Last night saw the first ever presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Perhaps predictably, it turned out to be quite a chaotic affair, with frequent interruptions and verbal spats sure to dominate the headlines.
Notably, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump to ‘condemn white supremacists and militia groups and say they need to stand down and not add to the violence’ – Trump did not explicitly do so, instead launching into accusations against the left.
Ultimately, Trump addressed the far-right, fascist organization the Proud Boys, but fell short of condemning them: ‘Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left’.
Joe Biden also referred to Trump as a ‘clown’, said he was the worst president America has ever had, and at one point asked ‘will you shut up, man?’
Most people who watched the debate were unimpressed, taking to social media to voice their disgust at the display – and figures in the media also criticized the debate.
We don’t yet have viewing figures for how many people watched last night, but the 2016 Clinton vs Trump presidential debate broke a ratings record to become the most watched debate in TV history –though we likely won’t see the same sort of numbers this year.
As for the winner, CNN’s instant poll was won by Biden with 68%, and Trump at a lowly 28%. This does of course come with the caveat that the audience included slightly more Democrats than Republicans.
If you’d like to watch the debate and decide for yourself, it’s available in full on YouTube now.
The debate also aired in full on CBS last night – to stream CBS, check out a 7 day free trial from CBS All Access.
