First 2020 Presidential Debate: on Principles & Values

Joe Biden: Under Trump we're weaker, sicker, poorer, and more divided

BIDEN: Under this president, we've become weaker, sicker, poor, more divided and more violent.
• When I was vice president, we inherited a recession. I was asked to fix it. I did. We left him a booming economy and he caused the recession.
• With regard to being weaker, I've gone head to head with Putin and made it clear to him we're not going to take any of his stuff. He's Putin's puppy. He still refuses to even say anything to Putin about the bounty on the heads of American soldiers.
• Thirdly, we're poorer. The billionaires have gotten much more wealthy by a tune of over $3- $400 billion more just since COVID. You at home, you're in more trouble than you were before.
• In terms of being more violent: When we were in office there was 15% less violence in America than there is today.
• And with regard to more divided: the nation can't stay divided. We can't be this way.

Joe Biden: There's nothing we can't do if we do it together

BIDEN: The fact is that there is racial insensitivity. It's a little bit like how this guy and his friends look down on so many people. They look down their nose on people like Irish Catholics, like me, who grow up in Scranton. They look down on people who don't have money. They look down on people who are of a different faith. They looked down on people who are a different color. In fact, we're all Americans. The only way we're going to bring this country together is bring everybody together. There's nothing we cannot do, if we do it together. We can take this on and we can defeat racism in American.

Joe Biden: I am the Democratic Party right now

BIDEN: The party is me. Right now, I am the Democratic Party.

TRUMP: And they're going to dominate you, Joe. You know that.

BIDEN: I am the Democratic Party right now.

TRUMP: Not according to Harris.

BIDEN: The platform of the Democratic Party is what I, in fact, approved of.

Joe Biden: Not about my family or his; about the American people

BIDEN: This is not about my family or his family. It's about your family, the American people. He doesn't want to talk about what you need. You, the American people, it's about you. That's what we're talking about here.