Debate Commission Is Making Changes to Help 'Maintain Order,' in Wake of Trump/Biden's Opening '$#*!show'
Well, that didn’t take long.
Some 14 hours after the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden earned descriptors such as “trainwreck,” “s—show,” “dumpster fire” and “the worst presidential debate I have ever seen,” the group that organizes the face-offs is planning format changes.
Biden at a Wednesday morning campaign stop said that Trump “not only attacked me constantly, and my family, but he attacked the moderator,” Fox News’ Chris Wallace. Looking ahead to the remaining two presidential debates, which are currently scheduled for Oct. 15 (town hall-style) and Oct. 22, Biden said, “I just hope there’s a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the question without interruptions.”
(By one count, Trump talked over Biden or Wallace more than 120 times over 90 minutes, rarely to accurately fact-check but more to heckle/taunt — Biden said, “Maybe I shouldn’t say this but the President of the United States conducting himself the way he did… was just a national embarrassment.”)
Polluted as it was with flagrant disregard for the rules agreed to ahead of time by both campaigns, name calling, and frequent interruptions, “Last night’s 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,” The Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement. “The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
Update: CBS News is reporting that the new measures will “include cutting off a candidate’s microphone if they violate the rules.”
Expressing that it is “grateful” to Fox News’ Wallace “for the professionalism and skill he brought” while trying to facilitate a meaningful discussion between Trump and Biden, the CPD said it “intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates.”
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