US Election 2020 Highlights: Joe Biden pips Donald Trump overall as duelling town halls come to a close

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Savannah Guthrie for the win 

NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie received widespread praise for her questioning of Donald Trump, after she grilled the president on his past coronavirus test results and his thoughts on the QAnon conspiracy theory, which he refused to denounce.

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Biden pledges protections for transgender people

Joe Biden says there should be “zero discrimination” against transgender people and he promised to restore protections for them that President Donald Trump has sought to remove.

At his ABC News town hall Thursday, Biden said he would reverse Trump’s moves to revoke protections for transgender people against sex discrimination in health care and restrict military service by transgender men and women. He also condemned violence against transgender women of color.

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But who won the second round?

While Joe Biden arguably put in his best performance so far and seemed far more at ease in the absence of constant interjections and vitriolic jabs, Donald Trump would have scored plenty of points with his vote bank by sticking to his refrain of ‘best economy ever’ and possibly turned a few undecided voters towards him with the ‘martyred by the media’ performance.

Overall, the eager-to-discuss-issues Biden seemed the more substantive candidate on the night than Trump, whose crusade against the media overtook any desire to share his plan with voters.

– FP Politics

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First impressions from twin town halls

Initially, the idea to schedule a town hall on NBC News for the President of the United States at the same time as Joe Biden’s town hall on ABC News seemed like a brilliantly disruptive tactic by the most disruptive American commander-in-chief in recent times. The Donald Trump camp probably banked on winning the ratings battle — hoping it would in some way turn into votes — if not the “debate” outright, because if nothing else, POTUS on TV nearly always makes for must-watch television.

But did it pan out? Not really. The Trump event was expected to be a fiesty back-and-forth that would probably not throw up many answers to questions on policy matters and it was just that. The only anomaly came in the form of NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie, whose relentless efforts to not just moderate, but vigorously shake down Trump for answers and fact-check him in real time were in stark contrast to the role played by the more subdued Chris Wallace in the first presidential debate.

Meanwhile on ABC, moderator George Stephanopoulos barely ever stepped on Biden’s toes and almost never interrupted him. While searching questions and follow-ups were asked of the former vice-president, the tone and tenor of those matched the gentler vibe of the event when compared with what was happening over on NBC.

The Trump event stuck staunchly to its approximately 60-minute runtime (punctuated by a handful of commercial breaks) and we learned very little about how a potential second term would be different to the incumbent’s ongoing term. Meanwhile the other town hall, which never seemed rushed and ran a leisurely 90-or-so minutes (interspersed with a whole lot of advertisements), featured Biden at his loquacious best, taking his own time to elaborate on various aspects of his manifesto and proposed policy. That he stuck around to speak to the sparse and socially-distant members of the audience for a long time (in fact he’s still at it!) after his town hall was done, demonstrated a touch of empathy alongside the hard-to-argue fact that he has a clutch of policy ideas.

– FP Politics

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Green New Deal timeframe unachievable: Biden

Joe Biden is putting distance between his clean energy goals and the Green New Deal, saying the policy plan popular with progressives isn’t achievable within the timeframes it has laid out.

At a Thursday town hall, he pointed to a piece of the deal that calls for 100% renewable and zero-emission energy sources by 2030. Biden said that “you can’t get there” and that the country needs more time to invest in technologies that will eventually lead to net-zero emissions.

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Biden to have clear stance on expansion of Supreme Court 

Joe Biden vowed for the first time to come out with a clear position before Election Day on whether he supported expanding the size of the Supreme Court. While he reiterated that he was “not a fan” of the concept, the comments were some of his most direct yet on an issue that has followed him since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Asked by the host, George Stephanopoulos, during the ABC town hall event on Thursday if he would be open to increasing the number of justices on the nation’s highest court after senators vote on the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Biden said, “I’m open to considering what happens from that point on.”

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Trump won’t say anything on Roe vs Wade

Donald Trump was asked Thursday about the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide during a town hall in Florida. He said, “I don’t want to do anything to influence anything right now.”

Trump, who nominated Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court, says he worries that discussing his viewpoint could be seen as “trying to give her a signal” on how to rule.

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Biden on fracking ban 

Joe Biden reiterated his opposition to banning fracking, a crucial issue for voters in Pennsylvania, where his town hall is taking place. Biden reiterated he did not support banning fracking, but he emphasized that fracking must be handled safely.

Anchor George Stephanopoulos told Biden, “Not everyone buys your denial” on a fracking ban.

Trump has consistently said Biden would ban fracking, and the Democratic nominee has offered numerous denials of that.

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Have done a great job: Trump

Trump town hall comes to a close as he thumps his chest about the economy and jobs he’s created and promises that next year will be even better. When asked why people should vote for him, the president replied, “Because I’ve done a great job”

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Biden criticises Amy Coney Barrett’s performance

While discussing court-packing, Joe Biden also criticised Amy Coney Barrett’s performance before the Senate judiciary committee this week.

“My reading online — what the judge said was, she didn’t answer very many questions at all,” Biden said of the supreme court nominee.

Barrett repeatedly dodged questions from judiciary committee members by arguing it would be inappropriate for her to offer her personal opinions on major past cases, such as Roe v Wade, before joining the supreme court.

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Trump skips question on Roe vs Wade

“I don’t want to do anything to influence anything right now,” says Donald Trump as he evades a question from a voter on whether or not protections for women (whose lives are in jeopardy) will be put in place if Roe Vs Wade  is repealed.

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Supporting 1994 crime bill was mistake: Biden

A town hall attendee asked Joe Biden about the 1994 crime bill that he helped write, which has attracted widespread criticism in the years since it was passed.

The Democratic nominee said the country has changed “drastically” since 1994, noting that many African-American lawmakers supported the legislation.

Biden argued there were many provisions in the bill that “turned out to be both bad and good.” He cited the assault weapons ban as a positive aspect of the law. When asked by George Stephanopoulos whether it was a mistake to support the bill, Biden said, “Yes, it was.”

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Biden stumbles in an answer about black voters

Speaking about what he would do for young Black voters, Joe Biden’s answer focused on economic advancement through education, with specific mentions about things like funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and a cybersecurity job training program.

It was heavy on the details without a clear top line, and when George Stephanopoulos asked the voter whether he’d heard what he wanted to hear, the voter didn’t look convincing. “I think so,” he said.

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Will strike deal with IRS before releasing tax records: Trump 

“No person in their right mind would release [their tax records] until they work out a deal with the IRS. I’m treated very badly by the IRS,” says Trump. The president cites “common sense and intelligence” as keeping him from making his tax records public, adding, “As soon as we come to a conclusion, I will release them.”

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NBC News anchor cuts Trump down on false claims

Nearly halfway through the event, NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie has been brutal on Donald Trump, cutting him down on his false claims and scything down his efforts to wriggle out of uncomfortable questions.

The way she’s been interrupting him continuously is reminiscent of the president’s own performance two weeks ago in the first presidential debate. Perhaps this is the new normal for debates or discussions in the final lap of the US election campaign trail.

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Biden to young black voters 

Joe Biden was pressed on why young African Americans should vote for him when many of them have serious reservations about the Democrat’s record.

A town hall attendee asked, “Besides ‘you ain’t black,’ what do you have to say to young black voters who see voting for you as further participation in a system that continuously fails to protect them?”

Biden said of undecided black voters back in May, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”

In response to the question, Biden emphasized that young African Americans have the ability to determine the outcome of the presidential election.

He cited his stances on criminal justice reform and the racial wealth gap as areas where he considered himself to be clearly superior to Trump.

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Actors protest decision to host Trump at same time as Biden event

More than 100 prominent actors, writers and producers are protesting NBC News’s decision to carry a town hall meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday night opposite a previously scheduled Joe Biden town hall on rival ABC News.

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Trump on denouncing White supremacy

TODAY show anchor Savannah Guthrie is pressing Donald Trump on his reluctance to clearly denounce extremist groups and conspiracy theories. The president was miffed that she brought up the white supremacy non-answer in the first debate.

“I denounced white supremacy,” Trump said, adding “You always do this” referring to NBC.

Guthrie noted that it feels like “you’re hesitant to do so” which Trump bristled at quite a bit.

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Trump publicly commits to peaceful transfer of power for first time

“Yes I will” accept a peaceful transfer of power, said Trump, adding, “But I want a free and fair election.” He adds, “I want [the election] to be clean… Peaceful transfer, I absolutely want that. But ideally I don’t want that because I want to win.”

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Biden advocates for opening businesses with safety measures

When asked about what he would’ve done differently to handle COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Biden spoke for about six minutes, advocating for clear shutdown regulations to economic stimulus relief.

The most insightful clarifications came from Moderator George Stephanopoulos asked Biden to clarify his timing on things – the former vice-president didn’t speak for coronavirus shutdowns until March. He also asked Biden to clarify the candidate’s earlier statements about re-closing the economy if he was President. 
 
Biden didn’t give a clear answer, instead speaking about regulations, but the impression was that he’d try to keep businesses open through enhanced cleaning and safety measures.

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Trump continues attack on China over COVID-19

Meanwhile, Donald Trump continued to blame China for the coronavirus pandemic, having named the country four times already in the 12-or-so minutes since the town hall began.

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Joe Biden’s town hall kicks off

Former Vice President Joseph R Biden Jr. has begun his town hall event at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Biden’s campaign scheduled the event, moderated by the ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, after Trump refused to participate in their second debate, originally scheduled for Thursday night, because the Commission on Presidential Debates made it a virtual event following Trump’s positive coronavirus test.

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Trump defends anti-mask stance

“I am president, I have to see people, I have to meet people, I have to be out there. I can’t be in a basement, I can’t be locked in a room,” says Trump, in a bid to justify his anti-mask stance.

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Trump vague about his COVID-19 tests

Donald Trump was evasive on when he had his last negative test for COVID-19. He said: “I test all the time”.

When asked if he had gotten tested on the day of the first presidential debate, Trump said, “Possibly I did. Possibly I didn’t”.

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What do we know about the two events?

Donald Trump will field questions from a group of Florida voters at a town hall event organised by NBC and moderated by TODAY show anchor Savannah Guthrie on Friday. The event will last one hour and will take place outdoors at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami.

The event will follow the same format and will air at the same time as NBC News’ town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who in a 90-minute town hall event will face voters from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The discussion will be moderated by ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos.

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Less than 19 days until Presidential election 

American voters will now have to choose between the two town hall events, as both will be aired live on different networks at the same time on Friday.

With less than 19 days to go before polling, the duelling events will act as one of the final moments for each candidate to reach out to their voter base and swing undecided voters to their side.

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Competing town halls for Biden, Trump

After the second debate between US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden was called off by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the two candidates are now holding competing, nationally televised town hall events on Friday, where they will face a slew of questions from the American voters.