New Hampshire.
Great strategy! I’m Canadian, so I can’t donate directly (although I have thought about donating to Trump and then reporting that he is taking foreign money.)
MUTE his microphone when he rants!!! Honestly, I feel so sorry for the world while this pathetic excuse is president. I hope that the VP debates go well. Go Kamala!!!
Substance aside, I was amused by how truly, truly orange Trump was in comparison to Biden. The split screen did Trump no favors. In addition, Trump was clearly sweating while Biden was not.
How many of you think Trump was totally hopped up on Adderall or some such thing? I’ve only watched clips because I couldn’t bring myself to watch the whole thing and holy coke rage it was unbelievable!
He was definitely on something. He was sweating profusely while Joe was not. He was twisting and twitching and his eyes were bloodshot. The flop sweat and bloodshot eyes got worse as the “debate” went on. There were a handful of side shots where you could see Dump standing too far back from the podium and leaning forward at a strange angle.
Honestly, I’m not even sure anymore. I think the guy is just a hateful piece of shit, drugs or no drugs.
My friends put their money on him doing coke before it. His presentation was a little too manic in places to not feel hyped up on something.
Fuck it. I had some jerkoff try to tell me that Trump already condemned racism and white supremacy in 2017, so he shouldn’t have to repeat himself. I told him that the express purpose of a debate like this is to solidify your position on any given topic, and he failed to do that. It’s not a tough ask, and he had to know the issue would come up. At best, it makes him look unprepared. At worst, it exposes him for what he is: a virulently racist dictator afraid of losing his precious (and dwindling) base.
I watched 5 minutes of it, was screaming at Trump throughout that time so shut off & went to bed…woke this morning to a friend posting how he has lost family because of his love of Trump but if anyone votes for Biden after yesterday they hate HIS country. I wanted to comment that I do hate the country that Trump is trying to turn the US into, but didn’t feel he would get it. The election cannot come fast enough for me! Can’t wait for Kamala though!!!!!
I have unfriended people because of this same reason. Because they ASKED me to. They post stuff about “please unfriend me if you hate Trump” so I do. And then private message them that I did so and tell them any decent person would have stopped supporting Trump after he mocked a disabled reporter, and therfore they are not a decent person because they still support him, and that Trump is a false idol that they are worshipping, which goes against the Bible they so loudly thump.
I made donations through Act Blue. President Obama asked for $65 for Biden’s campaign and I willingly gave it (and to swing state Dems too). If you can, please make donations. That is all. Thank you.
I donated to Biden soon after, and I also got very drunk on white wine.
Michelle was just on Rachel Ray. She was such a joy to listen to, and funny. I don’t know if her show is on again today later, but it’s worth checking out just for the benefits to the soul. Just reading about him is starting to get traumatizing. My stomach literally clenches when I read about what Trump has done. I cannot imagine the stress he’s causing decent Americans. My heart really goes out to you.
That was a presidential debate? This is the super power USA? It was more like watching a Jerry Springer or Geraldo show! It was a freak show! I was embarrassed for my south of the border neighbours and thank god I am Canadian. What has the US sunk to? Certainly not the greatest nation in the world anymore. US used to be so respected. Oh how times have changed!
His mike should have been turned off when he went off on one of his toddler tantrums and nuclear meltdowns.
It’s pretty bad when people tune in to a presidential debate with a glass of wine and bowl of popcorn for what they know will be a comedic show. They tuned in for entertainment not to be informed on the platforms. Just embarrassing and sad. ❤️🇨🇦
I’m not a Trump fan by any means, but it’s frustrating and disappointing to see Biden get swept up in trump’s nonsense and name calling. He says his core message is restoring decency and leadership to the White House. Rise above it. It’s not easy, but you’re supposed to be a leader. Losing your shit is the opposite.
I can not believe Trump described this today as FUN. FUN? Oh, no, not really, He really was a shocking, bullying embarrassing display. And F it with this white supremacy. We all know that is just wrong. Biden held his own, and was actually pretty cool, considering how Trump overtalked on him, interrupted him, made horrible comments, LIED and threw out personal accusations about Joe’s family. Biden/Harris all the way! They can say what they want and Joe is not perfect, but he won it last night and we will continue to do so. Biden raised another record-breaking amount in donations (about 4 million bucks between the hour of 10 pm to 11 pm EST alone last night and rising.) YAY. Not just for the money, but great news because of the intention and indicators behind it. Because after watching that Trump train wreck everyone was coming out to support Joe. Good! Hang in there we can do this.
I’ve been reading today lots of people reporting that Trump signs in their neighbouhoods have come down since last night. I sure hope that’s true and people are seeing the light.