Debate derails as Trump hammers Biden's son
Thursday night’s chaotic presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden spun further out of control as the pair engaged in a shouting match that at times rendered answers inaudible and sidelined any attempts to address the moderator’s questions.
The debate, a scaled-back, socially distant in person event at Ohio’s Case Western University, marks the first time the pair had traded insults and compared records in person.
While Trump began to interrupt Biden early in the night, the two candidates came to loggerheads when the president brought up the former vice president’s son, Hunter Biden.
“What did he [Hunter] do with Burisma?” Trump said, referring to the Ukraninian gas company. He also asserted an unsubstantiated claim that Biden’s son received $3.5 million from a Russian businesswoman.
As Biden began to refute the claim, Trump continued to hammer his rival and the pair beginning to speak over one another.
Fox News anchor and debate moderator Chris Wallace issued Trump a warning: “No, Mr. President, please. You’ve asked a question.”
Before Biden was able to restart his answer, Trump continued, and again, Wallace intervened. “Mr. President, it’s an open discussion … you have raised an issue, let the vice president answer,” he said.
Biden, once more, tried to respond, and, again, Trump interrupted with more assertions about Hunter Biden and his dealings with Burisma.
Eventually Biden was able to say: “My son did nothing wrong at Burisma.” But it was too late, even Wallce’s “Mr. President, let him answer” couldn’t assauade the president.
“He doesn’t want to let me answer because he knows I have the truth,” retorted Biden. “His position has been totally, thoroughly discredited.”
The next half minute followed a similar pattern, with Biden attempting to make a counter-argument to Trump’s accusations and Trump speaking over Biden to prevent him from doing so. Wallace, to no avail, repeatedly urged Trump to “please stop.”
“It’s hard to get any word in with this clown—excuse me, this person,” said an exasperated Biden.
Eventually, Wallace had had enough and began dressing down the candidates, aiming his message primarily at Trump.
“Sir, sir, you know what, stop,” Wallace said over loud crosstalk from both candidates. “Gentlemen, I hate to raise my voice, but why shouldn’t I be different than the two of you?”
Wallace then attempted to put the debate back on track, noting that both candidates were supposed to have two minutes to speak. “In those two interrupted minutes, Mister President, you can say anything you want,” he said.
Wallace continued: “I think the country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions. I’m appealing to you sir to do that.”
“And him too?” Trump asked, gesturing to Biden, to which Wallace responded, “Frankly, you’ve been doing more interrupting than he has.”
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