Donald Trump and Joe Biden's Rivaling Town Halls

OPINION

October 16th, 2020

--Photo by Ava Leone

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA -- President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden held clashing televised town halls Thursday, the day that a second presidential debate was originally scheduled. Following President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, the Commission on Presidential Debates changed the second debate from an in-person to virtual town hall format. Mr. Trump refused to debate virtually, and the Commission followed up by canceling the event.

ABC scheduled a solo town hall in Pennsylvania for Joe Biden, and NBC decided to host another town hall with Donald Trump in Miami at the same time.

The decision to hold competing town halls on separate networks was a disservice to the American people. On Twitter, Katie Couric wrote, “Having dueling town halls is bad for democracy — voters should be able to watch both, and I don’t think many will.”

The town halls were starkly different. Biden addressed citizens’ concerns in a collected manner. While there were moments when he rambled on certain topics, he mostly made his way back to points questioners raised and asked if he had answered their questions. Biden did not say if he would attempt to pack the Supreme Court should he win the presidency. However, he said citizens should expect an answer on this topic before the election.

President Trump’s town hall was more like a fiery debate with the moderator. The president spent the first 20 minutes answering questions from the moderator. Mr. Trump deflected certain questions and spread misinformation. Notably, he cited a study that he claimed showed that 85% of people who wear masks contracted COVID-19, which is simply not true. Halfway through some answers, Mr. Trump would change course in mid-sentence, and it was generally hard to follow exactly what he was saying.

NBC says that holding Mr. Trump's town hall at the same time as Biden's was designed to give Mr. Trump a fair shot. However, it seems like the network was simply trying to capitalize on the upcoming election to boost ratings. The American voter was not served by this spectacle.

Don’t take my word for it. Watch both town halls and decide for yourself. They are available on YouTube and other streaming platforms.