Published 13:12 IST, October 23rd 2020
US Presidential Debate: From 'xenophobic' to 'total disaster'; 5 fierce Trump-Biden jibes
Trump and Biden argued for over 90 minutes in the debate on several topics from healthcare to COVID-19 pandemic, from corruption to climate change.
The United States President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden on Thursday, October 22 locked horns against each other in the final presidential debate before the upcoming election. The debate, which took place in Nashville, Tennessee, saw both Trump and Biden exchange jabs at each other, sometimes getting personal and attacking each others' family. The two candidates argued for over 90 minutes on several topics from healthcare to COVID-19 pandemic, from corruption to climate change.
"Should not remain President'
Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden attacked his opponent Donald Trump saying that anyone who oversaw so many deaths and who runs away from taking responsibility should not remain as president of the United States. "2,20,000 Americans dead. You hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who is responsible for not taking control. In fact, not saying I take no responsibility initially. Anyone is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the USA," Biden said.
President Trump responded by attacking Biden's handling of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak and said that it was a "total disaster", adding had that had this kind of numbers, 7,00,000 people would be dead right now. "Look, his own person who ran that for him, who, as you know, was his chief of staff said, 'It was catastrophic. It was horrible. We didn’t know what we were doing.' Now he comes up and he tells us how to do this," Trump said. Trump also said that when he moved China on the travel ban list, Biden criticised him for doing so calling him "xenophobic".
'Unwilling to act against Russia'
Joe Biden then attacked Trump over his "unwillingness" to take action against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who according to US intelligence is trying to meddle in the presidential election, had offered bounties to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to kill NATO troops. Biden said that he would like to ask Donald Trump that why isn't he doing anything against Putin.
Trump responded by accusing Biden of taking millions of dollars from Moscow Mayor's wife and claimed that it came directly from Putin. "And you got $3.5 million. Your family got $3.5 million. And someday you’re going to have to explain, why did you get three and a half? I never got any money from Russia. I don’t get money from Russia," Trump said. The Republican candidate said that there has been nobody tougher on Russia than him. Trump said that he have got NATO countries to pay $130 billion more to guard against Russia, adding that he sold tank busters to Ukraine, while Biden was selling pillows and sheets.
'Have secret bank account in China'
Joe Biden slammed Trump for not releasing his tax returns and for allegedly having a secret bank account in China. "I have released all of my tax returns, 22 years, go look at them, 22 years of my tax return. You have not released a single solitary year of your tax return. What are you hiding? We learned that this president paid 50 times the tax in China as a secret bank account with China, does business in China, and in fact, is talking about me taking money?" Biden said.
Trump responded by saying that he is going to release his tax returns as soon as he can, adding that he had called his accountant, who told him that he has prepaid tens of millions of dollars in tax. While answering Biden on the China allegation, Trump deviated and instead kept accusing Biden and his son of taking money from Ukraine and Russia. However, after moderator Kristen Welker pressed Trump on the China bank account issue again, he opened up and said, he like many Americans wanted to do a deal in China and for that purpose, he had opened an account in the country in 2013, which he closed in 2015 before running for the presidency.
'Will terminate affordable healthcare'
Biden accused Trump of trying to terminate the Affordable Care Act by getting his nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. The former Vice-President said that the people of the United States deserve to have affordable healthcare because it's their right and not a privilege. "People deserve to have affordable healthcare, period. Period, period, period. And the Biden care proposal will in fact provide for that affordable healthcare, lower premiums. What we’re going to do is going to cost some money. It’s going to cost over $750 billion over 10 years to do it," Biden said.
Trump responded by saying that he would bring in a better replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Trump said that Biden wants socialized medicine and healthcare. "When he talks about a public option, he’s talking about destroying your Medicare, totally destroying and destroying your Social Security. And this whole country will come down. Bernie Sanders tried it in his state," Trump said, adding that Biden's running-mate Kamala Harris is more liberal than Sanders and she wants that too.
Updated 13:11 IST, October 23rd 2020