The first of the three presidential debates of the 2020 election took place Tuesday, Sept. 29, with Trump and Biden going head to head at the podium. The commentator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, asked the candidates questions about different topics, such as race, COVID-19, and climate change.

  During the different segments, each candidate was given an allotted time to respond to the questions being asked of them. However, throughout the entire night, Wallace struggled to gain control of the debate due to frequent interruptions, especially by President Trump.

  As the two argued over healthcare, Biden called Trump a “clown,” becoming one of the most famous moments of the night. The frequent interruptions by Trump prompted Biden to tell him to “shut up” as the two bickered over issues such as the pandemic. 

  Another highly discussed moment of the night was when Trump refused to condemn white supremacists.  

  President Trump said, “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s got to do something about ANTIFA (anti-facist) and the left.”

  In response to these remarks, former Vice President Biden said, “This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division.”

  In regards to Coronavirus, Biden brought up the recording of Trump admitting to the dangers of the virus in February, condemning Trump’s response to the pandemic. Biden spoke directly to the people by asking how many of the viewers have been affected by COVID, which he claims is due to Trump’s negligence.

  According to a CNN poll, 60% of registered voters said Joe Biden won the debate compared to 28% who said Trump won. The results were closer in a CBS News poll, which found 48% of likely voters believed Biden won while 41% believed Trump won.

  After Tuesday night’s chaotic affair full of interruptions, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that it will enact changes to the remaining debates. It said that more structure will be added to the format of the debates to ensure a more orderly discussion.

  The next presidential debate, which was supposed to take place Oct. 15, was cancelled because President Trump refused to do it virtually and Biden did not want to do it in person due to Trump’s COVID diagnosis.