Debate commission vows changes
More structure is needed, panel says after chaotic event
NEWYORK— The presidential debate commission said it will soon adopt changes to its format to avoid a repeat of the disjointed first meeting between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Trump, a Republican, and Biden kept up their debate-stage clash from afar on Wednesday as they competed for workingclass voters in the Midwest, while elected officials in both parties sought to deal with the most chaotic presidential face-off in memory.
The commission said Wednesday the debate “made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”
One possibility being discussed is to give the moderator the ability to cut off the microphone of one of the debate participants while his opponent is talking, according to a person familiar with the deliberations who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The next presidential debate is a town hall format scheduled for Oct. 15 in Miami.
Moderator Chris Wallace struggled to gain control of Tuesday’s debate in Cleveland because of frequent interruptions, primarily by Trump. The candidates interrupted Wallace or their opponent 90 times in the 90-minute debate, 71 of them by Trump, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.
Biden on Wednesday called the debate “a national embarrassment.” But despite some suggestions that the final two presidential encounters be canceled, both campaigns said they expected their candidate to attend.
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said the commission was “only doing this because their guy got pummeled last night. President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying towork the refs.”
The Democratic challenger launched his most aggressive day on the campaign trail all year, with eight stops planned for a train tour that began in the morning in Cleveland and was to end 10 hours later in western Pennsylvania. Trump was to address voters and donors in Minnesota late in the day.
Biden balanced criticism of Trump with a call for national unity.
“He lies to you,” Biden told supporters under a sunny sky with a cool breeze outside the Cleveland train station.
“I’ll always tell you the truth,“the former vice president said. “I’ll always care about you whether you vote for me or not. If elected, I’m not going to be a Democratic president, I’m going to be an American president.”
The Tuesday night affair also raised fresh questions about Trump’s continued reluctance to condemn white supremacy, his efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the election and his unwillingness to respect debate ground rules his campaign had agreed to.
While some Republicans feared that Trump’s debate performance was too aggressive, he opened his day by attacking Biden and Wallace, the debate moderator, on social media.
“Chris had a tough night,” Trump tweeted. “Two on one was not surprising, but fun.”
Of Biden, the president added, “He will destroy our Country!”
The first of three scheduled debates between Trump and Biden deteriorated into bitter taunts and chaos the night before as the Republican president repeatedly interrupted his Democratic rival with angry — and personal — jabs that overshadowed any substantive discussion of the crises threatening the nation.
Trump and Biden frequently talked over each other with Trump interrupting, nearly shouting, so often that Biden eventually snapped at him, “Will you shut up, man?”
Trump also refused to condemn white supremacists who have supported him, telling one such group known as Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
On Capitol Hill, Republicans showed signs of debate hangover with few willing to defend Trump’s performance.
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney called the debate “an embarrassment” and said Trump “of course” should have condemned white supremacists.
“I think he misspoke,” said South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator. “I think he should correct it. If he doesn’t correct it, I guess he didn’t misspeak.”
Trump has not said he misspoke.
The president’s brash posture may have appealed to his most passionate supporters, but it was unclear whether the embattled incumbent helped expand his coalition or won over any persuadable voters, particularly white, educated women and independents who have been turned off in part by the same tone and tenor the president displayed on the debate stage.
With just 33 days until Election Day and voting already underway in several key states, Biden holds a lead in national polls and in many battlegrounds.
Polling has been remarkably stable for months, despite the historic crises that have battered the country this year, including the coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost 207,000 Americans and a reckoning over race and police.