Notable Quote of the Day

“For the most part, however, each man jabbed at his opponent in predictable, intermittently effective ways and revealed, yet again, personalities that have either attracted or repelled millions. Trump did nothing but scorn Biden as a do-nothing politician who somehow hid his role as the mastermind of a great corruption scheme. Biden was most comfortable talking about policies he would implement—and damning Trump for mishandling the pandemic. Any voter who learned anything new must have been on a very long hiking trip for the past year or so, without a smartphone.”

– Michael Kazin, professor of history at Georgetown University​​​​​​

Debate Recap

Donald Trump and Joe Biden met in Nashville, Tennessee, for the final presidential debate on Thursday night. NBC News’ Kristen Welker moderated the event. The candidates discussed the coronavirus pandemic, election interference, foreign conflicts of interest, China, North Korea, healthcare, economic stimulus, immigration, race, and climate change.

Trump spoke for 41.3 minutes, while Biden spoke for 37.9 minutes. Here are highlights for each presidential candidate:

• Trump said a coronavirus vaccine would be available sooner than what his officials projected. He said schools and businesses needed to reopen. Trump said Biden failed to address immigration and criminal justice reform while he was vice president. He also said that Biden and his family received money from foreign countries. Trump said his tax and regulatory policy would help rebuild the economy. He said success would unify the country.
• Biden said Trump did not take responsibility for the 220,000 deaths caused by the coronavirus in the United States or have a plan to safely reopen the economy and schools. He said his healthcare plan, Bidencare, would be Obamacare with a public option. Biden said Trump’s family separation policy violated the nation’s values. Biden called climate change an existential threat. He said the country needed to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy over time.

Election Updates

• Donald Trump is holding two Florida rallies on Friday in The Villages and Pensacola.
• Trump is holding rallies in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin on Saturday. He is also holding a rally in New Hampshire on Sunday.
• Joe Biden is delivering remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday.
• Biden will speak about the economy in Bucks and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Barack Obama is campaigning in Miami for Biden on the same day.
• Biden said he would establish a bipartisan commission of constitutional scholars to study expanding the Supreme Court and other judicial reforms.
• Howie Hawkins responded to the presidential debate in a video streamed from Nashville.
• Jo Jorgensen participated in a town hall interview on Thursday night.

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What We’re Reading

• FiveThirtyEight: What Went Down During The Final Presidential Debate Of 2020
• The Wall Street Journal: Joe Biden Blitzes TV While Trump Spends on Events, Fundraising
• The Washington Post: Second Trump-Biden debate has fewer interruptions but more counterpunches

Flashback: October 23, 2016

The Las Vegas Review-Journal endorsed Donald Trump for president.