Headline: Biden-Trump, the worst presidential debate in history?
The first televised US presidential candidates debate with Donald Trump (L) and Joe Biden on September 29, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio.
REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
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The first meeting between the two US presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, turned into a fist fight.
Invectives on both sides, interruptions, little room left for the presentation of programs: the
Washington Post
does not hesitate to qualify this meeting as “the
worst presidential debate in living memory
”.
"
An insult to the public,
" even, "
and a sad example of the state of American democracy five weeks before the election
."
The
Colorado Springs Gazette
believes this debate must have thrilled wrestling fans.
The
Wall Street Journal
notes, however, that "
professional wrestlers are more presidential than these two men
."
"
We think millions of Americans dropped out after 30 minutes, and we would have done the same if watching this debate was not our livelihood
."
"
Nobody won
"
The daily speaks of a strategic error on the part of Donald Trump.
"
By wanting to appear stronger than him, he interrupted the vice president far too much and did not give him time to blunder,
" said the
Wall Street Journal
.
The daily also criticized Biden "
a candidate who says he wants to collect
" but who "
dealt Trump's"
racist "
to"
clown "
and even asked him to"
shut up
"
"
.
So yes, "
Biden did a good job of appearing consistent for 90 minutes
."
But "
expectations were low
", nuance the daily, because "
Trump had done him the favor of questioning his mental capacities
".
For the
Washington Post
too, "
Biden exceeded expectations
", but without shining.
In short, “
nobody won in this fiasco
”.
Not even the moderator, journalist Chris Wallace, who according to
The Atlantic
,
for example, did not sufficiently maintain order.
While it might not be technically possible to mute the mics, “
there are always ways to show that you're the boss.
He made it clear early on that he was not
”.
For this media, "
it is difficult to imagine what will be the impact of two other similar debates, if it is not the rise of the tensions in a country already on the nerves
".
Did Trump give the supremacists a signal
?
The
New York Times
dwells on one of the questions posed during the debate.
The reporter asked Donald Trump if he condemns the actions of white supremacists.
The President gave a very vague answer and said, "
OK, Proud Boys, step back and get ready
".
The far-right armed group Proud Boys, founded in 2016, is linked to several episodes of violence against anti-racist protesters.
According to the
New York Times
, the members of this group welcomed on the networks to see their name thus mentioned by the president.
They see it as a tacit endorsement of their violent tactics.
Yet one of the president's top advisers told The
New York Times
that the president's message was very clear: "
he wants them to stop
."
Venezuela: an American "anti-embargo
" plan
President Nicolas Maduro maintains that the country lost 99% of its foreign currency inflows between 2015 and 2019, as reported by state newspaper
Correo del Orinoco
.
“
In other words
, adds Nicolas Maduro,
for every 100
dollars or euros that the country obtained from oil sales in 2014, it now obtains less than one
”.
The fault, according to him, with
"
the brutal economic war waged against Venezuela
" by the United States, which prevents
"
the State from having the currency necessary to the purchase of food, medicines, and raw materials essential to economic activity
”.
Before the National Constituent Assembly, the president presented Tuesday "
an anti-embargo bill
", explains
El Universal
, supposed
"to
allow the State to have the institutional and legal capacities necessary to face the
American
sanctions
".
An economic crisis aggravated by that of the Covid-19.
Demonstrations are increasing in different regions of the country.
"
Gas bottles and pots in hand
", residents of the state of Guárico, south of Caracas, abandoned their quarantine and left their homes once again on Tuesday morning, "
to demand public services
" from base, explains
El Carabobeño
.
Several other demonstrations took place the same day a little further east, in Anzoátegui.
"
In this state, no gas, no water, no electricity, no internet, no telephone network, no petrol,
" explains
El Universal
.
“
In the country, in recent days, the queues to refuel have increased
,” explains
El Pitazo
.
In Caracas, you have to queue between 5 and 25 hours.
Elsewhere, the truckers say they wait more than 3 days
”.
President Maduro is promising announcements on this matter today.
Meanwhile, the truckers also demonstrated in the state of Cojedes, west of the capital.
La Voz
recalls that an Iranian oil tanker with 300,000 barrels of gasoline on board has arrived in Venezuela.
The boat began to be unloaded on Tuesday.
"
This will help reduce queues at service stations
," the newspaper comments, "
but it will not be enough to resolve the crisis as long as Venezuelan refineries are not relaunched
".
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