Last week President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden participated in competing town halls. In one corner you have Biden, a 77-year-old man who is the physical embodiment of the phrase “that reminds me of a story…” In the other, Trump, a man who talks about policy like a husband caught in bed with someone named “Stormy.”
These events were held mostly for the benefit of undecided voters. But how is this event going to change things? Are we expecting someone watching Trump’s town hall to go, “wait… Trump’s crazy? I didn’t see that coming.” That just doesn’t sound likely. All it ended up being was a chance for Biden to feverishly explain he wants to help, and for an undecided voter to compliment Trump’s “handsome” smile.
Biden’s town hall took place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and was hosted by George Stephanopoulos. Usually in a town hall the questions are supposed to challenge the candidate, but in a unique twist it was Biden’s answers that challenged the audience’s attention span. He clearly has a lot of information to share, but “we have to move on to the next question Mr. Vice President” was a phrase used often during the event.
The Biden town hall was boring in a good way. It gave the American people a chance to actually hear what Biden is planning to do if he becomes president. The 15.1 million people that tuned in are a testament to the idea that America yearns to be bored by politics again.
Trump’s town hall was in Miami, and the vibe was hostile from the start. Trump’s hackles were raised and moderator Savannah Guthrie had pepper spray on hand. Guthrie started the town hall with some hard hitting questions of her own. She asked about Trump’s recent retweet of a conspiracy theory that claimed Bin Laden was still alive. If that scenario sounds made up, you clearly haven’t paid attention much the past four years.
This wasn’t supposed to be a debate and apparently Trump didn’t get the memo. Any question that Trump received triggered a rant about everything except whatever the question was about. Trump still won’t encourage people to wear masks, which is disappointing but expected, and he complimented QANON for being anti-pedophilia. That’s technically true but not remotely the point.
This event was a major disappointment for long time viewers of Trump. It came off more as a clip show of the greatest excuses of the past four years. All of us who were hoping for some new content were very disappointed.
The night ended with Biden walking away as confident as ever, and with Trump slicking back to the triage unit we used to call the White House. An obvious cliffhanger if I ever saw one. So be sure to tune in this Thursday at 6 p.m. for Trump v. Biden Part 3: The Final Chapter. And make sure to get out and vote. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you won’t be able to contribute to your party unless you let your voice be heard.
Ben Kendallcan be reached [email protected].