Joe Biden and Donald Trump clash in final Presidential Debate

Thursday night’s Presidential Debate was certainly more successful and more productive than the previous debate.

The tone of the debate drastically differed from last month’s debate. This change of tone began with  moderator Kristen Welker, who pleaded with the candidates to “Please speak one at a time.” She also reminded the nominees that the goal of the debate is for “the American people to hear your every word.”

There were far fewer interruptions during this debate. This allowed for the candidates to actually complete a coherent sentence, something seldom seen in the September showing.

Both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden were seen asking for permission to speak when they had a response to a statement. This may have been because of the looming threat of the mute button, which was implemented by the Presidential Debates commission after the chaotic September debate. None of the candidates appeared to get muted during the debate.

President Donald Trump had a much-improved performance compared to the last debate. He seemed more composed and put together and did a good job of keeping Joe Biden on the defensive and critiquing his “47 years” of government experience and previous acts Biden has enacted like the 1994 crime bill.

However, he frequently said false information like saying that 2.2 million people were “expected to die” from coronavirus and that Joe Biden has received $3.5 million from Russia. 

President Trump also made a lot of bold statements such as no has done more for the African-American community than him, with the possible exception of Abe Lincoln. He also said “I am the least racist person in the room,” with no evidence to back it up.  

Vice President Joe Biden’s performance was also quite strong. He often used emotional appeals to elicit emotion in the viewers. He did this a lot during the segment on COVID-19, where he described “That man or wife going to bed tonight and reaching over to try to touch, there out of habit, where their wife or husband was, is gone,” and people having an “empty chair at the kitchen table this morning.” He did a very good job of reaching out to middle-class families who have been hit hard by this pandemic.

Nonetheless, Joe Biden’s performance was tainted by issues that have been prevalent since the beginning of his campaign, specifically his mental sharpness. During the debate, he struggled to put together sentences, phrases, and paragraphs, most viewers can deduce what he is trying to say. But, it is still very concerning for many voters.

In conclusion, the final debate was a good showing for both candidates, despite both of them showing some flaws. It was most certainly an improvement over the previous debate.