WEB DESK
The first presidential debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden was more of a shouting match than a structured exchange of ideas. It forced the debate organizers to work on changes to ensure a more productive discussion for the candidates’ next encounter. Political analysts feel that the chaotic outcome of their first meeting is a reflection of deep political polarization in the United States of America.
The Commission on Presidential Debates said it intends to tighten the format before President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden face off again after their initial encounter was widely termed as the worst debate in American political history.
The two candidates frequently interrupted each other or talked at the same time, with debate moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuking Trump for failing to adhere to rules allowing both candidates to answer questions unimpeded.
The independent commission that organizes the debates said the format needs additional structure “to ensure a more orderly discussion” after the messy affair at a university in the Midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio.
The commission said it would soon impose new restrictions before the second and third Trump-Biden debates, set for October 15 and 22.
Some critics of the first encounter between the two candidates suggested cutting off the microphone of either Trump or Biden when the other was speaking.
Later Trump, during a political rally at an airport in Duluth, Minnesota, declared himself the winner of the debate and criticized the moderator, saying, “I was debating two people last night” – Biden and Wallace.
The president suggested his opponent might not show up for the future debates.
“Now I understand he’s canceling the debates. Let’s see what happens. That’s not going to be a good move for him,” said Trump in the Upper Midwestern battleground state of Minnesota that he narrowly lost in 2016 but hopes to recapture against Biden.
The Democratic Party nominee told reporters in the swing state of Ohio on Wednesday “I am looking forward” to debating Trump again.
Biden characterized the president’s performance as “a national embarrassment.”
An exasperated Biden also came in for criticism for disparaging Trump, such as calling him a clown and telling the president to “shut up.”
Trump claimed, “Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the Radical Left (which he lost last night!).”
On his part Biden said: “You heard a lot come out of President Trump’s mouth. Can you name one thing he said to actually make your life better?”