Some summaries from the 538 live blog crew

[NRaleighLiberal]

NATHANIEL RAKICH
10:48 PM
This debate was a mess. I doubt that it changed anyone’s mind, and I have a hard time seeing how anyone learned anything new from it. In general, Trump dominated tonight, both for good and bad reasons for him. His aggressive interruptions appeared designed to fluster Biden, and at the beginning I think it was working; certainly it prevented Biden from making his case to the audience. Later on in the debate, though, Trump had some bad moments, such as not condemning white supremacists and viciously attacking Biden’s son. So in the end I don’t think he appealed to anyone outside his own base.

PERRY BACON JR.
10:47 PM
Trump’s constant interrupting made it really hard to follow the debate. His tone (like basically saying that Biden is dumb) was unlike anything in a previous debate I can remember, even Trump’s own debates in 2016. My other big takeaway was Trump wouldn’t agree to things that one would have assumed a president could agree to: 1. emphatically condemning white nationalists 2. urging his supporters not to be violent if the election result was not immediately clear 3. acknowledging the results and transferring power if he is defeated.

NATE SILVER
10:47 PM
I’m not 100 percent sure I buy the “this was the worst debate ever” framing. Biden wasn’t especially sharp, particularly in the first 30 minutes of the debate. But he was … fine. He wasn’t the guy who was constantly interrupting, or who refused to commit to respecting the results of the election, or who ducked the question when he was asked to denounce white supremacy. And he wasn’t the guy who needed a win, since he’s ahead in the polls.


GEOFFREY SKELLEY
10:45 PM
The year 2020 has been miserable for Americans, and listening to this debate for roughly 90 minutes was pretty damn terrible. Constant crosstalk and interruptions, with nothing positive to take away about the state of democratic debate and discussion in the country. Even more disheartening was Trump’s refusal to say he would accept the result of the election or try to keep his supporters calm as the vote count goes on after Election Day, while also making misleading or false claims about mail-in ballots. The idea of having two more of these face-offs is distressing.

AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX
10:44 PM
I’m struggling a little here, Sarah, because this debate was so chaotic and difficult to follow. It got extremely mean and personal. Wallace totally lost control. It’s hard to feel like anyone won, because as viewers, it feels like we all frankly lost. I just can’t imagine a voter watching this and thinking … wow, I’m excited about my choices this year.


SARAH FROSTENSON
10:56 PM
That’s A Wrap!
Well, we weren’t tracking interruptions tonight, but maybe we should have.

Tonight was often disorienting and hard to follow. We’re still processing, honestly, what we just saw, especially considering it involved a number of norm-defying moments. Sometimes debates have been more split-screen discussions where the candidates aren’t terribly hard on each other. But that wasn’t the case tonight. Biden accused Trump of being “the worst president” ever, and vice versa. It’s unclear who really “won” the debate now, but to relive the blog in all its chronological glory, keep scrolling.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our post-debate poll with Ipsos and our crew’s reaction to the debate on the podcast. Headlines from the live blog crew below:

Perry: Trump Interrupts Biden, Wallace And Americans’ Ability To Follow The Debate
Maggie: What If The Presidential Debate Was Like the Worst Fight Your Uncles Ever Had At Thanksgiving
Kaleigh: First Presidential Debate Hits A New Low, In A Year Of Nothing But Lows
Amelia: Everyone Lost The First Presidential Debate
Nathaniel: This Was The Worst Debate America Has Ever Had
Geoffrey: Maybe The Only Debate Takeaway Is That Trump Still Refuses To Say He Will Accept The Results Of The Election
Shom: An Anticipated Debate Leaves Much To Be Desired
Micah: 2020 Is Perfectly Encapsulated In First Presidential Debate
Galen: Trump Uses Debate As Metaphor For His Governing Style: Chaos
Chris: Response On Twitter Suggests No One Wins Race-To-The-Bottom Debate
Meena: There Are So Many More Days Left In 2020

[still_one]

1. Nate silver, "Biden wasn't particularly sharp"? Why is that mr silver, because he didn't overtalk

and interrupt

Silver is wrong on this

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. I see that in several comments - trump misbehaves so both sides do it. this is where the media

often completely fails.

[still_one]

6. Exactly

[blitzen]

3. Well, reading that guarantees I've had my fill of Both-siderism to last me a good long while. n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. then again, a site like 538 NEEDS a horserace for clicks. Pretty disturbing, really

[blitzen]

5. Yes, exactly n/t

[ucrdem]

7. "And he wasn't the guy who needed a win, since he's ahead in the polls"

Exactamundo. Trump was a hotter mess than usual, and I imagine his fellow travelers will call that a win, but basically he showed us what he can do and it was horrifying. And he needed to do much better to change anything.