The group that manages U.S. presidential election debates said on Wednesday it will take steps to “ensure a more orderly discussion” after a fractious first debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.
“Last night’s debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues,” the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) said in a statement.
“The CPD will be carefully considering the changes that it will adopt and will announce those measures shortly.”
The first Trump-Biden debate was chaotic as Biden battled fiercely over Trump’s leadership on the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and the integrity of November’s election in a chaotic first debate on Tuesday marked by personal insults, name-calling and Trump’s repeated interruptions.
Moderator Chris Wallace never established control of the debate.
The two White House contenders talked over each other and lobbed insults in a breathtaking political brawl that made it hard for either to make a point.
“Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential,” said an exasperated Biden after Trump’s repeated interruptions during the first segment of the debate on the Supreme Court.
Biden later called Trump a “clown,” a “racist,” and “Putin’s puppy” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin and told Trump: “You’re the worst president America has ever had.”
Trump for his part said: “There’s nothing smart about you, Joe.”
Late in the debate, Wallace himself urged the president to stop his interruptions.
