The first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, was, for the most part, anything but a debate.
When Americans wanted to know how the candidates will address issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, their families’ economic struggles, systemic racism and the global warming and climate change crisis, they instead got a horror show.
We Americans want to know what our government will do to stem the number of deaths and infections from COVID-19. Over 205,000 of our fellow Americans have been killed by it, and more than 7 million Americans have been infected with it — and the numbers keep rising. The U.S. has 4% of the world’s population, yet it has the largest numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths. Clearly, President Trump and his administration, and our federal government, have not addressed the COVID-19 pandemic properly. These failures have resulted in the continuing tragic loss of precious American lives. We the American people must not accept this.
President Trump’s constant interruptions and bullying of Vice President Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace throughout the debate was not only disrespectful toward them, but it also displayed utter disrespect for the American people, who take the upcoming election seriously and who uphold voting as a critical tenet of our democratic system of government.
One of the most concerning moments during the debate was when Chris Wallace asked President Trump if he could tell the American people unequivocally his rejection and disavowal of white supremacist groups. His refusal to do so — and his reply, “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by” — could not be more clear and should be a wake-up call and warning for all Americans.
After watching the debate, the choice for president of the United States is clear. We the American people must turn out to vote. The future for our families and ourselves, and the future of our nation, are at stake.
Anh Lê
San Francisco, California