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All of the debates of the 2020 presidential election are officially behind us, as are a number of town hall events. On Oct. 22, President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, faced off in a debate for the second and final time.
Trump and Biden first faced each other on Sept. 29 in a contentious and chaotic debate. The following debate — between Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, and current Vice President Mike Pence — was a much more controlled affair, but it still became buzzy for all the wrong reasons.
Trump and Biden then held dueling town halls after Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate despite concerns about his COVID-19 diagnosis. NBC’s decision to schedule Trump’s town hall opposite Biden’s, which had already been announced at ABC, was met with criticism from a number of NBC stars, but Biden still came away with higher ratings.
TV Guide has compiled everything you need to know about the 2020 presidential and vice presidential debates, including how to rewatch the debates and town halls before the election.
The 2020 presidential election takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 3 and is already underway in some states.
Are there any more debates?
No, all presidential debates for the 2020 election have already taken place.
How do I rewatch the first presidential debate?
The first debate between President Trump, the Republican incumbent, and former Vice President Biden, the Democratic candidate, took place on Tuesday, Sept. 29. It is available to rewatch in the embedded C-SPAN video above.
The first Trump-Biden debate was held at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and ran for just over 90 minutes. Ohio is traditionally one of the battleground states that factor heavily into election results, and while polls have been close, Trump is currently leading with likely voters in that state. Fox News’ Chris Wallace served as moderator for the debate, after being chosen by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates in early September.
Trump and Biden were questioned on a series of six topics chosen by moderator Chris Wallace, including their public service records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence in U.S. cities, and the integrity of the election.
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How do I rewatch the vice presidential debate?
The second debate of the 2020 presidential election between vice presidential candidates Mike Pence, who remains on the ballot alongside Trump, and Kamala Harris, who is running on Biden’s ticket, took place on Wednesday, Oct. 7. It is available to rewatch in the C-SPAN video above.
The sole debate between the VP candidates was held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. USA Today‘s Washington Bureau chief Susan Page moderated the debate, and a modified format was presented in light of Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis just days after his debate with Biden, and the subsequent diagnoses of several prominent Republicans associated with Trump. A 12-foot distance was maintained between Harris and Pence, as opposed to the seven-foot distance Trump and Biden kept, and they both remained seated at desks behind plexiglass throughout the evening.
Harris and Pence were questioned on a number of topics, ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to presidential disability.
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How do I rewatch the last presidential debate?
Following the canceled second debate between Trump and Biden, the two presidential candidates debated one last time on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 9/8c. NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker moderated. The debate is available to rewatch in the C-SPAN video above.
The topics Welker selected for the candidates to discuss were fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security, and leadership.
How do I rewatch the presidential town halls?
On Oct. 15, Trump and Biden both held town hall events after the second POTUS debate was canceled following Trump’s refusal to engage in a virtual format despite concerns about his COVID-19 diagnosis. Joe Biden’s town hall aired on ABC and was moderated by George Stephanopoulos. The event is available to watch on ABC News’ YouTube.
NBC’s town hall with Donald Trump, moderated by Savannah Guthrie, is available to stream on NBC News’ YouTube, as well as on Peacock. The network moved forward with the town hall despite backlash from numerous celebrities, who signed an open letter saying the network was “enabling the president’s bad behavior while undercutting the Presidential Debate Commission and doing a disservice to the American public,” and urging NBC to reschedule the event.
Ahead of the VP debate, Biden appeared in an NBC News town hall moderated by Lester Holt on Oct. 5. Decision 2020: Joe Biden Town Hall took place at the Pérez Art Museum Miami in Miami, Florida, and featured a socially distanced audience of undecided Florida voters. It is available to watch in full in the video above.
Both Trump and Biden also previously did live network-hosted town halls ahead of the first presidential debate. Trump’s first town hall took place on ABC on Tuesday, Sept. 15 in Pennsylvania. George Stephanopoulos oversaw Trump’s Q&A with “uncommitted” voters in the battleground state. Highlights of the event are available at ABC, and a full transcript is also available at ABC. The same week, Joe Biden participated in a separate town hall with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and a socially distanced live audience in Biden’s home town, Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, Sept. 17. Highlights of that event are available at CNN, and a full transcript is also available at CNN.