| During a presidential debate laden with sarcasm and cross-talk that obscured any listeners’ hopes of sorting through clear policies or civil discourse, President Trump denigrated Joe Biden as “not smart” and the former vice president called Trump “a clown” and “a racist.” During Tuesday night’s brawl in Cleveland, Trump pummeled Biden repeatedly with retorts, put-downs and interruptions during 90 minutes, to the point that moderator Chris Wallace admonished the president to follow debate rules and let Biden talk. Biden, navigating the hijinks, shook his head, smiled with evident annoyance and faced the cameras to speak directly to the American people, vowing to trust in scientists, respond effectively to the coronavirus and safely reopen the economy, offices and schools. “Under Trump, we’ve become weaker, sicker, poorer, more divided and more violent,” Biden said. The president complained that Biden, allied with what he called “radical” Democrats, sought to “shut down the country” and keep it that way until after Election Day. By the time Trump boasted in yet another rapidfire barrage, “I’m the one who brought back football,” the former vice president looked on, incredulous. The Hill: Biden and Trump clash at vicious, ugly debate. The New York Times: With cross talk, lies and mockery, Trump tramples decorum in debate with Biden. Dan Balz, The Washington Post analysis: Trump sets tone for the worst presidential debate in living memory. According to a post-debate poll conducted by CBS News/YouGov, 69 percent of respondents felt “annoyed” by what they saw, with only 17 percent saying they felt “informed.” Forty-eight percent declared Biden the victor compared to 41 percent for Trump. Ten percent deemed the debate a tie. Trump, who is trailing in the polls, was looking for a clear win and didn’t get it. According to pollster Frank Luntz, who held a focus group over Zoom with undecided voters immediately following the debate, some made up their minds not to vote because they were so turned off by what they saw and heard. “I’ve never seen a debate cause this reaction,” Luntz said. Each candidate offered his own take about why Americans should trust them in the White House. The president said the economy would revive to vigorous growth by next year. He refused to say if he paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017, as reported by The New York Times, but assured Americans he paid “millions and millions” of dollars in taxes (The Hill). He warned, “if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated,” he said he would challenge the outcome in November. Biden touted his economic policy experience in the White House following the 2008-2009 financial meltdown. He said he would tackle climate change by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. And he pledged in response to Wallace’s final question to wait to declare election victory, if there’s a close contest, until the winner is independently verified. Heading into Tuesday’s affair, Trump lowered expectations for the former vice president, whom he has called “dumb” and mentally slowed at age 77. Throughout, Biden sought to contrast himself with the president’s governance, repeatedly pointing to the more than 200,000 dead from the coronavirus — laying the blame at the president’s feet for the U.S. epidemic. He also lobbed his share of barbs in the president’s direction, deriding him as the “worst president America has ever had,” and telling him multiple times to “shut up.” “It is what it is because you are who you are,” Biden said, referring to Trump’s response to a question about the COVID-19 death toll earlier this month when the president said: “They are dying. That's true. And you — it is what it is.” However, there were questionable moments for the former vice president that could dog him moving forward, especially among progressives. Early in the debate, Biden declined to take a position on whether to add seats to the Supreme Court, an issue Democratic activists have pushed in the aftermath of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death (The Hill). On health care, Biden also brushed aside concerns that he supports a “Medicare for All” system that has been a pet issue of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), voicing support for building on the Affordable Care Act with a public option. And he repeated his opposition to defunding police departments, arguing there are “bad apples” among largely well intentioned police forces. “The party is me. Right now, I am the Democratic Party,” Biden said about concerns that he wants to abolish private insurance and adopt a socialist platform. “I am the Democratic Party right now. The platform of the Democratic Party is what I, in fact, approved of” (The Hill). It remains an open question whether the debate will change the hearts and minds of voters or persuade undecided voters. National Democrats do not believe that Tuesday night’s food fight altered the dynamics of the contest in its final 34 days. Niall Stanage: The Memo: Debate or debacle?
W. James Antle III, The Week: Vintage Trump goes debating in a new world.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board: A depressing debate spectacle: Pro wrestlers are more presidential than either man Tuesday night. “Nothing fundamental about the race is changed by tonight,” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) told the Morning Report. “I think the one ‘moment’ that may live on after this debate is Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacist groups. That was a softball and he whiffed,” Boyle said, referring to Wallace’s repeated questioning of Trump on the topic, with the president instead launching into an attack on Antifa. The White House will be pressed to explain Trump’s puzzling “stand back and stand by” direction to the Proud Boys, a far right group that celebrated the president’s remarks immediately after the debate (The Hill). The Hill: Democrats rip Trump for not clearly condemning white supremacists, Proud Boys, during debate. Biden’s campaign had a fundraising bonanza on Tuesday, telling reporters it raked in $3.8 million between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on ActBlue, breaking a previous single-hour fundraising mark (HuffPost). The Hill: 5 takeaways from the Trump-Biden debate clash. The Associated Press: Fact-checking false claims flooding the Trump-Biden debate. The Hill: Trump attacks Biden over son’s business dealings. The Hill: Biden will keep debating Trump, campaign says. Margaret Sullivan, The Washington Post media columnist: Chris Wallace tried — and failed — to control Trump. Something needs to change. The next debates: Trump and Biden are to debate again on Oct. 15 in Florida at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, with C-SPAN’s Steve Scully as moderator, and on Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville with NBC News’s Kristen Welker asking the questions. Vice President Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will face off with moderator Susan Page of USA Today on Oct. 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City for the only vice presidential debate before Election Day. According to Axios, both campaigns indicated plans to move forward with the future debates > Seeking to draw a debate-day contrast with Trump, Biden and Harris released their 2019 taxes on Tuesday. The documents included 22 years of tax returns for Biden and at least 16 years of documents for Harris. Biden and wife Jill, a teacher, reported an adjusted gross income of $985,233 in 2019 and paid a total of $299,346 in taxes, for an effective tax rate of about 30 percent. The couple reported $14,700 in charitable contributions. Harris and her husband, lawyer Doug Emhoff, reported an adjusted gross income of $3,095,590 in 2019 and owed taxes of $1,185,628, giving them an effective tax rate of about 38 percent. Harris and Emhoff reported $35,390 in charitable donations for the year (The Hill). Copies of the Biden returns are HERE. "This is a historic level of transparency and it will give the American people faith once again that their leaders will look out for them and not their own bottom line," campaign spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said. > Congress & Trump tax returns: House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas) expressed alarm that unnamed sources assisted The New York Times with detailed reporting about Trump’s tax filings and Brady called for an investigation of what he said could be a felony. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) blamed the IRS for a prolonged audit of the president’s tax returns (The Hill). As The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda explains, the controversy about Trump’s reported federal tax avoidance over more than a decade puts the IRS into a new spotlight. Trump has said he would publicly release his tax filings when an audit is finished, although there is nothing that prevents him from choosing such transparency at any time. A push is underway among progressives to increase IRS appropriations for enforcement of tax laws that cover wealthy individuals. 
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