After That Biden/Trump Disaster, Some People Are Calling For an End to the Debates
To quote CNN's Jake Tapper, Tuesday night's first presidential debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was "a hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck." While a debate is supposed to help the American people learn more about the two candidates and use that information to make an educated vote, this particular debate was so chaotic—with Trump constantly interrupting and spewing insults—that some are now suggesting the other scheduled debates be cancelled.
TIME's Judy Berman wrote a review of the debate titled, "Just Cancel the Last Two Debates. America Has Suffered Enough," while Frank Bruni wrote an op-ed in the New York Times with the headline: "After That Fiasco, Biden Should Refuse to Debate Trump Again." In a piece published right after the debate, Washington Post's media critic Margaret Sullivan wrote, "Failing some radical reform in the debate format, there’s no reason for the next two debates to take place as scheduled on Oct. 15 and 22."
For now, it's safe to assume the debates will continue, though it might cost us any joy we've managed to scrape together this year. (According to the Post, on a post-debate call, Kate Bedingfield, Biden's deputy campaign manager, told reporters: "We are going to the debates, guys. We don’t know how many different ways we can say it.") But if for some reason you need a refresher on just what the hell happened Tuesday night that would produce such an intense response, please feel free to relive the horror with these Twitter reactions to some of evening's most jaw-dropping moments:
More people called for #NoMoreDebates.
I would say that the only thing we learned from last night’s fiasco was how unfit @realDonaldTrump is to be president but we already knew that.#NoMoreDebates
— Rick Tyler-Still Right (@rickwtyler) September 30, 2020
We can't do 2 more of these #Debate2020. No. Uh-uh. No way. I'm done. Don't need to do this again. Let's just #Vote.
— Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) September 30, 2020
If the moderators can’t control Trump then #NoMoreDebates
— Abbie Guttenberg Youkilis (@AbbieYoukilis) September 30, 2020
Donald Trump abused the process, the moderator cowered, and Biden restrained himself from punching the bully. This @debate2020 was reprehensible and should never have happened. #Nomoredebates. Enough.
— Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) September 30, 2020
#nomoredebates until the 5 year old grows up and talks like an adult.
— Michael Ealy (@MichaelEaly) September 30, 2020
Can we start a hashtag #nomoredebates. Please no more
— Lisa Fitzpatrick,MD (@askdrfitz) September 30, 2020
The Biden campaign should really decline to do the next debate if it is going to be like this.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) September 30, 2020
Biden told Trump, "Will you shut up, man?"
“Will you shut up, man” is the line of the night 😂😂
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) September 30, 2020
"will you shut up man" lives in my head rent free
— first-mate prance (@bocxtop) September 30, 2020
“Will you shut up, man,” Biden said at one point, channeling, perhaps, the voice of a tired nation that has been tuned into the Trump show daily for four yearshttps://t.co/HSzaZGz3ZR
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) September 30, 2020
Will you shut up, man?
— The American Voters in 34 Days— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) September 30, 2020
when Biden said ‘will you shut up man’ we all felt that
— Alina (@alinaabars) September 30, 2020
Trump refused to denounce white supremacy and told the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group, to "stand back and stand by."
"Pr*ud B*ys, stand back and stand by" is among the most horrifying things that could have been said tonight or any night on television
— Anthony Smith (@AnthonyBLSmith) September 30, 2020
The only time Trump shut the fuck up last night is when they asked him to denounce White Supremacy and the proud boys...
— lisastark35 (@lisastark351) September 30, 2020
What Trump said about the Proud boys was as low as any President has ever gone in my lifetime in America. Enough. Vote him out. Vote him out and let’s start repairing all this damage.
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) September 30, 2020
Biden talked about tackling the pandemic seriously and reviving the economy without lying to people. Trump gave a white supremacist gang a new slogan.
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) September 30, 2020
Biden said "When? Inshallah?" when Trump said he'd reveal his tax returns.
Did Biden just hit him with a “inshallah” . Lmaoo That’s all I needed to hear!! Biden certified
— Bas (@Bas) September 30, 2020
This really happened. 🤣😂🤣😂
During the 1st presidential debate, Trump was being pressed about releasing his taxes & Biden jumped in asking “When inshallah?”
“Inshallah” is Arabic for “God willing,” which is comically used by speakers that want to delay deadlines & decisions. pic.twitter.com/Jfx8q7orck— Muslim Girl (@muslimgirl) September 30, 2020
Best moment of #Debate2020 /yelling fest, is Joe Biden dropping Arabic word “Inshallah” (God willing).
When Trump said “you’ll get to see” his taxes, Biden: “when? inshallah”(meaning never) pic.twitter.com/6J18Rgn4pL— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) September 30, 2020
DID BIDEN SAY INSHALLAH ABOUT TRUMP RELEASING HIS TAXES?!!!
— NOOR (@NTagouri) September 30, 2020
I have left debate twitter and entered inshallah twitter
— Sarah Parvini (سارا) (@sarahparvini) September 30, 2020
Chris Wallace attempted to moderate chaos.
Black Mirror episode where you just keep waking up in Chris Wallace’s body tasked with moderating this debate
— Mike Darling (@mike_darling) September 30, 2020
If you have on-the-record access to a politician, much less POTUS, and he name-checks a white supremacist group and appears to encourage them -- much less explicitly tells them to "standby" -- you immediately followup. Whatever your next planned next question is doesn't matter https://t.co/pEOYMWDKuV
— Wesley (@WesleyLowery) September 30, 2020
Some debates are like checkers and some debates are like chess.
This debate was Chris Wallace pleading with everyone not to eat the pieces.— McNeil (@Reflog_18) September 30, 2020
Never let Chris Wallace babysit your kids.
— Jason Overstreet (@JasonOverstreet) September 30, 2020
In conclusion:
American Horror Story: America
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) September 30, 2020
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