Trump had little to offer during the televised debate — neither a plan for health care, nor a proposal for how the economy may be rebuilt in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. He only offered chaos.
The televised debate went beyond anything seen in the recent history of American politics. The personal encounter between the two presidential candidates turned into a heated shootout. Like a bulldozer, the aggressive, testosterone-laden and out-of-control U.S. president came at the incredibly overwhelmed Joe Biden, who hardly seemed to grasp what was going on. Even the media critic from the conservative news network Fox News had little praise for incumbent Donald Trump’s performance.
No one had really expected Trump to suddenly turn into a statesman. Quite the contrary. The expectations were that his strategy for the televised duel would be aimed at knocking Biden off his stride, making him look distracted and nervous. After all, this is one of the Republican president’s main arguments against Biden. According to Trump, Biden is not fit for the office of the presidency, being simply too old at almost 78. And Biden allowed himself to be knocked off his stride. In this respect, Trump succeeded in his mission.
To those who have not considered him to be the anti-establishment messiah over the past four years, Trump’s performance made it even clearer that, by nature, he is a complete autocrat. He claimed the right to interpret every topic as he pleased, worked toward silencing both the moderator and his opponent, refused to accept any rules except his own, left all decency by the wayside and lied like a trooper.
Democracy and Freedom
Once again, he left no doubt that he would accept nothing other than a victory in the election. In remarks directly addressed to the far-right group Proud Boys, he asked them to “stand back and stand by” as if he were suggesting Armageddon would follow Election Day.
Despite his underwhelming performance, next to this democracy-ruining menace, Biden almost seemed like the only hope for those to whom a democratically ruled United States is important.
And such people can not only be found in the U.S. With the current rise of autocracies, an America that reemerges as a beacon of democracy and freedom would also be a symbol for the rest of the Western world. As president, it at least seems likely that Biden would try to direct the divided nation back in this direction, something Trump is apparently not interested in.
But going back to the election, for both candidates, these last moments in the race to the White House are about persuading voters who are still undecided, amounting possibly to around 15% of the voter base, according to opinion polls. Trump certainly did not use this first opportunity to do so. He offered hardly anything in terms of actual policy — no plan for health care, no proposal for how the economy may be rebuilt in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. He only offered chaos. In this way, he reduced the idea behind the presidential debates to absurdity.
As Biden did not stand out in this chaotic farce either, no one emerged victorious from the televised duel. The biggest losers were once again Americans themselves.
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