Tuesday night saw the US Presidential debate between current President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
To put it simply, the debate was chaos. And not the good kind.
There was no handshake as the two men took the stage and while this was due to Covid-19 restrictions, the absence of the traditional greeting symbolized the bitterness engulfing the country in the final countdown to November 3.
Just minutes in, the debate turned into an all-out and personal brawl as they raced through issues from a Supreme Court vacancy to the coronavirus pandemic to the US health care system.
Trump offered a frank defence of himself at the United States presidential debate 2020 when questioned about new reporting on the minimal amount in income tax he has paid, saying, “I don’t want to pay tax".
It was a defence that amounted to Trump saying the tax loopholes for wealthy Americans are there to exploit — even if, at the same time, he tried to claim he’s paid “millions of dollars” in taxes in the first years of his presidency.
"Everything he's saying so far is simply a lie. I'm not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he's a liar," former vice president Biden said.
Biden -- taking on a feisty, aggressive tone despite Trump's taunts that he had low energy -- then told the US president: "Will you shut up, man?" "It's hard to get a word in with this clown," Biden snapped at one point.
The chaos was did not go missed on Twitter who tuned in to see the debate.
The #Debates2020 explained in one picture: pic.twitter.com/SIIPCSzcSX
— Mikey (@FNBRHQ) September 30, 2020
when you listen to this debate for longer than 30 seconds pic.twitter.com/mPoNOctd9i
— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) September 30, 2020
I started this debate with a white wine spritzer and now I need tequila. Lots of tequila. Doubles. Triples. 😔
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) September 30, 2020
Minutes Each Candidate Spoke During the 90-Minute Debate:Joe Biden: 46 minutesDonald Trump: 76,563 minutes#Debates2020
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 30, 2020
The American people not only deserve to hear a healthy exchange of visions on how to lead the country but NEED it. When one person is allowed to shout over the proceedings w/ zero accountability, that's a threat to democracy. The power to turn off mics is essential.#Debates2020
— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) September 30, 2020
it's the blueprint of an abuser: to invoke so much chaos & volatility, it destabilizes the room and forces you to either cower or sink to their level. #debates2020
— Rachel McKibbens (@RachelMcKibbens) September 30, 2020
Debate is not even 15 minutes in and it’s already CHAOS. Trump is arguing with the MODERATOR ♀️ #debatenight #Debates2020
— SpOoPy (@JayyLech) September 30, 2020
all #Debates2020 has taught me is that we need a lid on the age of people who run for president. if i wanted to hear incoherent old men yell at each other i'd go visit a nursing home
— chad, bubbie of chaos (@endofanerajc) September 30, 2020
We went from the Supreme Court to healthcare and now its just chaos #Debates2020 #debates -SB pic.twitter.com/CrQcSPXGPQ
— Leaders Igniting Transformation (@lit_wi) September 30, 2020
Even Stephen King joined in.
This was a lot scarier than anything you wrote #debates2020
— bruce s (@bruceskelhorne) September 30, 2020
Biden, who is leading in polls, sought to tie Trump squarely to the Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 200,000 lives in the United States, more than in any other country.
He was also seeking to eat into Trump's crucial support among blue collar voters, capitalized on bombshell revelations that the billionaire Trump managed to avoid paying almost any federal income taxes for years.