Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Trump, Biden to Meet Face-to-Face in Hours, Here're Debate Points


Tue 29 Sep 2020 | 05:43 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

Months after trading stern accusations, US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden, are meeting today, face-to-face, in their first television debate, just 35 days before the big day.

Tens of millions in the United States and around the world are expected to watch the debate, which is scheduled to take place in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the most important swing states and crucial in determining the results of the presidential race due on November 3rd.

For pandemic reasons, the two candidates will not shake hands as usual at the beginning of the debate, which is to be attended by a limited audience and moderated by Chris Wallace, from Fox News.

The debate will last for 90 minutes, during which 6 major issues are discussed: Coronavirus, the economy, the Supreme Court, ethnic issues, the performance of candidates, as well as "election integrity."

Trump's tax situation is expected to occupy a large part of the debate, especially after the "New York Times" leaks, which said that the Republican billionaire paid only $ 750 in income taxes in 2016. Trump, later, said that he paid "many millions of dollars in taxes" and that he owns assets much more than debt, but he has not provided evidence or pledged to publish any pre-election financial data.

Amid the great contrast between them, Trump, 74, for weeks mocked Biden's physical and mental capabilities, calling him a "sleepy Joe", describing him as a puppet of the "radical left".

Trump hopes that he can improve his position in the opinion polls that indicate the progress of the Democratic candidate.

Two more debates are scheduled for October 15 and 22, respectively, in Miami, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee. US Republican Vice President Mike Pence will meet Democratic Vice President Candidate Kamala Harris on October 7 in Salt Lake City in Utah.