This episode contains strong language.
Both presidential candidates had clear goals for their first debate on Tuesday.
For Joseph R. Biden Jr., the contest was an opportunity to consolidate his lead in polls before Election Day. President Trump’s task was, politically, a taller order — to change the course of a race that he seems to be losing. His tactics for doing that emerged quickly: interrupt and destabilize.
The result was a chaotic 90-minute back-and-forth, an often ugly melee in which the two major party nominees expressed levels of acrid contempt for each other.
We speak to our correspondent Alexander Burns about the mood and themes of the debate and whether any of it moved the dial for the election.
Guest: Alexander Burns, a national political correspondent for The New York Times.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily
Background reading:
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
From the New York Times. I'm likeable borrow. This is a daily. Our nation is to be credible in strong when we say we're somebody's friend, everybody's gotta believe it. I see a future when the world is at peace, with the United States of America, promoting the values of democracy and human rights and freedom all around the world. Over the past several decades of presidential debates, the president didn't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, so he's really turned his campaign into weapon amassed such sometimes in this world. You make unpopular decisions because you think they're right Americans have watched, as can
its displease differences of policy. I want to go through the federal budget line by line age by page programmes that don't work. We should cut programmes that we need. We should make them work better. A government spending has gone completely out of control ten tree and our debt were given to our kid half a tree in dollars, which we all kind of personality I may to stop the subsidy to PBS. I met a step or two things. I like PBS, I'm a big bird and style. There was even at times
when he didn't get an Emmy for his tv programme three years in a row when he started tweeting that the enemies were rigged agenda. But the first debate of this year's general election stood out for
an unprecedented level of chaos? It's Wednesday September, thirty.
Ask him morning the morning
Thank you for making time for us
I just feel invigorated by that exercise,
eyes in democracy, so I could go for a while
we're going to try to not have you go for a while, because it is one thousand two hundred and ten in the morning I think I probably have watched thirty plus presidential debates in,
but I don't think I've ever fell so physical
or emotionally depleted, as I did after this one, almost like in an altered state
it was pretty grim. I mean there was not a lot. Looking back on the debate to feel like was a serious exchange of views between the two people who are fighting to lead the most powerful country in the world for the next four years and to be explicit about it. Obviously, the reason why the evening took that course was because the president decided to shove it down. That course,
well. Let's talk about that heading into this debate in your mind, what was it about for both can at what were they trying to do? What store with Joe Biden, because I think that in some ways the simpler,
this was an opportunity for him to try to close the deal with the american people.
Most voters are either
to him or leaning towards him in this campaign, how the president's unpopular Joe Biden, the alternative, is due
well. I had generally seen and favourable terms by the public, so the debate was an opportunity to tell people a little bit
more about what he actually wants to do is the president and idea
Billy. He would want to put to rest any concern
people may have about the fact that he be the oldest president, I ever elected.
I think those were really his goals going into the debate and for present trump it's a tall order politically to try to transform
or at least in some way change raise that he is
right now, pretty clearly losing so I think
going into the night, it was not clear whether that would take the shape of just straight up. Attacks on Joe Biden wetter would look like hearing something
or different from him on any of the major themes of the campaign, whether it's the pandemic, where the economy
a law and order or whether it would be the sort of flip over the table and start a bar fight approach to just create chaos right.
change. The rays from a pretty stable raised that he is losing to just on
ass. He raised that is messy for the sake of being messy, and I think we are
as we know, which approaching duck
so in summary, goals sealed
deal forbidden change. The subject pick a mess for ultra right that evening, I'm cross, while also
Fox news- and I welcome you to the first of the twenty twenty presidential debate between President Donald J, Trump and former vice pro.
Joe Biden and how do those strategies play out in the actual debate
Who were alluding to President Trump strategy fell far more present,
it has a reliable if your balls making it to expect, but let the proprietor
He was clearly a choice by the president to put on this display.
of Pugilism Andrews Raw personal dominance of the stage kind of based on any pre
tax at any time, you know how he doesn't know how rare fixed ideas never already affiliated to what extent has do you like? It seems. The presence number one tactic here was just interrupt: interrupt, Interruptus, constantly
and so the election is all you don't know how it I in the and evaluate
The decision on the ballot is on the back.
I already said the court was nothing happening there,
Donald. We don't know her view on roads.
Joe, you ve, just three hundred and eight thousand military people dying, because you couldn't providing proper health care and that's right. It really show
the evening more than anything else was just the president's penchant for interrupting people. Talk
Biden. While he was speaking, I'm here still facing
It would have level
as early. You wouldn't last every brow who knows how to do as it is. They look very large deal. I got talking under his breath as a way of distract
from whatever Biden and a moderate her Chris Wallace were doing whether that's a tactic that translates to doing anything productive in a debate in an election that you're losing I'm not so sure, I'm not going to use it
Why do we have that across Europe? But nor should we be yours is the rational left? Would you
and who is on your list, Joe,
please don't you all right, gentlemen. I think that this is actually core areas in order to give a living
I notice it in these moments. Sometimes Joe Biden would have lash out solutions,
Germany. Neither here what is going on, I don't want all- is not static. You call the president a clown or say he shut up our
you're senator worse, whereas is America's ever limit. East Asia, But-
What other times you just into closed his eyes and almost meditated as if he'd been
train by someone to not lose his cool
almost as if he had been trained by someone was. If you ve been practising that extensively know. This was
major area of focus for Joe Biden going into the debate. Look. Joe Biden has a real temper and I think that we have seen at times what it looks like for buying to lash out to the full extent of his ability, and he didn't do that during the debate, and I think that is something of a disappointment to the Trump camp that you know. The president was was pushing a bunch of buttons, especially about the bike
family that they thought really have the potential to get Biden to go off. The Handle China eight your last year and no wonder you son, goes editing, takes out what he takes out
billions of dollars takes out billions of dollars demanded. You saw it on a number of points in the debate. The president go after Joe Biden living Sign Hunter for his overseas business activity, sometimes, and really false or exaggerated terms, but there are questions about hunters overseas, business activity
The mayor of Moscow's wife gave you sent three and a half million dollars is one idea that you deserve it did he do with Burmese on January? One hundred and eighty three thousand IRAN last autumn answer did not none of that is too,
really how living out acne after president is all of that seem like it might be building after some bigger blow up between the two men about Hunter Biden. What happened instead in speaking of my son, the way you talk about the military where you talk about them be losers, and
and in just being suckers. Why was that Joe Biden,
what about his other son bow? My son was in Iraq. He spent a year there. He guy got the brown star he gets,
speakers service metal. He was not a loser. He was a patriot and the people left behind. There were heroes, and I resign
It's like you cannot buy son bo bide near tighter. Now I don't know, but I know how our own hunt you got thrown out of the military he was thrown out. Dishonorably gesture- that's not true, whereas it to use
and his response was really dismissive. He said I dont know bow, I know Hunter and then
mediately forge leans back into a really harsh personal attack on Joe Biden living, so he made a fortune in Ukraine.
China in Mazarin separate areas, the players he might design, Watchin, generalised son, and he didn't have a guy son like a lot of
people like a lot of people. We do at home had a drug problem he's overtaken his case. Is fees fixed? It he's worked on it
proud of, but why we are largely millionaires wasn't gave rise to tat, is totally internally. Brain
interesting in this.
dreamily intense moment involving the president's son. Not only did Joe Biden not losers,
cool. He seemed to go out of his way, not to retaliate in a way that, because of your political strategy, might have felt kind of intuitive
I think that's right in and he really actually drew attention to that fact. At a couple different point saying you know here's the deal we want to talk about families in ethics. I don't want to do that in his face
we could talk about all night, his family's I've ambling, Madam guy, if they have already on fourchan, very charming down and helping out with governments and that their rights are. Mr Blair such saying, though one of Moses is not viable rising families whose family it's about your family. Fifty America really have many, that's not true it does it want to talk about what you need you, the american people, it's about you
That's it we're talking about. I was what do you make of our approach to not strike back where in moments like us, when the present is being so pugilistic? Is that a missed opportunity potentially to damage the president,
The honest answer to that question is, I don't know, I think the fury of the debate and of the campaign on the Biden side of this is that when we are talking about the President and the corona virus
and the economy they are winning and when they were talking about the President's chosen topics, then that give the president
least some political oxygen that he wouldn't ordinary
we have. So why would you have a protracted debate about family ethics way?
and you are winning the debate on the main issue of the election? So, let's talk about a pandemic because it seems that one of the ways that present from would need to change the nature of this campaign, which you said was a school in this debate.
even the polling, is by changing how people think about his handling of the corona virus. So how did that president Drunk did a phenomenal job? We did. We got the gowns, we get the masks, we made the ventilators.
Wouldn't have made ventilators were for the most part we heard from the president what we have heard before on the pandemic, so we built the greatest economy in history. We closed down because of the China plague when the plague came in, we close it down, which was very hard
But what happened is we closed down and now we're reopening and we're doing record business? He defended his handling and
We're weeks away from a vaccine, we're doing therapeutics already feel dang
the possibility of a fast vaccine. We know
But there are a lot of reasons to believe that that is not an eminent development. We should be provided all the protective gear pass. We should
providing the money the house is passed in order. We heard from
Joe Biden, I think up somewhat more restrained critique of the president. Then we might have expected. He talked about the importance of wearing masks. He talked about the importance of so
distance saying there wasn't the kind of top
to bottom denunciation of the president's handling that I think some of us might have expected coming into the debate.
folks at home how many of up this morning and had an empty chair the kitchen table, because someone died, a covert.
He didn't use that segment to talk directly to people who had lost failing numbers and loved ones in the pan
how many of you are in a situation where you lost your mom and dad you couldn't even speak to him. He had a nurse home phone up, so you can in fact say goodbye little us far. Nobody pillar,
our people, and you would have been by the waves layer. Oh yeah, he has only see DC director says we could lose as many as another two hundred, but there too, we saw him really struggle to keep his focus and flow amid the president's enter
I don't trust him at all or do you. I know you don't what we trust is a scientist you'd only first
Disallow Johnson Pfizer. We got you either way- element enlightenment lobby. Let me move on to questions about the future cause you both have touched on. One of the two other questions I'm going out. I wonder if you thought
there are Joe Biden made clear
The distinctions of how he would handle the pandemic verses, how the president has handled the band,
because I have to imagine that there are Americans for whom the pandemic is clearly the issue.
believing issue in this election, but they are
Why sure what Joe Biden would do about right? I think that there are clear contrasts about in a hurry,
respect for of medical science generally, who believes in measures like mass wearing and social distancing I dont know.
That there is in the
the most borders, more cohesive sands, of what word a
I led America have done starting
February or earlier and running through.
Today and what might our lives look like under those circumstances? I do think it's one of the opportunities that still just kind of sitting out there,
Forbidden to talk in a more extensive and forward
way about how
front Americans? Lives might be if we had handled this. The way other countries did back.
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So next up Alex in this strategy of the president's unlisted bade scene.
to be his effort to paint Biden as a tool of the left and to convince voters that he would govern outside them.
Strange right, number one. Are you familiar with Berlioz Andrew? I left on the manifesto we do men. I thank you. Socialized medicine. Look here
if there was a through line to the president's attacks on Biden tonight. That was the idea that when it comes to health care,
aid with Bernie Sanders on a plan. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are way that a laugh,
That is what is going on. I don't feel it necessary to give a higher value to socialize better said they wanted and private insurance and do not care for all these years
about the green new deal ended up when it comes to energy, they want to lose. You say, I'm it's one hundred trillion dollar, I talked about implementing the green new deal, and he talked about more specifically is not we're. Aeroplanes are adamant is, as I say, we are. Two car systems are out where they wondered. If they get the cow is time. You know, that's not really the right like getting rid of cows and some others sort of outlandish care.
of what the left wing of the Democratic Party wants to do add on law and order, so we have to being what they are talking about areas doesn't now, when I was diagnosed aggravated funding that I believe that is not true.
And he doesn't want to say law and order, because he can't because you'll lose his radical left supporters and once he does that it's over with, but if he ever got to run this town
and they ran the way he would want to run it. We would have we war,
We re on by the way are suburbs would begin over and over. We heard the President accuse Biden of taking these far left positions and Biden. Would you say no, I dont right
That's, not my position ride. The fact of the matter is, I be Bernie Sanders now by much I buy.
Building a whole lot. I'm not I'm here stand facing up to me
one of the most telling moments of the debate was when Biden was distancing himself.
from one or another of those proposals and end the president was saying: well, you know your party is that far left? What I've already a sad is simply articles in your party wanted ago, social
list matters already is an ocean is idle and bind responsible, as I am the Democratic Party right now. I am the Democratic Party right now but
I'd form of the data great at all is what I in fact approved of what I approved when
you know something of a questionable assertion. I dont know that it's really the case that the totality of the Democratic Party is best represented by Joe Biden at this time, but as a practical
after its true Joe Biden, is the standard bearer of the Democratic Party at the next president is a Democrat. It will be ham and I'm not sure,
president has figured out how to
work around the reality that his opponent is a pretty mainstream? Political figure will not stop
about the most memorable exchanges they had when it comes to the issue on which it really felt like the present has worked the hardest to portray Biden and all Democrats as extremists and as dangerous, which is law and order. We have heard the president really stake. His candidacy, honest idea that Democrats Orange was fond of the left, but they will make you unsafe in you,
home and in your communities, and we heard him really going Biden quite hard and quite insistently. He has no law enforcement, almost any other on this notion that you are not adequately supportive of the police law enforcement is not supportive of you name. One group that supports you, lay one group that came out and supported you.
Like we have time, we don't have time to do it. I'll do arise, nor I'm lines
law enforcement group that
we're element. I've been coming onto, I'm gonna take back them not only on our own, and I want to help. The president was correct.
he was very challenging, bind name law enforcement organizations that support him. There are law enforcement officials that support Joe Biden, but the Big
he's. Unions and police federations are largely supporting Donald Trump in the campaign, so that
something of the presidencies is an important political asset for years.
as I said yet the color of a young man in the middle of the street. They shot him three
residents runs reward resident, draw anything. I arrived here, the? U S, marginally, drunk Airbus go ahead. You know, but my
the law and order argument is not persist and uncomplicated one for the President
politically that there's a reason why we have seen in our own pulling that more voters trust Joe Biden on the issue, then trust the president and its because they don't see him as somebody who is actually interested in calming the country down making things less violent, less disruptive into his own former spokesperson said: no riots in chaos and violence help is cause. That's what this is all about it. I said that I do who I think it Kelly Conway. I don't think she's Andrews generally safer, and I think we really saw that dynamic on display when the president was asked to condemn violence by white, supremacist and extreme right groups. But are you well it tonight to condemn white some process and militia
robes and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence and a number of these studies, as we saw in Canosa and as we have seen in Portland show you in rural areas is ethically, but it has a. I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the we gave this kind of initial.
very blows. I answer that gonna Chris walls was asking him: do you denounce white supremacy, far right groups and the President said sure up willingly
Do anything. I want to see what you gonna do with sir. I do say, and Chris was a go ahead. You want to call them what you want
gimme a name give me why you surprised us right like only to can derive from us unripe, proud of my life. That's when Joe Biden mentioned the proud boys. This is an extreme right group that sees itself as being affiliated with the president and his political movement, and the president did not announced I'm proud of my wife stand back and stand by, but I'll tell you what he said stand back and stand by. That was his message to them, which what are they
and you know that can be a question for the president to answer. But I don't know any formulation of the words stand by that counts, as I denounced them, or I reject them.
shame on them- and this has been just from the very beginning of this president's political career- something that by
swing voters a lot of voters were not swing. Voters have seen as deeply disturbing about him is his apparent discomfort with
the political norm of simply rejecting people who are
dangerous and outside the main street somebody's got to do something about Anti for and the left, because this,
not a right wing rabble of his is a levy. I direct this last guy, like whites, about addresses antifreeze, an idea not at all
Besides, you got it modulation that is
I have here, I hears FBI direction
Well, then I know now that we're not we're done, Sir air moving onto the next time. I will then action
mind. You have something that the present set in the final exchange of the night as well, and I want to talk about an issue that was pretty remarkable.
It was about the integrity of the election itself, and it seemed this back and forced to really some
Two approaches that these candidates were taking all night.
It really dead, and the president's answer, I think, was not reassuring one to people who are concerned about.
Having an orderly and respectful resolution to this election in November. What are you prepared to do to reassure the american people that the next president will be the legitimate winner of this election
I'm responded to that question by if you're able vote early interstate vote early talking about the importance of voting and voting,
by whatever means, are available to you and said that, yes, if I win that will be
separate if I lose obey, except the president, didn't say that this is going to be a fraud like you ve. Never,
he's drawing together a bunch of misleading like a suggestion minute and take a look at what happened in New Jersey. Take a look at what happened in Virginia and other places about not losing improper
Eighty in the election that are already under way and said that he wants his supporters to go to that's all. I've got my supporters to go into the poles and watch very carefully because that's what s happened, I am urging them to do it and I think it does point
the very valid reasons why people are concerned about just what kind of conduct is going to go on on election day and just
because I don't want after read between the lines here, it seemed like the president was urging supporters to go to the polls.
Watch in a way that might end up feeling like a form of wood or intimidation.
you know he didn't say that right and I think there is a fine line between legitimate poor watching porn
the ring and yeah activity that is explicitly designed to intimidate people and deter them from voting,
the distinction with very, very serious legal implications, and those are legal implications that I expect will be planning on election day and overall. It also feels reflective this exchange.
of another theme of this evening, which is the president, does not seem to be making really any store
long effort to appeal to vote
is outside his base. I mean think about the strategy of interruption. Think about the way he talked about the Democratic Party throughout the night, not leaving a whole lot of room for people who identifies Democrats too,
feel like they were being appeal to, whereas Joe Biden was repeatedly make
overtures of unity
ever criticized the Republican Party
and I wonder how you think about when inadequacy.
We debate, viewers will really matter
are moderate. Undecided voters in these swing states
my haven't even point back to where we were talking about before about the way the president was talking about the far left in the Democratic Party back and twenty sixteen he was talking to.
quarters of Bernie Sanders and saying, if you feel fed up with this system, if you feel like the establishment has screwed you, then
I'm your guy four years later. He is talking about that wing of the Democratic Party. As a threat to public,
Water in every city in America, so I dont know that there is anything in his debate performance tonight that suggested
He has in his own mind, identified constituencies that are not
currently supporting him that might be persuaded to support him. We'll say: that's they underline
this is the end of this debate is valid count we're not only when they are due to be continued, as in more debates as we go on President Trump Vice President Biden has been an interesting hour and a half I wanna. Thank you both for participating. It was hard to feel good about this. To me, it was difficult to watch and
I have to tell you I don't get a lot of late night texts from my mother. She not a political, animal and she's, not somebody who curses and text messages,
I think she may have summed up a kind of general national mood of had this debate with a message she sent me in the middle of it. She wrote this. Is it
no, I think your mom just about nailed it. This debate was a fiasco. I've never seen anything like it in a general election and
neither has anybody else, I'm not sure
there's any argument to be made that that debate really serve the interests of the american voter? I don't think that there is any particular argument to make that it served the interests of either of the candidates, particularly well, if you think back to the way we were talking about this at the beginning. As a debate about in a can joke,
and close the deal can Donald Trump change the race. I do know that either of those things happened
I'm pretty sure that the president didn't change the race to his benefit and
because of the nature of his conduct on stage he may have disrupted the debate enough to deny
Joe Biden, the chest
you have a really powerful stirring, close the deal Qaeda debate moment by again at a cost to himself, and we are now at a point in the camp
where we only have less than five weeks left until election day. More than a million people have already vote,
The president is losing in the polls and every day that he does not fund
finally change? The structure of the race is a day that he continues to lose. So in that not terrible.
Inspiring calculus
probably a better night for Joe Biden, then for the president,
That doesn't mean it was a fantastic knife or anybody or for the United States of America. It was a show for the United States of America, where Alex I truly care,
Our way to do this again with you and then one more time have a look. Thank you out thanks
the next presidential debate will be held on October, fiftieth, we'll be right back.
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New York City mayor, build a lousy, announced a significant uptake
in the daily rate of positive tests for the corona virus to the highest number that this
he has experienced since June. For the first time in months, you're gonna see a daily number over three percent and obviously everyone.
concerned about that. The mayor said that much of the increase came from nine
of the city's one hundred forty six zip code, all in Brooklyn and quiet, but it now
Britain's a city wide player to reopen schools for in person, classes,
the guidelines established by the mayor. If the positive test rate exceeds three percent.
Over a seven day, rolling average public schools would automatically closed. That is something we all have to work together to address and something that says to us. We have to be on higher alert to make sure we fight back this
Challenge Disney said that it would lay off newly thirty thousand workers, most of them from its theme parks in Florida and California, because a dependable Disneyland in California,
has been closed for months because of restrictions put in place by the governor their meanwhile Disneyworld in Florida we opened in July, but attendant has been weaker than Disney had expected.
That's it for the daily unworkable bar cinema.
Transcript generated on 2020-10-18.