On Sept. 29,  President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden had their first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.   

Trump won the presidential election in 2016 against his opponent, Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State. A member of the Republican party, former real estate mogul and a reality TV show host.

Biden was the former Vice President of the United States during both of Barack Obama’s presidential terms from 2009-2017. Biden also held the position of Senator for Delaware from 1973-2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party.  

During the debate, the two candidates went head to head on six main issues. The six issues from last night’s debate include: COVID-19, the economy, the Supreme Court, race and violence in American cities, Trump and Biden’s tax records and election integrity. 

They each had two minutes to answer the questions about each issue that moderator Chris Wallace selected in fifteen-minute segments.  

The moderator, Wallace, had difficulty speaking when both candidates interrupted him and each other.  

 There was a lot of controversy between the two candidates on the stage about the issue of COVID-19 and the safety measures they plan to take as leaders. Biden is focused on the health of each person and re-opening businesses at a slower pace, while Trump is more concerned about the economy as a whole and opening businesses at a faster rate. Biden says he wants to open schools only when it is safe and once there is enough money to provide Personal Protection equipment (PPE), where Trump wants to take opposite measures and open American schools as quickly as possible. 

Both candidates threw around accusations about race and violence in America. Biden repeatedly called Trump a “racist” and Trump denied these accusations. Trump said that Biden called Black people “predators” and Biden denied this as well. 

The two candidates continued to talk about the issues that are important today to the American people.  After the debate, multiple political commentators like Jack Tapper and Dana Bash criticized the debate for its lack of order.