Here is the game plan for this evening. There will be six 15 minute rounds with the entire debate lasting about an hour and a half. No commercial breaks, no opening statements. Topics include the following covid, the Supreme Court, the economy, race and violence, the trump and biden records and the integrity of the national election. In a moment we will hear from Chris Wallace make his introductory remarks here at the Cleveland Clinic. We want to bring in tom bevan, cofounder and president of real clear politics. Good evening. Donald trump as we know is the incumbent. He is looking for the chance for the American People to rehire him for another four years. Layout is challenged tonight, tom. First he has to present a defense of his record, what hes done, and then also has to present a vision for the next four years. He is going to center that primarily a thinker on the economy, which is the number one issue in the minds of the American People. The single issue where Donald Trump Holds
80eople will be in the audience in person tonight on the campus of casete wes reserve university, which is cohosting the event with the Cleveland Clinic. The moderator is fox news Chris Wallace, we at the newshour are practicing social distancing while i am broadcasting from our sturedio, ourters and analysts will join us remotely. Thats White House Correspondent yamiche alcindor, congrsional correspondence, Lisa Desjardins who is covering the biden campaign, amna nawaz will be watching the debate with a half a dozen voters from around the country. Amy walter of the cook political report, along with Washington Post contributing Columnist Gary abernathy, joining us from ohio, and syndicad columnist Cynthia Tucker in alabama, welcome to all of you and we are gog to ask yu no for a quick word from each one of you starting with yiche, tell us how is the president prering. T president did not do traditional debate pretp, he waaving mock debates or having anybody play his political opponent.
Chris wallace. And the stakes, well, theyre high. The presidency and the future direction of the country on the line tonight, lester. Theres a lot of ground to cover, savannah, over the next 90 minutes. The candidates records, including President Trumps tax returns, the Supreme Court vacancy, the pandemic, the economy, racism, and civil unrest, and the integrity of the election itself. We may need a little longer than an hour and a half. The Debate Commission has set the rules and has determined, by the way, that the moderator is not responsible for factchecking the candidates tonight. But our team is standing by to do just that and to offer expert insight and analysis. And for live Fact Checking during the debate, go to nbcnews. Com. Well go first to correspondent Hallie Jackson inside the debate hall. Hall hallie, what are you hearing from both camps . Two different candidates and two different kinds of debate prep thats been happening. Sources close to President Trump, for example,
And companies will leave for other places. And you will have a depression the likes of which youve never seen. Vice pres. Biden look, we inherited the worst recession short of a depression in american history. I was asked to bring it back. We were able to have a recovery that created the jobs you are talking about. We handed him a booming economy. He blew it. Pres. Trump it wasnt booming. It was the weakest chris is it fair to say he blew it when there was record low unemployment before covid . Vice pres. Biden because what he did, even before covid, manufacturing went in a hole. Number two vice pres. Biden you are on pres. Trump chris, they said it would take a miracle to bring back manufacturing. I brought back 700,000 jobs. They brought back nothing. They gave up on manufacturing. Asked to. Biden i was bring back chrysler and general motors. Brought them back right here to the states of ohio and michigan. They are gone. He blew it. Pres. Trump ohio had the best year it ever had last
A reversal and if you look at the people we would pay people hundreds of thousands of dollars to teach very bad ideas and frankly very sick ideas and really they were teaching people to hate our country and im not going to do that im not going to allow that to happen we have to go back to the core values of this country they were teaching people that our country is a horrible place its a racist place and they were teaching people to hate our country and im not going to allow that to happen Vice President biden nobodys down there hes just he heart races you just dont heres the deal i know a lot more mother doesnt hurt let him finish. The fact is that there is racial insensitivity people have to be made aware of what other people feel like what if what insults them what is the meaning to them its important people know they dont want to many people dont want to hurt other peoples feelings but its me it makes a big difference it makes a gigantic difference in the way a child is able to gro