scorecardresearch
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Advertisement

US Presidential Debate 2020: Republican, Democratic leaders weigh in on Biden-Trump’s final face-off

The debate, moderated by NBC News’ Kristen Welker, had a fair share of tense moments and heated exchanges between Trump and Biden, as they made a last-ditch attempt to sway American voters ahead of polling day on November 3.

Biden-Trump Final DebatePresident Donald Trump and his Democratic contender Joe Biden face off in the final presidential debate before polling day. (Source: REUTERS/Jim Bourg/Pool)

With less than two weeks to go for the US election, President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden squared off in the second and final presidential debate on Friday.

Experts and social media users alike agreed that the relatively disciplined event in Nashville was a far cry from the raucous and chaotic first debate, which was marked by constant interruptions and mud slinging by the two candidates.

But the debate, moderated by NBC News’ Kristen Welker, still had a fair share of tense moments and heated exchanges between Trump and Biden, as they made a last-ditch attempt to sway American voters ahead of polling day on November 3.

Advertisement

As the debate wore on, reactions from leading lawmakers and election experts began pouring in on social media.

Here are some top reactions:

Former Vice-President Joe Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris lauded the Democrat for not just winning the debate but also taking a stand against Trump and “the harm his administration has caused” over the last four years.

Festive offer

Meanwhile, Vice-President Mike Pence congratulated President Trump for his performance, and claimed that he had won the debate “hands down”.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked President Trump for claiming that she “knew nothing about the climate” at the final presidential debate.

Advertisement

Lashing out at Biden’s climate change plan during the second half of the debate, Trump said, “You know who developed it? AOC plus three. They know nothing about the climate. I mean she’s got a good line of stuff but she knows nothing about the climate, and they’re all hopping through hoops for AOC plus three. Not a real plan, it costs 100 trillion dollars.”

Ocasio-Cortez immediately took to Twitter to correct the US President and said, “It’s actually AOC plus 115 because that’s how many House and Senate members have co-sponsored the most ambitious climate legislation in American history.”

Former senior counsellor to Trump Kellyanne Conway praised the President for being “hopeful” and “optimistic” and making Biden “explain and eat his record”.

Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul called out Biden for allegedly denying that he plans to ban the practice of fracking. Following the debate, the Trump campaign, too, released footage of both Biden and Harris repeatedly supporting bans on fracking.

Advertisement

“What I will do with fracking over time is make sure that we can capture the emissions from the fracking, capture the emissions from gas. We can do that, and we can do that by investing money. But it’s a transition to that,” Biden said during the debate.

Meanwhile, former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg slammed Trump for his comments about racism in the United States.

“Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump. And if you look, with the exception of Abraham Lincoln…I’m the least racist person in this room,” Trump had said when asked about Black families having to talk with their children about interacting with police.

Responding to Trump’s comments, Buttigieg tweeted, “The Civil Rights Act was signed in 1964 by President (Lyndon B) Johnson. Show some goddamned respect.”

Advertisement

Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang, too, criticised Trump for his performance at the debate on Friday.

“There were a few times Trump actually made me laugh tonight: comparing himself to Lincoln, blaming his accountant for not reporting his taxes and invoking the mythical GOP healthcare plan,” he wrote on Twitter.

First uploaded on: 23-10-2020 at 13:11 IST
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
shorts
Maguntas
Political PulseUpdated: March 28, 2024 22:43 IST

Away from the national capital’s courtroom where the case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is playing out, two key figures embroiled in the excise policy case – four-time MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta Reddy – are busy campaigning for BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
close