President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden met in the second and final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Moderated by NBC News' Kristen Welker, the debate covered the coronavirus pandemic, race in America, leadership, families in America, climate change and national security.
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Here are a few takeaways from the final debate before Election Day.
Coronavirus had a presence immediately.
The Plexiglass barriers put in place between the podiums were removed shortly before the debate after medical advisors consulted with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Trump and Biden both tested negative for COVID-19. Biden entered with a mask, removing it when he reached his podium. Trump was not wearing a mask. Trump recently recovered from a bout with coronavirus.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic was the first topic of the night. Trump again doubled down on promising a vaccine soon, but did not guarantee by the end of the year.
"As you know, 2.2 million people modeled out were expected to die," Trump said. "We closed up the greatest economy in the world in order to fight this horrible disease that came from China." Will Stone of NPR reports that the source of the 2.2 million projected deaths Trump cites comes from an estimate by Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London that said there would be 2.2 million deaths in the U.S. if the virus went completely unchecked.
Biden continued to criticize Trump's response to the pandemic. Biden's response plan focuses on improving accessibility to COVID-19 testing and encouraging the use of masks.
“Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” he said in his opening remarks.
Trump also claimed a spike in coronavirus cases Texas is "now gone." The numbers point to another spike.
It wasn't as chaotic as the first debate, but there were moments.
The nominees clashed on multiple occasions. Biden repeatedly played offense, especially regarding Trump's taxes, relationship with Russia and handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The mute button during the first two minutes of each candidate's remarks seemed to work well, though there were interruptions during the discussions within each topic.
Outside influences also played a big role in tonight's debate
Biden grilled Trump on his relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and his bank account in China.
Trump, in turn, accused Biden of receiving $3.5 million from Russia, referencing a Senate GOP report "that said an investment firm co-founded by Biden’s son Hunter Biden, received $3.5 million from a woman who allegedly received illegal construction contracts from her husband, the former mayor of Moscow," the Washington Post's Sean Sullivan reports.
“I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life," Biden said in response.
Trump also did not condemn Russia and Iran for attempting to interfere in the 2020 election. Biden said any county interfering in U.S. elections will "pay a price."
Trump said he was the "least racist person in the room."
In response to a question about his rhetoric regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump said, “I can’t even see the audience because it’s so dark, but I don’t care who’s in the audience. I’m the least racist person in this room.
“With the exception of Abraham Lincoln — possible exception — but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done [for Black Americans]."
Biden responded with some rare sarcasm.
“Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire, every single one,” Biden said.
Houston got a shout out, but not a great one.
While answering a question about health risks for those living near oil refineries, Biden used Houston as an example, saying that petrochemical and oil companies have polluted the air and water in the area. Biden said he wants the U.S. to “transition from the oil industry” to renewable energy sources.
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5 takeaways from the final presidential debate between Trump, Biden - Chron
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