“I am the least racist person in this room”, Trump claimed.

NEW YORK (TIP): The October 22 debate between President Donald  Trump and Vice President Joe Biden may be characterized as a friendly verbal duel between the two. President Trump, heeding the counsel  of his advisors did manage to overcome his impulse to attack left and right, and  appear aggressive. He was assertive though,  with all his  unfounded  accusations and claims, but the saving grace was an absence of Trumpian aggression. He did try to provoke Biden by repeatedly referring to the latter’s and his son Hunter Biden’s shady financial deals with countries like Ukraine, Russia and China.

Debate Moderator NBC White House Correspondent Kristen Welker chose 6 topics for the debate which included Coronavirus, American Families, Race in America, Climate Change , National Security, and Leadership.

U.S. President Donald Trump defended his approach to the coronavirus outbreak and claimed the worst of the pandemic was in the past.

Democrat Joe Biden renewed his attacks on U.S. President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic while Trump leveled unfounded corruption accusations at Biden and his family.

Trump  appeared to be straight lying with regard to his claim that the Coronavirus vaccine will be ready in weeks. When Moderator Kristen Welker asked him if he was guaranteeing that the vaccine will be ready “in weeks”, he said “NO”, and tried to explain away that many companies were almost there. And, on demand from Welker, he named a few companies , adding there were many others engaged in developing the vaccine.

But even when the subject was the pandemic, Trump was foreshadowing what was to come, which was his onslaught of hazy accusations about Biden’s son Hunter and his foreign financial entanglements which have sprouted into Biden family entanglements, which Trump couldn’t really explain and didn’t really have his facts straight on and which are wholly unproven if not outright disproved. But still, Trump carried on with this story line through the foreign policy conversation — with a slight detour to fracking — and on through health care where he looks forward to the complete dismantling of the Affordable Care Act but still has yet to pull the big, beautiful Republican health care plan out of his hat.

Biden spent much of this time declaring himself innocent of any foreign wrongdoing and reminding Trump that he was, in fact, not running against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or any of the Democratic governors who have gotten under Trump’s skin. “He thinks he’s running against someone else. He’s running against Joe Biden,” said Joe Biden.

One of the final topics of discussion was race and it was, as always, the most nerve-racking. What white supremacist group will the president refuse to disavow? What racist retweet will he refuse to acknowledge? What horrible thing will the president say and then declare himself misunderstood? Welker asked each candidate to speak directly to Black Americans who feel compelled to give their children “the talk” in which they snatch away their innocence and explain how they must interact with police officers with a combination of fear and self-preservation. Do you empathize with those families?,  Welker asked.

Biden spoke first and looked into the camera as he both outlined his understanding of “the talk” and what it means to have to deliver it. Trump couldn’t keep his gaze directed at the viewers. His eyes darted from the moderator to Biden and back again. As the conversation moved on to the Black Lives Matter movement and systemic racism, the president bragged about his funding of historically Black colleges and universities and his support of criminal justice reform. “I am the least racist person in this room,” he declared. But what does he say to those who believe he throws fuel on the fires of racial animosity and hatred? “I don’t know what to say.” And perhaps that was his most honest moment of the night.

In closing, Welker asked each man to imagine his Inauguration Day speech. What might he say to those Americans who didn’t vote for him? How would he bind up the country? Trump spoke of money. “Success is going to bring us together,” he said. Trump believes that all things are transactional and when enough money is offered, anything, anyone can be bought. Black Americans can buy themselves out of racism. Women can buy themselves gender parity. The country can buy back its disintegrating reputation as humane and just.

Biden’s inaugural speech would not ignore the economy. But it would also recognize that some things simply do not have a price. “I’m going to make sure you’re represented,” he said. “I’m going to choose hope over fear.”

It should be said to the credit of Kristen Welker that she was in total control of the debate, unlike Chris Wallace who was moderator for the first debate on September 29 , when he had often to raise his voice many a time to bring about order.

(With inputs from agencies)