Compared to the first debate, which CNN host Jake Tapper called “a hot mess inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” the second and final presidential debate was far more substantive and respectful. One major reason for this was that the candidates were muted during the time allotted for their opponent. 

The debate focused on six major topics: fighting COVID-19, supporting American families, domestic race issues, climate change, foreign policy, and leadership. 

As expected, possibly the most important point of contention for many viewers was the handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump focused on a positive perspective; he promised a vaccine and presented his own recovery from the virus as evidence of medical advancement. 

“We’re learning to live with it,” Trump said. 

“He says we’re learning to live with it,” Joe Biden replied. “People are learning to die with it.”

Biden then described the large-scale plan he intends to launch if elected, which would involve economic stimulus spending and expanding health care as well as enforcement of mask-wearing. 

“200,000 Americans dead,” Biden said. “If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this…anyone that’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America.” 

Trump later made the point that after 47 years of government service, Biden has failed to fulfill numerous promises. 

“You keep talking about all these things you’re going to do,” Trump said. “Why didn’t you get it done?”

Their closing arguments were contradictory as well. The main point of Biden’s closing statement was that President Trump was dangerously incompetent, while Trump focused on portraying Biden as corrupt.

One major issue that arose was what CNN’s Daniel Dale called “an absolute avalanche of lying” from the president. 

His untruths “undermine an event meant to highlight differences between candidates,” wrote David Leonhardt in a New York Times article. “They undermine democracy. To ignore them is to miss the biggest story: a president trying to construct his own reality.” 

A few significant false claims noted in a New York Times article include: Trump’s insistence that he has “done more for the Black community” than any president other than Abraham Lincoln, his claim that his administration has been “tougher on Russia” than any previous administrations, and that there will be a vaccine “announced within weeks.” 

Fact-checkers later revealed that Biden’s statements were also not all perfectly true, though far less frequently than President Trump’s. His false claims included his statement that the deficit with China has gone up and that the coronavirus spike is focused in Republican states. 

For this particular debate, a clear winner is not easy to determine. Due to the minimized chaos in comparison to the first debate and the likelihood that many voters already had their minds made up weeks before, mixed poll results were expected. YouGov America, CNN, and Data Progress all released polls showing Biden as the winner of the debate by 10 to 20 points. In sharp contrast, Fox News released a poll showing 74% for Trump and 24% for Biden. 

However, the results of these polls are not significant in the overall picture. With only a few days until the election, national presidential polls continue to show Biden in the lead. Although results may be delayed because of how many people have voted by mail this year, the president for the next four years will be known by January 2021. 

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