Presidential Debate 2020: Trump mocks Biden, says 'I’m not a typical politician. ..That’s why I got elected'
President Donald Trump met his Democratic rival Joe Biden in the third and final presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, ahead of election day on November 3. In this debate moderated by Kristen Welker, the issues in focus were coronavirus pandemic, foreign policy and healthcare among others. The debate started with the pandemic that has claimed more than 220,000 lives in the US and then the focus shifted to foreign policy and countries like Russia and China.
Trump, who was more restrained in this debate compared to the first one held last month, lashed out at Biden saying he and his family received millions from foreign countries while he was in the office of the vice-president. Biden hit back at the president saying he did not take a penny from any foreign source. He counter-accused Trump over a recent report that the latter keeps a bank account in China which was previously undisclosed.
Biden says it's not about his or Trump's family but common Americans
Amid the growing arguments, Biden tried to move the direction of the exchanges towards the common American families as Trump stepped up the attacks on his businessman son Hunter who has also been accused of taking professional favors from his father when he was the vice-president. Biden said the question is not about his or Trump’s family but that of the common Americans.
“There’s a reason why he’s bringing up all this malarkey. There’s a reason for it. He doesn’t want to talk about the substantive issues. It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family. And your family’s hurting badly,” the veteran politician said, looking into the camera, suggesting how the common people were struggling to pay their mortgage or feeling worried over small things like putting new tires on their vehicles. “They’re the decisions you’re making,” Biden said, adding: “In the middle-class families like I grew up in... they’re in trouble. We should be talking about your families. But that’s the last thing he wants to talk about.”
Trump then responded to Biden, saying to the camera: “That’s a typical political statement. Let’s get off this China thing and then he looks.” “I’m not a typical politician. …That’s why I got elected. Let’s get off the subject of China, let’s talk around sitting around the table. Come on, Joe, you can do better,” he added.
Trump recently made a similar remark at a rally in one of the battleground states. Attacking Biden, who he has often accused of doing little in 47 years of his political career, Trump said if he doesn’t sound like a typical Washington politician, it is because he is not a politician himself and doesn’t play by the rules of the Washington establishment. He also told the supporters that he was elected four years ago because he was elected to fight for them harder than anybody ever has done in the past.
The second debate between the two leaders, scheduled to be held in Miami on October 15, was canceled after Trump, who was diagnosed with Covid-19, refused to attend a virtual debate.