Trump, Biden clash in final debate on COVID-19 response, health care, race

Fielding Trump's misleading claims that he would ban fracking, Biden made what Trump called a "big statement" when he said, "By the way, I'd have a transition from the oil industry, yes."

"Why would you do that?" Welker followed up.

"Because the oil industry pollutes significantly," Biden said. 

"Oh, I see," Trump interjected. "That's a big statement."

"If you let me finish a statement -- because it has to be replaced by renewable energy overtime. And I'd stop giving to the oil industry, I'd stop giving them federal subsidies," Biden continued.

"He's going to destroy the oil industry," Trump said. "Will you remember that, Texas?  Will you remember that, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma?"

Biden responded by saying Trump "takes everything out of context." 

Trump said his administration is "trying very hard" to locate the 545 children whose parents can't be located after being separated from their parents. However, the president also said that some of the children were brought to the U.S. by "coyotes" and "cartels."

He then pivoted to say that the Obama administration built the detention centers where many migrants are held.

"They had a picture in a certain newspaper, there was a picture of these horrible cages. They said look at these cages. President Trump built them," Trump said. "Then it was determined they were built in 2014. That was him. They built cages." 

In a fiery response, Biden emphasized that the children came to the U.S. with their parents. 

"Coyotes didn't bring them over, Biden said. "Their parents were with them. They got separated from their parents, and it makes us a laughingstock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation. 

Welker asked about the Obama administration's failure to deliver on immigration reform. Biden said that it took too long to get the policy correct.

"It took too long to get it right. Took too long to get it right," he said. "I will be president of the United States, not vice president of the United States. And the fact is, I've made it very clear, within 100 days, I going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people and all of those so-called dreamers, those DACA kids, they are going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship."

Trump responded that Biden "had eight years to do what he said he was going to do."

Biden and Trump then went back and forth over the catch-and-release policy.

TRUMP'S CLAIM: "Nobody knew where it was coming from, what it was. We've learned a lot. But Anthony said don't wear masks. Now he wants to wear masks."

FACT CHECK: Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the top infectious disease experts in the country, and other public health experts initially told Americans not to wear surgical or N95 masks in the early days of what has become the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, as well as Fauci and other top experts, initially discouraged wearing masks because of concerns that masks and other personal protective equipment were in short supply for health care workers who needed them. Public health officials were also concerned wearing masks could have unintended consequences if people touched their face more often to adjust them or fail to keep social distancing. 

"There was this feeling that there would be a shortage just for those who really need them very early on," Fauci said in a recent interview. "That was the big deal. We didn't have enough PPE including masks. Then it became clear that cloth masks worked reasonably well. And therefore there was no more shortage. Then the different analyses, meta analyses and others came in that in fact, it does work."

In early April, the CDC changed its recommendation about face coverings for the general public, based on evidence that a significant number of people who were asymptomatic or not yet feeling sick were transmitting the virus.

Duke University researchers have also concluded that "if 95 percent of people wear cloth masks when within 6 feet of other people in public, it will reduce COVID-19 transmission by at least 30 percent."

Trump also said he thought Fauci was a Democrat, but Fauci is not registered as a member of any political party, according to D.C. voting records.

-ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs and Arielle Mitropoulos

TRUMP'S CLAIM: “When I closed, he said, 'This is a terrible thing. You're xenophobic.' I think he called me racist, even, and -- because I was closing it to China. Now, he says I should have closed it earlier. It just -- Joe, it doesn't work."

FACT CHECK: While Trump claimed that Biden opposed his decision to ban most travel from China at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic and that he called the restrictions "xenophobic," the former vice president did not explicitly weigh in on the decision when it was announced on Jan. 31. He did call the president xenophobic minutes after the partial travel ban was announced, but did not call Trump a racist for the decision.

During a campaign event that same day in Fort Madison, Iowa, Biden discussed the growing concern over the COVID-19 outbreak and cautioned that Trump should let science "lead the way."

"In moments like this, this is where the credibility of a president is most needed as he explains what we should and should not do," Biden told the crowd at the event. "This is no time for Donald Trump's record of hysterical xenophobia ... and fear-mongering to lead the way instead of science."

The comments came just minutes after the White House announcement, so it was unclear if Biden was referring to the decision specifically, but the former vice president did tweet a similar sentiment the next day.

"We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus," Biden posted. "We need to lead the way with science -- not Donald Trump's record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency."

Throughout March, Biden used the word "xenophobic" in various speeches and tweets to criticize the president labeling COVID-19 as the "China virus."

Biden did acknowledge the travel restrictions put in place by the Trump administration in a March speech, noting they "may" slow the spread.

"Banning all travel from Europe or any other part of the world may slow it, but as we've seen, it will not stop it. And travel restrictions based on favoritism and politics rather than risk will be counterproductive," Biden said.

Biden's campaign did not explicitly discuss the vice president's view of the ban until April.

"Joe Biden supports travel bans that are guided by medical experts, advocated by public health officials and backed by a full strategy," Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told CNN. "Science supported this ban, therefore he did too.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle