Published 12:24 IST, October 23rd 2020
US Presidential Debate 2020: Mute button declared winner as Trump, Biden 'behave better'
The “winner” of the final US presidential debate according to the netizens and the viewers is neither Trump nor Biden but the newly-introduced "mute button".
The “winner” of the final US presidential debate according to the netizens and the viewers is neither incumbent Donald Trump nor Democratic challenger Joe Biden, but the newly-introduced mute button. In the wake of the first disjointed face-off between the US President and former US vice president on September 30, the Debate Commission had rolled out a new feature including muting of the candidates’ mics for some portions so that the answers can be delivered uninterrupted on October 23 at Boston University in Nashville. Unexpectedly, the face-off was finished in an orderly fashion with almost no interruptions.
Each candidate got two minutes to answer each question, and during that time, the other person was muted. At points, there was an opportunity for crosstalk, but there was no real discretionary mute button per se. Owing to the update on rules, both candidates were seen satisfied by giving their opinions uninterrupted. At one instance, Trump even lauded the moderator for “handling it (debate) very well.” However, there were many who felt the mute feature was "underused".
At the start of the debate, Welker had clarified, "At the beginning of each section, each candidate will have two minutes, uninterrupted, to answer my first question. The Debate Commission will then turn on their microphone only when it is their turn to answer. And the Commission will turn it off exactly when the two minutes have expired. After that, both microphones will remain on."
Watch both US Elections 2020 contenders delivering remarks without any chaos during the initial question-answering section of the debate:
Debate concluded with Trump promising 'success'
Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s unexpectedly well-fashioned presidential debate concluded with both candidates getting enough time to make their case stronger ahead of the November 3 Election. The debate passed the 90-minutes deadline that was initially agreed upon by each campaign with the last topic being leadership. Moderator Kristen Welker questioned what Trump and Biden would say in their inauguration speech to the Americans.
US President, in a vague response, said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone would note how much their life has improved under his presidency. He said, "Success is going to bring us together. We are on the road to success."
Joe Biden, on the other hand, said, "I'm gonna give you hope... We're going to choose science over fiction. We're going to choose hope over fear."
Updated 12:23 IST, October 23rd 2020