Joe Biden and President Trump kicked off the first presidential debate of 2020 on Tuesday by not holding anything back right from the start as the Democrat nominee called the president “the worst president America has ever had” and Trump returned fire by suggesting that there is “nothing smart” about Biden.
The candidates locked horns in the first round of debates on Tuesday night in Cleveland, Ohio and the proceedings were moderated by “Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace. Both men started out hot as Trump and the former vice president traded personal shots and responded to queries on ObamaCare, the Supreme Court, law enforcement, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the debate neared, Fox News reported sources close to the Biden campaign informed them the former vice president would not participate in personal attacks or respond to any insults the president might throw at him.
Things soon changed for Biden within the early part of the debate. The former vice president smeared President Trump as a “liar” and a “clown” and frequently ordered him to “shut up.”
“Would you shut up, man?” Biden snapped at Trump, before labeling him as “un-presidential.”
As the heat turned up Biden interrupted the president once again, telling him: “Will he just shush for a minute?”
President Trump did not take it lying down and returned fire with barbs of his own, asserting that his opponent is not “smart.”
“You graduated the lowest in your class,” Trump reminded the former vice president as a retort to Biden saying the president should become “smart” with the health crisis.
“Don’t ever use the word smart with me,” Trump told Biden. “Nothing smart about you Joe.”
When questioned on his campaign rallies, President Trump remarked that Biden doesn’t hold events because “nobody shows up to his events.”
“People want to hear what I have to say,” Trump insisted.
The moderator pivoted the debate to taxes. Biden promised to repeal the “Trump tax code,” and the president jumped in to ask why he did not suggest a better tax plan throughout his “47 years” in politics.
“Because you weren’t president screwing things up,” Biden shot back. “You’re the worst president America has ever had.”
The discussion changed course to trade and foreign policy, with Biden criticizing Trump on his trade deals with China.
“China ate your lunch,” Trump reminded Biden, before raising questions about the business record of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. “And no wonder your son goes in and takes out billions of dollars to manage, makes millions of dollars–while we’re at it, why did the mayor of Moscow’s wife give your son $3.5 million? What did he do with Burisma?”
Trump was referencing a recent report by Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which outlined Hunter Biden’s business relations with China, as well as his profitable position on the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings.
The report claims an investment firm co-founded by Hunter Biden, called Rosemont Seneca Thornton, “received $3.5 million in a wire transfer” from Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow.
Biden attempted to defend his son by saying the assertions were “totally discredited.”
“My son did nothing wrong with Burisma,” Biden feebly asserted. “Everyone has discredited it.”
The two candidates started raising their voices at one another, when Biden said: “It is hard to get any word in with this clown–excuse me–this president.”
“Here’s the deal. We want to talk about families and ethics. I don’t want to do that,” Biden responded, steering the topic to the Trump family. “His family–we can go on all night.”
Trump reminded the career politician: “My family lost a fortune by helping us come work with government.”
“This is not about my family or his family it’s about your family,” Biden emphasized as he pointed his 77-year-old finger to the camera. “He doesn’t want to talk about what you need, the American people, it’s about you. That’s who we’re talking about here.”