The second and final debate before Election Day is set to take place on Thursday at 9:00 PM EST, 6:00 AM PKT. This debate is one of President Trump’s last opportunities to gain momentum to make up the gap in polls.
On Monday, Trump told reporters, “I will participate but it’s very unfair that they changed the topics and it’s very unfair that again we have an anchor who is totally biased,” referring to the changes they made to the debate topics. The debate was originally supposed to be based around foreign policy, but now the agenda includes COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security and leadership.
Biden’s administration responded by saying that Trump is trying to avoid discussing how the government handled the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign said, “As usual, the president is more concerned with the rules of a debate than he is getting a nation in crisis the help it needs.”
The first debate was known for its yelling, chaos and personal attacks. In an attempt to make this debate more policy-based and have less interruptions, the Debate Commission announced on Monday that it would mute microphones for certain portions of the debate. The commission announced this change was because the first debate “[deprived] voters of the opportunity to be informed of the candidates’ positions on the issues.”
Trump told reporters he thinks muting microphones is very unfair. He said, “They said if you let him talk, he’ll lose his chain of thought…but I also understand that as he’s going down the line and issuing lies, you know, generally it’s OK to, you know, really attack that.”
We can expect Trump to be pressed on his handling of the pandemic, and Biden to be questioned about packing the Supreme Court. Trump will also most likely bring up Hunter Biden’s emails, that were found at a computer-repair store.
This debate is much more important for Trump, who is trailing in national polls, than Biden, who is enjoying a 10-point lead. However, Biden will be tested to see whether he can keep up the momentum that his campaign has gained.
