Trump, Biden clash over several issues in bitter presidential debate

Washington: US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden fiercely clashed over a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, racism, economy and climate, during the first presidential debate, marked by angry interruptions and bitter accusations.
During the first of the three presidential debates in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday night moderated by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, 74-year-old Trump and his 77-year-old rival Biden also traded barbs about each other’s families, making it one of the most chaotic White House debates in years.
“The fact is that everything he’s (Trump) saying so far is simply a lie. I’m not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he’s a liar,” Biden said.
Trump responded, saying Biden is a liar and graduated last in his class.
Attacking Trump over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people and infected over 7 million in the US, Biden said the president has “no plan” to fight the deadly disease and he lied to Americans.
As the two rivals clashed on medicate, Trump said the Democrats were planning socialising of medicine. Biden replied, “What this clown is doing?”
Trump also justified his administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate deal, saying the agreement was a “disaster”.
Biden, however, vowed to rejoin the historic accord if voted to power.
They also clashed over the issue of racism in America during the debate wherein the Republican leader hesitated to condemn white supremacists.
Biden alleged that Trump has used everything as a “dog whistle” to try to generate racist hatred and division.
Defending his record as president, Trump attacked Biden for his role in crafting the 1994 crime bill.
The former vice president was also critical of Trump’s handling of the events after the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
Trump also asserted that he paid millions of dollars in income taxes and dubbed the recent New York Times report that he paid just USD 750 in income tax in the year he was elected US president as “wrong”.
Biden described Trump as the “worst president America has ever had.”
On nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court to fill up the vacancy following the death of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Trump said: “We won the election and we have a right to do it”. Biden disagreed.
Trump also rued that Biden was getting better press than him. Biden also branded Trump “a fool”, when the president was talking about the large crowd that he has been drawing in the election campaign.
Hitting back, Trump said nobody shows up to Biden’s rallies.
Trump also expressed hope that the November 3 election would be “fair” and urged his supporters to watch “very carefully” the entire voting process to ensure there is nothing fraudulent.
Trump raised concerns over the use of mail-in ballots, saying there are high chances of the process getting manipulated. (PTI)