The debate comes 35 days before the most tense US election in recent memory.
Cleveland:
Leader Joe Biden and a politically injured Donald Trump took to the stage in Cleveland for their first televised debate on Tuesday, followed by a deeply divided country 35 days before the most tense US election in recent memory.
There was no handshake when the two took to the stage and although this was due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the absence of the traditional salute symbolized the bitterness that ravaged the country during the count to final countdown until November 3.
From the opening talks on health care, where Trump accused Biden of being a “socialist,” the tension was palpable, ending.
But before even appearing for the first of three 90-minute televised showdowns, the beards were flying.
Biden, seeking to nibble Trump’s crucial support among blue-collar voters, capitalized on bombshell revelations that billionaire Trump has managed to avoid paying nearly all federal income taxes for years.
And Trump, faced with the threat of being named president for just one term, has put forward a conspiracy theory suggesting his challenger needs performance-enhancing drugs and could wear an earpiece to get answers during the debate.
Covid and taxes
Biden, with an impressive lead in both national polls and in the swing states, was looking to focus on public discontent with Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans.
The Democrat was also expected to hammer home the New York Times revelation of Trump’s tax evasion, arguing that it shows the billionaire real estate mogul is a fake when he claims to defend what he calls “The forgotten men and women”.
“This election is Scranton versus Park Avenue,” tweeted Biden, 77, just before the debate, referring to his difficult childhood home in Pennsylvania and Trump’s glitzy background in Manhattan.
Trump – who broke long-standing presidential transparency by refusing to release his tax returns – allegedly used loopholes to pay just $ 750 in federal tax in the first year of his presidency. Hours before the debate, Biden released his own tax returns.
Lurid
Trump, meanwhile, relied on his grim tale that the Democratic challenger is senile and in need of drug tests.
And his campaign’s communications director, Tim Murtaugh, amplified a new insult circulated on social media that Biden was suspected of intending to cheat by wearing a headset.
But just before launching into the debate, Biden humorously responded by tweeting, “It’s debate night, so I have my earphones and performance amplifiers ready.”
Underneath was a picture of standard headphones and a jar of Jeni’s ice cream – “salted peanut butter with chocolate stains”.
Naughty advice
Upon landing in Cleveland ahead of the debate, a senior Air Force One official told reporters that Trump, 74, was “ready to go.”
The official said Trump was bringing former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani – now a controversial lawyer for the president – and mixed martial arts fighter Colby Covington as guests.
Giuliani, who has led shadowy efforts on Trump’s behalf to find dirt on Biden’s son’s activities in Ukraine, was clear on what his client should do.
“He doesn’t have to hold back,” Giuliani said as quoted by Politico. “I think Biden is a pretty mean guy that you don’t have to worry about, you know, be too careful with him.”
This would certainly translate into Trump’s attempt to corner Biden for the lucrative job his son Hunter had held in a Ukrainian energy company while Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president.
While the deal raised ethical questions, there was no evidence of actual wrongdoing on the part of the Bidens – and Trump’s attempts to prove otherwise resulted in him being impeached by Congress l last year for abuse of power.
The advantage of the Supreme Court
Trump also traveled to Cleveland with what he hopes will be a quick fix – his appointment of Conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace late liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.
If Barrett is quickly confirmed, as the Republican-led Senate expects, Trump will have firmly tilted the highest court to the right for years to come.
Democrats are crying out loud over rushed timing, but Trump expects the power play to energize Tories.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
