US President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden went head to head on Thursday night in the last debate before the November 3 election.
The night was considerably more restrained than the first debate due to the implementation of muted microphones by the Debate Commission. Rules for the second debate were strictly enforced following a chaotic first debate characterised by interruptions from Mr Trump and candidates not abiding by the two-minute limit given for responses.
The coronavirus pandemic was at the centre of Thursday's debate, as the US faces the world’s highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths.
Best moments of Trump v Biden debate
Mr Trump promised a vaccine would be announced “within weeks,” but when pressed by moderator Kristen Welker about comments from Mr Trump’s own advisers who say a vaccine would not be widely available until 2021, he added “It’s not a guarantee.”
Mr Biden questioned Mr Trump’s vaccine timeline, saying “There isn't a serious scientist in the world who thinks this is going to be over soon."
“We’re about to go into a dark winter and he has no clear plan,” said Mr Biden. “He says that we’re learning to live with it, people are learning to die with it.”
The US has seen over 223,000 Covid-19 deaths, but the winter could drive fatalities up to 410,000 by the year’s end, a study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicted.
Mr Biden said that anyone who refuses to take responsibility for that many deaths “should not remain as president of the United States of America”
“I take full responsibility, it’s not my fault it came here, its China’s fault,” Mr Trump responded.
The president pushed a number of untruths when pressed on his coronavirus response, and often deflected blame to China. He falsely claimed 99.9 per cent of young people recover from the virus, citing his son Barron’s recovery as evidence. The president incorrectly claimed the mortality rate had fallen by 85 per cent, while touting that “spikes are gone” in states like Texas, which is in fact still grappling with rising hospitalisations. He said the US had “the best testing in the world, by far,” when the country has repeatedly been criticised for not enforcing early testing. And despite the scientific community agreeing there is no cure for the illness, the president said the therapeutics used to treat his Covid-19 illness could be called “cures.”
With the US election less than two weeks away, the debate provided candidates with their final opportunity to make a national impression on voters. Mr Biden has a substantial lead in polling numbers, and is looking to the coronavirus pandemic as a ticket to the White House, hitting out at the Trump administration for prioritising the economy over national health care.
One of the most heated exchanges of the night took place over election meddling, following analysis from the US intelligence community that Iran and Russia are working to influence the US election.
"Any country, no matter who it is, that interferes in American elections will pay a price," said Mr Biden while accusing the president of cosying up to Russia.
Mr Trump responded that nobody had been tougher on Russia, referring to sanctions and a push for increased military spending by Nato.
The candidates hurtled accusations of foreign funding across the debate floor, with the former vice president touting that he had released 22 years of tax returns and calling for the president to do the same.
"Release your tax return or stop talking about corruption," said Mr Biden.
The debate intensified as the night went on, with the candidates clashing over immigration policy.
Recently released court documents revealed the Trump administration has not been able to locate the parents of 545 migrant children who were separated at the border.
When pressed on his administration's family separation policy, the president defended it and blamed "coyotes" and "cartels" for bringing children into the US.
The former vice president said the policy "makes us a laughing stock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation."
Mr Biden criticised the president for "525 kids not knowing where they're going to be, and lost their parent."
The president responded with a mumble that sparked debate on social media over whether he said "good" or "go ahead".
Did Trump say 'good' or 'go ahead'
The night closed with candidates addressing climate change.
In an unusual boast, the president said to Mr Biden: "I know more about wind than you do".
The comment sparked backlash online, with viewers recalling when the president made an unsubstantiated claim in 2019 that wind turbine noise causes cancer.
Mr Biden also said he would "transition from the oil industry," and called for greater reliance on solar and wind energy.
"The oil industry pollutes, it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time," he said.
"I would stop giving federal subsidies to the oil industry."
Following the debate, the former vice president spoke briefly with reporters and backtracked on his comments.
"We’re not getting rid of fossil fuels, I mean get rid of the subsidies for fossil fuels. But we’re not getting rid of fossil fuels for a long time. It would not be gone until probably 2050.”
Trump: I know more about wind than you do
