Post-debate media roundup: Poor boys, Abraham Lincoln and Hunter Biden



The final debate before the 2020 presidential election saw the two candidates punching hard at each other, but neither struck a knockout blow. Most commentators thought NBC News moderator Kristen Welker did a much better job and the muting of microphones seemed to aid in keeping the discussion civil and more intelligible.

Here are some of the more interesting reactions to the debate from social media.

Many people were glad that Hunter Biden was made an issue:

Hunter is a bigger story tomorrow because Biden preposterously claimed that the laptop was Russian disinformation.… https://t.co/5eJQFOmVwL
— Andy McCarthy (@Andy McCarthy)1603421594.0
Not heard from Biden: those emails are fake. The laptop isn’t Hunter’s.
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly)1603417145.0
Biden is challenging Trump to bring up Hunter right now. Let ‘er rip, tater chip.
— Dana Loesch (@Dana Loesch)1603416491.0
Biden is rattled because you can use your next words are gonna be about his crimes and HUNTER.. Hit him with your best shot!
— Kirstie Alley (@Kirstie Alley)1603416513.0

While many thought it wasn't enough on the topic:

I’m sorry but 30 secs on the Hunter allegations is a joke.
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly)1603417172.0

Biden sarcastically referred to the president as Abraham Lincoln and he didn't quite get it:

Thanks to this exchange, Abraham Lincoln was trending on Twitter briefly. But unfortunately for Biden, Twitter noticed he mistook the "poor boys" for what he meant, which was "Proud Boys," a far-right organization:

Who are the Poor Boys? #Debates2020
— Andy Ngô (@Andy Ngô)1603419557.0
Isn’t poor boys a sandwich?
— Dana Loesch (@Dana Loesch)1603419802.0
I'm naming my new band Abe Lincoln and the Poor Boys.
— Noam Blum (@Noam Blum)1603419716.0
i’m just a poor boys, nobody loves me
— Siraj Hashmi (@Siraj Hashmi)1603419626.0
Poor boys vs Proud Boys https://t.co/znLLHjY11t
— Matthew Yglesias (@Matthew Yglesias)1603419816.0

Even some of his critics admitted the president did better than in the first debate.

stylistically, Trump was much, much better tonightsubstantively, characteristically weak. high nonsense quotient
— John Harwood (@John Harwood)1603421428.0
Trump won this debate, handily. Biden wasn’t a force at all. Trump was substantive, on-point, well-tempered. Defini… https://t.co/pXx7hCsrmH
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly)1603420545.0

And they had to admit that Biden issued an enormous lie during the debate:

CNN FACT CHECK: "So in this case, Trump is correct. Biden did make anti-fracking comments during the Democratic pri… https://t.co/fbNrF49q93
— Steven Cheung (@Steven Cheung)1603423898.0

According to Paula Reid of CBS, the president stuck to their plan with at least two points:

.@PaulaReidCBS explains how advisers say @realDonaldTrump succeeded on two key points in his #Debates2020 strategy:… https://t.co/LlwHWpKO5F
— Face The Nation (@Face The Nation)1603421284.0

ABC News' Jon Karl said Trump didn't do any damage, but didn't do enough to change the race either.

.@jonkarl says Trump allies were "relieved" with Pres. Trump's debate performance, but "did it do enough to change… https://t.co/f3ZKl1BTFo
— ABC News (@ABC News)1603422350.0

CNN host Jake Tapper complimented Trump, then called him a liar:

"It’s fair to say that Trump supporters and Republican office holders can relax for the night. They can exhale. He… https://t.co/ov7Sc4Rpbj
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@Anderson Cooper 360°)1603422862.0

And MSNBC was cheerleading for Biden:

And they were making excuses for Biden's past policies on imprisoning black males:

Van Jones was not impressed with the appeal to African Americans by Trump during the debate:

“I don’t think most African-Americans feel that we have a President that really understands the pain that we’re goi… https://t.co/1yRFZRXUv6
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@Anderson Cooper 360°)1603424033.0

Even Biden complimented the moderator after the debate:

Biden on the tarmac in TN just now on how he feels tonight's debate went: "Well that’s for the public to judge. I f… https://t.co/m4jdgeWSYc
— Johnny Verhovek (@Johnny Verhovek)1603423240.0

Norah O'Donnell of CBS said it was more substantive, and that the muting of the microphones worked:

.@norahodonnell on the second Trump-Biden debate: "It was as if the muting of the microphones worked, or each of th… https://t.co/ldZchGoKBX
— CBS News (@CBS News)1603421293.0

Here are the numbers for the debate:

Our @CBSNews count for tonight's debate:Candidate Speaking TimeDonald Trump: 40:24Joe Biden: 37:22 Questions… https://t.co/POVcAdgN1U
— Sarah Ewall-Wice (@Sarah Ewall-Wice)1603422947.0

And as always, there were jokes:

That’s it! I am not voting for Hunter Biden.
— Bill Maher (@Bill Maher)1603417173.0
CNN’s @ddale8 just a few mins ago: “For a fact checker, you’re kind of sitting there w/Biden. Occasionally you’re l… https://t.co/8oEQB3k2Hx
— Maegan Vazquez (@Maegan Vazquez)1603422685.0
Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Joe Biden leaves no room to backtrack, denies Hunter Biden made money from business deals with Chinese associates



Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden unequivocally denied that his son Hunter Biden made money from a foreign business deal involving China during Thursday evening's final presidential debate.

As President Donald Trump went on the offensive bringing up allegations that the former vice president knew about his son Hunter's foreign business deals despite his multiple claims to the contrary, Biden forcefully claimed he has never received money from any foreign source.

"I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life," Biden said.

Joe Biden: “I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life." https://t.co/JleCd5PGtP
— NBC News (@NBC News)1603417632.0

Responding to a question from moderator NBC News' Kristen Welker on whether Hunter Biden's involvement with Chinese and Ukrainian energy companies was "unethical," Biden deflected and pointed the question back on Trump.

"Nothing was unethical," Biden answered. "With regard to Ukraine, we had this whole question about whether or not, because he was on the board I later learned of Burisma, a company, that somehow I had done something wrong. Yet every single solitary person when he was going through [Trump's] impeachment testifying under oath who worked for him said I did my job impeccably. I carried out U.S. policy. Not one single, solitary thing was out of line.

"The guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to say something negative about me, which they would not do and did not do because it never, ever, ever happened," Biden said, referring to Trump.

Joe Biden on Hunter Biden's work: "Nothing was unethical." #Debates2020 https://t.co/JbKTeU6f6n
— The Hill (@The Hill)1603417476.0

Biden accused Trump of being the one benefiting from foreign governments, citing a recent report from The New York Times that Trump had a bank account opened in China.

Trump kept up the attack, however, noting that Hunter Biden was appointed to the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while Joe Biden served as vice president despite having little experience in that field.

"He's the vice president of the United States and his son, his brother and his other brother are getting rich. They're like a vacuum cleaner," Trump said.

Questions abound over allegations that Biden's family leveraged his position as vice president to make financially beneficial business deals with foreign entities. Emails purportedly retrieved from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden indicate that the Biden family pursued "lasting and lucrative" deals with a Chinese energy company that had ties to the communist Chinese government.

The existence of the laptop was first reported by The New York Post, which cited former Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani as the sources for its story.

At the debate, Biden criticized Giuliani, saying "he's being used as a Russian pawn" and accusing the content of this laptop of being Russian disinformation.

Leaving no room to backtrack, Biden explicitly denied that his son made money from a business deal with Chinese associates.

"My son has not made money in terms of, this thing about, what are you talking about, China," Biden said.

Earlier Thursday, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, held a news conference accusing Joe Biden of falsely stating that he had no knowledge of Hunter's business deals and of being directly involved in those foreign business dealings.

Bobulinski claims that the email reported by the New York Post is "genuine" and that he has "emails, Whats App chats, agreements, documents, and other evidence" to support his claims, evidence that he has turned over to the FBI. He is also working with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee in their investigation of Hunter Biden's foreign business activities.

If Bobulinski's side of the story is true, it means Joe Biden lied to the American people at the debate.

Demands intensify for Joe Rogan to host next presidential debate following Chris Wallace's performance



Much of social media called on comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan to moderate the next presidential debate after Fox News' Chris Wallace's heavily criticized performance during Tuesday night's first presidential debate.

Social media criticized Wallace during — and after — the debate, saying that he was largely useless in actually moderating a the debate between President Donald Trump and former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

What did people say about Wallace?

Journalist Soledad O'Brien tweeted, "Hellllo Chris Wallace??? Looking for a moderator here. Jesus Christ what a fricken mess."

Former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt added, "Chris Wallace has completely lost control of this debate."

Chris Wallace has completely lost control of this debate.
— Steve Schmidt (@Steve Schmidt)1601428763.0

CNN's Oliver Darcy said Tuesday night, "[Wallace] lost control of the debate early, and failed to ever regain order. It appeared as if Wallace were pleading with Trump to respect the forum like a parent would plead an out-of-control child to behave."

Comedy Central host Trevor Noah chimed in, "Chris Wallace's debate performance tonight is a great reminder that kindergarten teachers are underpaid."

Chris Wallace's debate performance tonight is a great reminder that kindergarten teachers are underpaid. #Debates2020
— The Daily Show (@The Daily Show)1601429490.0

Commentator and former CNN, Fox News, and NBC anchor Greta Van Susteren added, "This is why Chris Wallace lost control of the debate — his first question was not about what either would do for the country going forward but designed to create a fight. Once you lose control of a debate, you can't regain..."

Van Susteren shared Wallace's first question in a screenshot, which read, "My first question to both of you tonight, why are you right in the argument you make and your opponent wrong? And where do you think a Justice Barrett would take the court? President Trump, in this first segment, you go first. Two minutes."

This is why Chris Wallace lost control of the debate-his first question was not about what either would do for the… https://t.co/dpy0CMP4PJ
— Greta Van Susteren (@Greta Van Susteren)1601478045.0

Jeremy Boreing, the Daily Wire's co-founder and co-CEO, wrote, "How does Chris Wallace keep his job? I understand the defense of his treatment of Trump during interviews and largely agree, but this was a presidential debate. His performance was as bad as we've ever seen. Disgraceful."

How does Chris Wallace keep his job? I understand the defense of his treatment of Trump during interviews and large… https://t.co/JonPcpSrh7
— Jeremy Boreing (@Jeremy Boreing)1601479575.0

Legions of other social media users issued the same sentiment: that Wallace failed in his duties to maintain a semblance of order or decorum during the first 2020 presidential debate.

What did people say about Rogan?

Rogan himself recently offered to moderate one of the 2020 presidential debates.

During a recent episode of his podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," Rogan set forth his ideal conditions.

"First of all, I want no one else in the room, just the three of us," he said. "And you'd have to stream it live so no one can edit it, and I would want them in there for hours. ... If they wanted to do that — they both wanted to come here in Austin [Texas], sit down and have a debate — I would 100 percent do it."

The president himself heard word of Rogan's early September remarks and signed off on the proposal, writing "I do!" to a Twitter user who shared the news and wrote, "[W]ho wants this [to happen]?"

Cyclist Lance Armstrong tweeted, "What happened to this idea that @joerogan ought to host a presidential debate?! Time to restart that conversation."

What happened to this idea that @joerogan ought to host a presidential debate?! Time to restart that conversation.
— Lance Armstrong (@Lance Armstrong)1601439221.0

He wasn't the only one — by far.

MMA fighter Tara LaRosa added, "Joe Rogan should have run this debate #Debates2020."

Joe Rogan should have run this debate #Debates2020
— Tara LaRosa (@Tara LaRosa)1601431325.0

Journalist Tim Pool chimed in, tweeting, "I feel bad for Chris Wallace[.] Stop bringing in these old fogies and bring in someone with the skill and an understanding of modern media[.] We all know Joe Rogan is the only one who can handle a real debate between Biden and Trump[.]"

I feel bad for Chris WallaceStop bringing in these old fogies and bring in someone with the skill and an understa… https://t.co/XDsBSsZq8x
— Tim Pool (@Tim Pool)1601479293.0

A petition calling for the very same scenario gained traction in 2019.

A portion of the Change.org petition says Rogan would be the perfect moderator because he has "revolutionized the way political interview and discussion works, as he has provided a long-form media format that has allowed the exchange of ideas to be fully explored."

At the time of this reporting, the online petition has received more than 285,000 signatures in support.

Anything else?

The second presidential debate is set for Oct. 15 in Miami, Florida, with C-SPAN's Steve Scully as moderator.

A third and final debate is set for Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, with NBC News' Kristen Welker as moderator.

President Trump rips Joe Biden for refusing to answer court-packing question



President Donald Trump attacked Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden during Tuesday night's debate after Biden refused to answer whether he would add justices to the Supreme Court following Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death.

Ginsburg died earlier in September at the age of 87 following a long bout with cancer.

What are the details?

In the first of the presidential debates, Biden demanded Trump "shut up, man," and refused to say whether he would pack the court if the president's conservative pick — Amy Coney Barrett — is confirmed to replace the late Justice Ginsburg.

"Whatever position I take on that, that'll become the issue," Biden said. "The issue is the American people should speak. You should go out and vote. You're in voting, now vote, and let your senators know how strongly you feel. But vote now."

Trump interrupted, "Are you going to pack the court? Are you going to pack the court?"

Trump then turned to moderator Chris Wallace and, referring to Biden, said, "He doesn't want to answer."

Biden insisted, "I'm not going to answer the question, because the question is, the question is, the question is," trailing off while Trump interrupted him to answer the question once more.

"Will you shut up, man?" Biden fired back.

Trump, undaunted, continued, "Who's on your list, Joe? Who is on your list? He's going to pack the court."

Biden, clearly frustrated, snapped, "This is so unpresidential. ... Keep yapping, man!"

Trump then came in for the kill, and said, "The people understand, Joe. In 47 years, you've done nothing. They understand."

You can watch footage of the exchange here and below.

.@realDonaldTrump: "The people understand, Joe - 47 years you've done nothing”#Debates2020 https://t.co/wmPxm5zMcl
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze)1601430682.0