US Presidential Debate 2020: Biden Calls Trump A Liar, Racist As President Says Nothing Smart About Democratic Leader

Recent polling shows Trump's support among key voter groups has slipped since 2016. Biden stepped onto the stage holding leading in head to head national polls and by razor thin margins in some battlegrounds.

US President Donald Trump (L) and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden exchange arguments during the first presidential debate. (Image: AFP)

New York: With just 35 days left for one of the biggest elections across the world, United States President Donald Trump and his democratic opponent Joe Biden on Tuesday night (US time) came face-to-face in their first pivotal around of  presidential debate. The much-crucial US Presidential Polls 2020 will be fought on the backdrop of  a historic pandemic, racial unrest and an economic shambles the country is facing. The two leaders are meeting in Cleveland, Ohio and it is being said that it  will be a key opportunity for Trump to improve his standing in a race that polls show has remained stubbornly unchanged. On the other hand, for Biden, the debate offers a chance to show the steadiness he says the nation needs in contrast to Trump's divisiveness.

It’s debate night, so I’ve got my earpiece and performance enhancers ready. pic.twitter.com/EhOiWdjh1b

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 29, 2020

According to reports, Biden welcomed Trump to the stage, saying, "How you doing, man?" The topics are the records of the candidates, the Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, race and violence and election integrity. Before the debate, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden released his tax returns and pressed the Republican president to do likewise, keeping pressure on Donald Trump in the wake of a New York Times expose on his taxes, Reuters reported. Kickstarting the debate, both Trump and Biden got into argument over healthcare crisis the US is going through. The moderator asks Trump on his healthcare plan keeping in mind his objection to Obamacare. "I'm cutting drug prices by 80-90 per cent, and going with favourite nations," President Donald Trump responded. Reacting to the same, Biden accused the US President of just waiting and doing nothing to tackle Coronavirus pandemic. "He waited and waited. He still has no plans even as total Covid-19 tally in US has touched 7 million," Biden said on Trump's handling of the crisis.

Let’s go! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/sDmKI5WXFN

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) September 30, 2020

Trump picked Barrett days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sparking fears among Democrats that Trump is pushing through his agenda to move the country's highest court to a 6-3 conservative majority. "And we just, we won the election and therefore we have the right to choose her and very few people knowingly would say otherwise," Trump said on his choice of Barrett. For Trump, this pivotal moment in his re-election campaign comes days after a New York Times investigation revealed shocking details on Trump's taxes. Trump, the Times reported, paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and in his first year in the White House. Trump paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years. Recent polling shows Trump's support among key voter groups has slipped since 2016. Biden stepped onto the stage holding leading in head to head national polls and by razor thin margins in some battlegrounds. In the crucial battlegrounds of Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan where Trump was leading at this time in 2016, he is now trailing Biden. A RealClearPolitics poll of polls average puts Biden at about 6 points ahead of Trump nationally.