President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden squared off in the first presidential debate. And, to be blunt, it was quite spicy.
Here are the top five moments from the first presidential debate:
1) “Will you shut up, man?”
Opening up with the topic of Trump nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, moderator Chris Wallace asks Biden, should he be elected, if he plans to fulfill the Democratic threats of abolishing the filibuster and expanding the court by adding more seats, better known as court-packing.
Biden dodged the question, and as a result, was getting flanked by Trump. The constant antagonizing from Trump led Biden to blurt out, “Will you shut up, man?”
2) Directly into my veins
On the coronavirus pandemic, Biden hit Trump over his handling of the public health crisis, pinning the blame on the president for diminishing the severity of it and even used Trump’s own words against him.
“This is the same man who told you by Easter it would be gone away,” Biden said, referring to Trump’s comments about COVID-19 disappearing by the summer. “By the warm weather, it would be gone, like a miracle. And by the way, maybe you can inject some bleach into your arm, that would take care of it.”
3) “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe”
Trump absolutely drags Biden, slinging zingers at him, insulting his intelligence, and even highlighting the lack of enthusiasm for his campaign.
Trump also went after Biden’s son, Hunter, over his ties to China and Ukraine.
4) “Stand back and stand by”
Trump is asked by Wallace to condemn white supremacy, leading the president to say, “Proud Boys — stand back and stand by.”
That moment, in particular, stands out. Many of Trump’s critics view that as him declining to condemn white supremacy. However, many on the Right, particularly his supporters, have been trotting out each time he has condemned white supremacy. Meanwhile, Trump went after Biden for not saying the words “law and order.”
5) “When? Inshallah?”
Finally, the two sparred over Trump’s taxes, which isn’t particularly new. However, what is new is that Biden said this in the exchange.
“You’ll get my tax returns,” Trump said in response to a question from Wallace.
Biden interjected, “When? Inshallah?”
You didn’t mishear that. Biden not only used the Arabic word “inshallah,” meaning “if Allah wills it,” but also in the proper sarcastic tone, which, in this case, means “never.”
Outside of this, it was a messy and chaotic debate filled with interruptions, insults, and a lack of substance. It got so bad that even the Commission on Presidential Debates announced it will add “additional structure” to the remaining debates.
So, we’ll see some changes. Will those changes actually work? We wouldn’t put money on it.
