US 2020 election: The first Donald Trump and Joe Biden debate

Biden and Trump face off for the first of three high stakes presidential debates

Published: September 30, 2020 09:05 Compiled by Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from Agencies

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It started out civilly enough, with President Donald Trump striding deliberately to his lectern, and Democrat Joe Biden nodding to his opponent and offering a "How you doing, man?" Image Credit: AP

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Trump came out of the gate looking to challenge Biden and badgered him throughout the debate, drawing a string of rejoinders from the Democrat, including a plea to "just shush for a minute" at the half-hour mark. Image Credit: REUTERS

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At other points, the two candidates dialed down their rhetoric, only to resume their interruptions once again. When Trump was fielding a question about a report that he paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, Biden was the one interjecting: "Show us your taxes. Show us your taxes." Image Credit: AFP

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Roughly 50 minutes into the debate, moderator Chris Wallace's frustration came to a boil as he tried to regain control. "Gentlemen, I hate to raise my voice, but why should I be any different than the two of you?" Wallace said, drawing some muffled laughter from both sides of the otherwise mostly quiet room. Image Credit: AP

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Trump blamed Biden, but Wallace firmly pushed back to the president, "Frankly, you've been doing more interrupting." Image Credit: AP

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But was no discernible response when the former vice president called the sitting president a "clown" and told him to "keep yapping." Image Credit: AFP

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Biden told Trump to “get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap” and go in his golf cart to the Oval Office to come up with a bipartisan plan to save people. Image Credit: AFP

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Trump snarled a response, declaring that “I’ll tell you Joe, you could never have done the job that we did. You don’t have it in your blood.” Image Credit: AP

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“I know how to do the job,” was the solemn response from Biden, who served eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president. Image Credit: AP

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Trump struggled to define his ideas for replacing the Affordable Care Act on health care in the debate’s early moments and defended his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, declaring that “I was not elected for three years, I’m elected for four years.” Image Credit: AP

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Trump criticized Biden over the former vice president’s refusal to comment on whether he would try to expand the Supreme Court in retaliation if Barrett is confirmed to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Image Credit: AFP

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As the conversation moved to race, Biden accused Trump of walking away from the American promise of equity for all and making a race-based appeal. Image Credit: AP

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“This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division,” Biden said. Image Credit: AP

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The contest between President Donald Trump and Vice-President Joe Biden was chaotic from start to finish. Image Credit: AFP

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