President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden faced off from a social distance in the first presidential debate of 2020 in Cleveland, just five weeks out from Election Day.
The first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic came on the heels of bombshell reporting from The New York Times on two decades of Trump's tax records, ahead of a contentious Supreme Court confirmation process in the Senate and as the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Biden maintains a 10-point edge among both registered and likely voters.
The coronavirus pandemic's impact on the race was also on display as the two candidates didn't partake in a handshake, customary at the top of such events. The size of the audience was also limited and everyone attending the debate had to undergo COVID-19 testing and follow other public health protocols.
The debate’s moderator, Chris Wallace of "Fox News Sunday," selected six topics for Tuesday with each segment expected to get approximately 15 minutes: Trump's and Biden's records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in U.S. cities, and the integrity of the election -- the final topic coming as Trump over the weekend wouldn’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
Here's how the debate unfolded. All times Eastern.
Sep 29, 2020, 10:24 PM EDT
Trump attacks Hunter Biden, Biden invokes late son Beau
Biden, invoking his late son Beau, raised reporting in The Atlantic that Trump called military members "losers" and "suckers," but Trump used it as a chance to bring up Biden's other son, Hunter.
"I don't know him," Trump said of Beau, before attacking Hunter's history with drug addiction.
"That is not true," Biden said. "My son, my son, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem. He has overtaken it. He's fixed it. He's worked on it and I'm proud of him. I'm proud of my son. He wasn't given tens of millions of dollars. That is totally discredited."
Sep 29, 2020, 10:23 PM EDT
Trump skirts around disavowing white supremacists
Asked if he would be willing to denounce white supremacists, Trump said he would be willing but skirted around making the statement.
"Sure. I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace," Trump said. "What do you want to call them? Give me a name, give me a name."
"Proud Boys, stand down and stand by, but I tell you what. Somebody has got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem," Trump added.
President Donald Trump speaks during the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Sept. 29, 2020.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
"Antifa is an idea, not an organization," Biden said, quoting Trump's FBI director.
Sep 29, 2020, 10:22 PM EDT
Biden and Trump argue over ‘peaceful’ protests, systematic racism
On the topic of race in America, Biden said he believes there is a systemic injustice in the U.S. on education, work and law enforcement, before offering praise to the majority of police officers.
"Look, the vast majority of police officers are good, decent, honorable men and women. They risk their lives every day to take care of us. But there are some bad apples and when they occur -- when they find them -- hey have to be sorted out. They have to be held accountable," Biden said.
President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden participate in the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland.
Getty Images
"It's a little bit like how this guy and his friends look down on so many people. They look down their nose on people like Irish Catholics like me, who grew up in Scranton. They look down on people who don't have money. They look down on people who are of a different faith. They look down on people who are a different color. In fact, we're all Americans," he continued.
When confronted by Wallace about the rise in violence this summer in cities across the country -- run by both Democrats and Republicans -- Trump continued to blame the Democrats.
"I think it's a party issue," Trump said, even though Wallace brought up Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas, both Republican-run cities.
Biden finished by urging Americans that the only way we can move forward is by coming together.
"The only way we're going to bring this country together is bring everybody together," Biden said.
"We can take this on and we can defeat racism," Biden added.
Sep 29, 2020, 10:18 PM EDT
FACT CHECK: 'And now, we're weeks away from a vaccine.'
TRUMP'S CLAIM: "And now, we're weeks away from a vaccine."
FACT CHECK: Most prominent public health experts have said that a vaccine will not be widely available until mid 2021.
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has said they may have data from its late-stage trial by October. Moderna has said it could have data from its late-stage trial by November or December. From there, the data will need to be analyzed by the FDA to determine whether the vaccine is both safe and effective. Other companies in late-stage trials are further behind. AstraZeneca's late stage trial is still on hold, and Johnson and Johnson only just started its late-stage trial this month.
Even if a vaccine is authorized by the end of the year, that does not mean it will be widely available. At first, only limited supplies will be available, and they will be prioritized for the most vulnerable.
"By the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccinations and you get the majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that's likely not going to happen until the mid- or end of 2021," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious diseases, told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell earlier this month.
In a recent Senate hearing, CDC Director Robert Redfield echoed those sentiments, "I think there will be vaccine that will initially be available some time between November and December, but very limited supply, and it will have to be prioritized," but, he said, "If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021."
