Thread by @mehdirhasan

Nice pivot from Supreme Court to Affordable Care Act from Biden right at the outset.

Good.

Amy Coney Barrett is anti ACA, says Biden. Boom. Pre-existing conditions. Boom. Insurance companies. Boom.

So far, so good.

"We're not elected for three years," says Trump, from the party that insisted Obama was only elected for three years, when it came to the Supreme Court.

9.11pm. "That is simply a lie," says Biden.

Followed up by "200,000 people dead".

Yes and yes.

Biden winning on rhetoric and substance.

Trump kinda winning on body language; not sure why Biden won't face him and call him out.

Wallace losing control.

On a side note, I would pay money to see Warren onstage right now.

Chris Wallace's reputation may not survive tonight.

Hey @debates, the sitting president is basically ripping up your rules and norms live on air.

Biden is not a good *debater*. He may have been in 2012 when he destroyed Paul Ryan but we've known since the Democratic primary debates that this isn't his forte anymore - especially against a brawler and a gaslighter like Trump.

As I typed that, Biden said "Will you shut up?" - thank the Lord.

Thing is, Trump, like a good bully, is a master of baiting people. But he's a thinskinned petulant child, Biden could so easily bait him if he tried.

22 minutes in, Chris Wallace remembered that 200,000 - 200,000! - people died in this country this year.

"Get out of the bunker," says Biden. Yeah that kind of baiting. More please.

"You don't know how many people died in Russia," says Trump. Is that the first time Trump has said anything vaguely critical of Russia?

Biden should say: "Mr President, your own aide who served on your taskforce says you welcomed Covid because you said you 'don't have to shake hands with these disgusting people' - your voters, Mr President, your voters."

Instead of asking Trump when a vaccine will be available, ask him what a vaccine is. What is it? How does it work?

BLEACH KLAXON!

Factcheck: it was not said sarcastically. It was not said sarcastically. It was not said sarcastically. #bleach

If I was Biden, I'd ask about the report that Trump pressured the CDC to downplay the risks to kids and re-open schools fully - 'Mr President, you're so desperate to get re-elected that you're willing to risk the lives of kids in this country. Isn't that shameful?'

"The two of you have taken very different approaches," on the virus, says Wallace.

Yeah, one side presided over 200,000 deaths. One didn't.

#bothsides #normalization

TRUMP HELD AN INDOOR RALLY IN TULSA, IT WAS A HUGE STORY, PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED GOT INFECTED, AND YET NEUTRAL MODERATOR CHRIS WALLACE JUST *AGREED* WITH THE PRESIDENT WHEN HE LIED AND SAID HE HAS ONLY HELD OUTDOOR RALLIES.

ARGH.

Herman Cain.

We spent a sum total of 15 minutes discussing the worst pandemic for 100 years, which has cost 200,000 lives in the U.S. and continues to cost between 800 and 1000 lives EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Madness.

Fewer jobs when he leaves office than when he arrived is a good stat/good line from Biden.

"Show us your tax returns," Biden heckles. Good. More please.

Trump says he paid "millions of dollars" in INCOME TAX in 2016 and 2017. It's a very specific lie. First good thing Wallace has done tonight - pushing him to answer the specific income tax question for 2016 and 2017.

"You are the worst president America has ever had, come on."

- @JoeBiden

I still wish Biden was sharper and crisper in his rebuttals to Trump's nonsense. Couldn't his team have given him a few zingers to memorize on the ECONOMY and on TAXES. I feel like Biden didn't do much with the open goal that is the $750 Trump tax bill of 2016 and 2017.

Imagine debating Donald Trump and letting him go after *your* kid over corruption. Come on Joe - Don, Eric, Ivanka - all open and easy targets. Hit back. Hit back hard.

ATTACK IS THE BEST FORM OF DEFENSE.

Wallace loses control again.

I want to say Trump is like a child but as the father of two kids, that's just a horrible insult to children.

There must be millions of Republicans watching this tonight, disgusted by the petulant, whiny, childish, rude, bullying behavior live on air from the president, but still planning on voting for him.

Sheesh.

Trump just said 'law and order'. Biden should have reeled off a list of all the former Trump people in prison, in court, indicted since serving under him. So many open goals missed. Sigh.

Wallace offers a softball to Trump on 'racial sensitivity training' which fits in with the Fox News view of the world.

If you want to see how we all normalized Trump, the president is being asked about race and racism on live TV and none of the questions are about him telling non-white congresswomen to go back to their countries, calling African countries sh*tholes, or retweeting 'white power'.

I will never ever get over the pass on racism that so many chunks of the US media gave to Trump.

Never.

"Mr President, you're gonna be very happy because we're now about to talk about law and order."

Thanks Chris Wallace. Thanks. A-plus job.

No questions about climate change from Chris Wallace but lots of questions about "law and order".

Could this be framed any better for Trump?

Trump denies a Kellyanne Conway from Biden that we all saw and heard on tape.