4 key moments from Donald Trump at first presidential debate

President Donald Trump’s first debate appearance with Joe Biden, his Democratic rival, was marked by 90 minutes of interruptions, accusations and, at times, flat-out false statements. Here are some of the more memorable moments.

‘I wear masks when needed’

Trump has always been ambivalent about masks as a tool for curbing the spread of the coronavirus; he has reluctantly come to accept them only recently. But even as the president said at the debate on Tuesday night that he wore masks at times, reaching into his pocket to suggest that there was one there, he continued to challenge their effectiveness. “They’ve also said the opposite,” he retorted when Biden talked about experts’ advocating the use of masks. And he mocked Biden for wearing one.

It was a curious stance for two reasons: One, the consensus of health officials is that masks are critical in curbing the pandemic. Members of the president’s own family were wearing them when they walked into the Cleveland debate hall.

Read: Key takeaways from the first presidential debate

It’s also a questionable political calculation. There was a time when Republican strategists thought they could portray Biden as weak for wearing a mask. But Biden has regularly worn one in public, with no signs of political damage. No surprise: Polls show that a solid majority of Americans — including a sizable number of Republicans — support mandatory mask wearing.

‘He will destroy this country’

Trump, seizing on an answer Biden gave in a television interview earlier this year, said his Democratic opponent would close down the country in response to the coronavirus pandemic. (Biden actually said he would defer to scientists on whether to close down parts of the economy.) This goes to a central point of difference between Trump and Biden, and a question that has divided Republicans from Democrats: What is more important, curbing the epidemic or rescuing the economy?

Trump has long believed that his road to reelection is the economy. He has sought to portray Biden as a proponent of strict policies that would keep people locked down at home and unable to go to work. And the economy is the one issue where Americans in poll after poll say they prefer Trump.

‘Say the words: law enforcement’

Trump repeatedly mocked Biden for, as he put it, failing to say the words “law enforcement” or “law and order.” One of Trump’s dominant attacks on Biden is to portray him as a captive of the left wing of his party, and in particular, a champion of policies that would undercut law enforcement. Trump has attacked Biden in ads that depict the demonstrations that have spread across the nation this summer, and he has warned that a Biden presidency would lead to a spike in crime and disorder.

Also read: The Donald Trump effect took centrestage in the US presidential debate

Trump was trying to drive a wedge between Biden and those on the left wing of the party, who, the president said, “have you wrapped around their finger.” Polls suggest he has not been successful with this line of attack, and Biden used this moment to specifically say that he does not support defunding the police.

Refusing to condemn white supremacists

This was one of those moments in which it appeared that Trump was debating Chris Wallace, the determined (if at times presidentially besieged) moderator. Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday,” noted that Trump had called on Biden to condemn antifa, the loosely organized left-wing political movement. Wallace asked if Trump would condemn white supremacist groups that have been involved in often violent demonstrations around the country.

First Trump suggested he would condemn them, saying: “I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace.”

“Say it,” Wallace implored.

But Trump never did so, rejecting a suggestion by Biden that he denounce in particular the Proud Boys, a far-right, white extremist group. Instead, he told the group to “stand back and stand by.”

Trump has recoiled at criticizing even his most extreme supporters, including white supremacists. But it is notable that he did not seize this opportunity to modulate his position in front of such a large audience and with a clear political need to expand his appeal beyond his base.

Also Read: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump a 'liar', 'clown' in fiery US presidential debate