Was the 2nd Presidential Debate More Successful Than the First? (POLL)
The second and final presidential debate before the 2020 election finally took place Thursday, October 22, as Donald Trump and Joe Biden came face-to-face for a far more muted, but no less contentious, look at their stances on a variety of important issues.
Moderated by NBC’s Kristen Welker, the candidates had to follow a new rule thanks to their first meeting on September 29, moderated by Fox’s Chris Wallace, during which Trump constantly interrupted and talked over his allotted time. This gathering, which tackled various topics ranging from race relations to coronavirus, included two uninterrupted minutes for each candidate to answer a question as the challenger’s microphone was muted.
It was noticeably more organized and a lot easier to follow, but was it ultimately more successful? One factor to consider is whether the debate felt worthwhile given how close we are to the election. (The original plan for a second debate turned into two separate town halls.) Dan Rather made a point of tweeting, “It’s important to remember that tens of millions of Americans have already voted.”
(Credit: Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)
Welker did keep things on track, but another factor to consider is whether the chosen topics were ones the voting public needed and wanted to hear.
“You probably did not learn a lot,” Meet the Press‘s Chuck Todd said of those who have been following the campaigns closely, “but compared to what we saw in that first debate, I think there is almost a sigh of relief that we at least got an idea of what each might do.”
Do you agree? Was it more or less successful than the first? Check out the debate below and cast your vote in our poll.
