Top Items:
John F. Harris / Politico:
An Epic Moment of National Shame: The Debate Was an Embarrassment for the Ages — At frequent intervals on Tuesday night, the natural human reaction—lower the sound, wince and look away—took over, and the first presidential debate of the 2020 general election became nearly unwatchable.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Magazine, Townhall, Outside the Beltway, ABC News, Florida Politics, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Hill, Breitbart, Axios and Mediaite
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Laura Barrón-López / Politico:
Undecided voters call Trump ‘unhinged’ and ‘un-American’ — but unswayed by debate — After watching the first presidential debate Tuesday night, undecided voters from battleground states across the country still had plenty they wanted to know about coronavirus, racial injustice and what each candidate would do to unite the country.
Discussion:
Political Wire, The Hill, Slate, New York Times, HillReporter.com and CNBC
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
“This Is So Unpresidential”: Notes from the Worst Debate in American History — Trump talked and talked on Tuesday night, but, politically speaking, it added up to nothing. — What does the worst debate in American history look like? It looks like the debate that took place …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Week, The Hill, Fox News, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, National Review and BNO News
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Chris Wallace tried — and failed — to control Trump. Something needs to change. — Chris Wallace wanted to be “invisible” as the moderator of the first presidential debate. “If I've done my job right,” he said on his Fox News show Sunday, “at the end of the night, people will say, 'That was a great debate.
Discussion:
NBC News, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, OpsLens, The Daily Caller, Grist, Mother Jones, Spectator USA, Vox and The Week, more at Mediagazer »
Politico:
Biden campaign faces questions about whether he should skip next debates — The moment Joe Biden's first debate against Donald Trump ended, his campaign was already confronted with questions about whether it should be his last. — In the two men's first head-to-head matchup …
Discussion:
Fox News, New York Times, CNN, Breitbart, The Hill, American Greatness and Jacobin
Ben Collins / NBC News:
Coordinated push of conspiracy theories target Biden hours before debate — A conspiracy theory that Joe Biden would wear an electronic device in his ear during the first presidential debate went wildly viral Tuesday in the hours before the debate, and the theory was later amplified …
Discussion:
Axios, Mother Jones, New York Times, Raw Story, Occupy Democrats, CNN, Vox, The Week, Bloomberg, Media Matters for America, New York Post and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »
Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Trump sets the tone for the worst presidential debate in living memory — No one alive has ever seen a presidential debate like Tuesday night's unseemly shout fest between President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden — 90 minutes of invective, interruptions and personal insults.
Jonathan Allen / NBC News:
Trump's fear dominated his first debate with Biden — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may be the only person in America who is afraid of Democrat Joe Biden. — Before their debate Tuesday night, he and his allies demanded that Biden submit to a drug test and let officials check the former vice president for an earpiece.
Discussion:
Just The News, Bloomberg and Twitchy
Kelly Hooper / Politico:
Trump email says he ‘finished debating’ Biden hours before debate begins — The Trump campaign claimed the president “finished debating Joe Biden” and bragged about his performance hours before the debate even started Tuesday night. — In a prematurely sent campaign email obtained by POLITICO …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Reuters, The Hill, IJR, Axios, Breitbart, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Daily Kos, TheStreet, Washington Times and New York Post
David Bossie / Fox News:
Trump clearly defeats Biden in first presidential debate
Trump clearly defeats Biden in first presidential debate
Discussion:
OpsLens
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Trump Controlled the Tone of the First Debate, But Biden Controlled the Message
Trump Controlled the Tone of the First Debate, But Biden Controlled the Message
Discussion:
Viking Pundit and CBS Boston
Associated Press:
AP FACT CHECK: False claims flood Trump-Biden debate
AP FACT CHECK: False claims flood Trump-Biden debate
Discussion:
The Week, KSNG-TV, Bloomberg, Florida Politics, Bangor Daily News, Associated Press and ABC7
Patricia McCarthy / American Thinker:
The debate? Trump was great, Chris Wallace was a dreadful disgrace
The debate? Trump was great, Chris Wallace was a dreadful disgrace
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, Real Clear Politics, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Bulwark+, The Guardian, Denver Post, The Atlantic, The Week and NBC 6 South Florida
Shannon Melero / The Slot:
My President Told Your President to Shut Up
My President Told Your President to Shut Up
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, FactCheck.org and Townhall
Associated Press:
Analysis: Trump leans on tone that turns off voters he needs
Analysis: Trump leans on tone that turns off voters he needs
Discussion:
CBS News, Raw Story, The Nation, New Republic and The National Interest
Richard Wolffe / The Guardian:
Trump heckled, bullied and lied through the debate. It won't help him beat Biden
Trump heckled, bullied and lied through the debate. It won't help him beat Biden
Discussion:
National Review, The American Conservative and The Slot
NBC News:
Trump's last best tactic: Burn it all down
Trump's last best tactic: Burn it all down
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, Los Angeles Times, The Week, Raw Story, New York Post, CBS Pittsburgh and ABC7
Jacqueline Alemany / Washington Post:
Power Up: Trump's debate performance was described this way by undecided voters: ‘Crackhead,’ ‘arrogant,’ ‘un-American,’ ‘forceful’
Power Up: Trump's debate performance was described this way by undecided voters: ‘Crackhead,’ ‘arrogant,’ ‘un-American,’ ‘forceful’
Discussion:
Power Line, New York Times, National Review and POLITICUSUSA, more at Mediagazer »
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
5 takeaways from the first presidential debate
5 takeaways from the first presidential debate
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, The Week, CNN, NPR, The Hill, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, Florida Politics, National Review, Fox News, OutKick, 89.3 WFPL News Louisville, Al Jazeera and WTOP
Reuters:
Takeaways from Donald Trump and Joe Biden's first U.S. presidential debate
Takeaways from Donald Trump and Joe Biden's first U.S. presidential debate
Discussion:
Vox, ABC News, Breitbart, Politico, The Hill, One America News Network, Raw Story, POLITICUSUSA, Mediaite, Slate, Axios, Fox News, Washington Times, HillReporter.com and The Week
David Siders / Politico:
Trump mayhem takes over first debate
Trump mayhem takes over first debate
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Roll Call, The Guardian, MercoPress, CNBC, Chicago Sun-Times, Raw Story and The Slot
Howard Kurtz / Fox News:
Debate goes off the rails as Trump interrupts, Biden bickers in shoutfest
Debate goes off the rails as Trump interrupts, Biden bickers in shoutfest
Discussion:
Townhall, Breitbart, Minnesota Reformer, Redstate, KXAN-TV, CBS Boston and Vanity Fair
New York Times:
Of Course, the Debate Was Always Going to Be About Trump
Of Course, the Debate Was Always Going to Be About Trump
Discussion:
Washington Post, CNN, ABC News, Bloomberg, Raw Story, WTOP, The Slot and The Guardian
Claire Sanford / Rev:
Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020
Donald Trump & Joe Biden 1st Presidential Debate Transcript 2020
Discussion:
Althouse, Los Angeles Times and Daily Kos
NBC News:
Proud Boys celebrate after Trump's debate call-out … The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, pledged allegiance to President Donald Trump on Tuesday night after he told the group to “stand back and stand by” during the evening's debate. — Many people on social media who identify …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, USA Today, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe, People.com, The Guardian, The Hill, NPR, Variety, The Colorado Sun, Vox, NBC Chicago, Washington Monthly, Politico, Washington Post, Wired, Daily Kos, The Week and myfox8.com, more at Mediagazer »
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New York Times:
Proud Boys celebrate Trump's mention of them at the debate. — Members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that has endorsed violence, celebrated on Tuesday night after President Trump mentioned them during the first presidential debate. — Asked whether he condemned white supremacists …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Axios, Vanity Fair, Politico, The American Spectator, The 19th, Washington Times and The Hill
The Daily Beast:
Far-Right Proud Boys Rally After Trump's Debate Defense: ‘Fuck Them Up’ — Given the chance to finally explicitly condemn right-wing extremism, Trump insisted, “This is a left-wing problem” and gave a shout-out to the Proud Boys. — President Donald Trump refused to condemn right-wing extremist groups …
Ben Sales / Jewish Telegraphic Agency:
Are the Proud Boys anti-Semitic? Your primer on the far-right group Trump told to ‘stand back and stand by’ — (JTA) — Who are the Proud Boys, the far-right group that Donald Trump name-checked at the first presidential debate? And do they hate Jews? — The answer to the second question …
Discussion:
Raw Story, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo and New York Post
New York Times:
Biden and Trump's First Debate: Best and Worst Moments
Biden and Trump's First Debate: Best and Worst Moments
Discussion:
National Review, The Hill, Vox and Raw Story
Conrad Black / American Greatness:
Trump Wins Round One, Barely — It was an unedifying spectacle. — There was no clear winner in Tuesday's presidential debate and the country was the loser. — President Trump could have won decisively if he had just followed Napoleon's famous advice not to “interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, New York Times, Slate, Spectator USA, BuzzFeed News, OpsLens, The Guardian, Politico and One America News Network
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Washington Post:
Trump plans big Wisconsin rallies despite White House task force calls for ‘maximal’ social distancing in the state — President Trump has scheduled large campaign rallies this weekend in Wisconsin despite recommendations from the White House Coronavirus Task Force that call …
Discussion:
Breitbart
C-SPAN.org:
Former FBI Director James Comey Testifies on Russia Investigation — Former FBI Director James Comey testified on the Russia investigation before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Discussion:
CNN
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Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
10 Questions James Comey Could Face During His Senate Testimony: Analysis
10 Questions James Comey Could Face During His Senate Testimony: Analysis
Discussion:
Reuters and New York Times
Politico:
Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel — Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified a Russian intelligence assessment that was previously rejected by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee …
Discussion:
Slate, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, NPR, CNN, WTOP, Redstate, Big League Politics, New York Times, New York Post, Washington Times, The Ohio Star, Raw Story, TheBlaze, Mother Jones, Fox News, Law & Crime and Talking Points Memo
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
Trump Sent a Warning. Let's Take It Seriously. — Our democracy is in terrible danger — more than since the Civil War, more than after Pearl Harbor, more than during the Cuban missile crisis. — President Trump has made it unmistakably clear in recent weeks — and even more crystal clear …
Washington Post:
Early surge of Democratic mail voting sparks worry inside GOP — Democratic voters who have requested mail ballots — and returned them — greatly outnumber Republicans so far in key battleground states, causing alarm among GOP party leaders and strategists that President Trump's attacks …
Discussion:
New York Times, Raw Story, Breitbart and Political Wire
Ben Kamisar / NBC News:
Biden campaign hits new weekly spending highs across battleground states — WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign has long had the TV and radio spending advantage over President Trump. But while Trump has increased his spending in a handful of key states …