In yet another twist in the Election Year from Hell, the second presidential debate was canceled after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. I know the Higher Powers must have received many prayers the past few weeks surrounding the President’s health, and it seems like those wishing the president a speedy recovery won out.
Joe Biden booked a separate town hall debate on ABC, and Trump slithered his way into his own town hall event on NBC. While Biden’s town hall wasn’t without its own misstatements and political spins, Trump did as Trump does and made a number of misleading statements and falsehoods throughout the night. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, as Trump has made more than 20,000 false or misleading claims in his first three years of office. Perhaps the most egregious of the statements made last night was when our president said a recent study found that “85% of the people who wear masks catch” the coronavirus. The CDC said that the President’s interpretation of this study was “incorrect,” a conclusion that even my cat was able to come too on her own merit.
A recent study did find that 1 in 1,000 Black Americans have died from the coronavirus so far, a frighteningly disproportionate ratio that flies in the face of Trump’s repeated downplaying of the coronavirus.
Trump also denied knowing anything about QAnon, a widespread conspiracy theory that insists that Democrats and wealthy elites are running a child sex trafficking ring that only Donald Trump can dismantle. It’s best understood as a cultish group of believers who need to stop reading every article they find on their Facebook feed. I think we were all cheering when NBC journalist and Town Hall moderator Savannah Guthrie questioned Trump’s promotion of conspiracy theories to his 89 million Twitter followers, retorting “you’re not someone’s crazy uncle,” who can retweet whatever. Interestingly enough, Trump actually is someone’s crazy uncle, and his niece recently wrote a book analyzing why her uncle is entirely unfit for office.
While Savannah Guthrie attempted to hold the president accountable for his reckless actions, Biden voiced similar concerns during his own town hall on ABC. Perhaps the most memorable thing Biden said Thursday night was that the President’s words matter. He said that the country needs a leader who acts presidential and understands the weight and influence of the Commander-in-Chief’s role. Biden also said that when the president flouts COVID-19 guidelines and makes fun of the responsible Americans who follow them, he is actively encouraging others to do the same. Which well, is common sense given the visibility and influence of the leader of the free world.
Joe Biden was asked by a voter what his plan was to stop the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately, Biden failed to give a clear, comprehensive answer, instead opting to ramble about restaurants for a little and then proceeded to talk about “strongly encouraging” safety precautions.
Biden gave voters a little more on the future of the Supreme Court, saying he was “not a fan” of court-packing, but that he would like to see how the current confirmation process for Judge Amy Barret Coney gets handled. Considering that Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris had lots to say about Republican court-packing earlier last week, I think it’s safe to assume that we could be seeing a major change to our judicial system in the next few years.
Personally, I’m not sure that my brain could make it through another four weeks of this whirlwind of a year, regardless of who’s elected president in November. If anyone has serotonin to spare, I know a stressed and broke college student who badly needs it. Nevertheless, chin up, friends! Let’s look on the bright side—it’s shockingly easy to move to New Zealand.
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