No social project but rather invective and personnal attacks. This first debate between Donald Trump, blue tie with red stripes and tight jaw, and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, tie with thin black and white stripes, reveals a little what Tocqueville said 180 years ago, in “On democracy in America ”, namely that the system of representative democracy, dictatorship of the majority, does not necessarily lead the best to the top and that the Americans, pragmatists, are more occupied with commerce than with science and literature. Isn’t Donald Trump the caricatured incarnation of this great nation and Joe Biden, the revealer of the powerlessness of the classic elites to regain control?
So, 35 days before the presidential election, Joe Biden called Donald Trump a “clown” before apologizing. Reply from Donald Trump: “There is nothing smart about you” and “I have done in 47 months of presidency what you have not done in 47 years”. The former vice-president of Barack Obama stood firm against his formidable opponent, calling on Americans to avoid “four years of lies” without succeeding in unfolding his program, constantly cut off by his opponent.
It must be said, neither candidate was convincing on the substantive debate. On the management of the coronavirus, no fundamental debate has emerged from the accusations and invective. Sometimes political slogans have emerged from the sidereal void. Asking Joe Biden if he was for “law and order” in reference to his slogan borrowed from racist America in the 1960s, the latter replied: “law and order with justice.” Never mind, Donald Trump sees his rival as a candidate from the radical left wing, in favor of a socialist health system alluding to Obamacare.
On the issue of racism, the occupant of the White House refused to publicly condemn the violence of white supremacists opposed to the demonstrations of the African American rights movement, instead naming the neofascist organization Proud Boys and calling it surrealistically to “step back and be ready”. If it was necessary to make a count in points, it is Joe Biden who emerged victorious, if only by this sentence: “He paid less taxes [over 15 years] than a teacher”, asserts- he, in reference to the amount of $ 750 that the so-called billionaire would have paid to the tax authorities in 2016, the year of his election.
Proof of the crisis at the top, Donald Trump refuses to say that he would recognize the results, pointing the finger at possible fraud in the postal vote. The debate took place in Cleveland, Ohio, one of those key states that could tip victory to one side or the other on November 3.
