The final debate Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden was largely an informative, drama free spectacle that was unlikely to change any already made up minds.
Thursday night’s debate kicked off with both candidates behaving themselves, more or less, until the two engaged in several spats over the Hunter Biden scandal which quickly dissipated.
For a quick summary of how the candidates did aside from Huntergate:
- COVID-19 – Tie, both stuck to well-worn talking points
- American Families – Trump with the edge due to a ‘kids in cages’ moment. “Who built them?”
- Race in America – Trump steamrolled Biden over the 1994 crime bill and inaction, plus Biden had a very senior moment
- Climate Change – Trump, who successfully got Biden to admit he would ‘shift’ the country away from petroleum
- National Security – Tie, as the topic devolved to Hunter Biden’s laptop, however Biden defended against Trump’s attempts to paint him as a corrupt politician – hammering back on Trump’s tax returns and China bank account.
- Leadership – Biden, who argued that he would represent all Americans
Overall, both candidates were much calmer and better organized than they were during the first debate – albeit Biden came off as very angry most of the debate.