Trump, Biden spar in combative but less vitriolic presidential debate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden tussled over health care, the economy and the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in a final debate Thursday that was fiery but far less vitriolic than their first appearance together last month.

Nearing the end of an intense campaign that has once again divided the nation, the two men slammed each other’s records during the 90-minute slugfest, with both repeatedly demanding time to respond to each other’s accusations as they worked through emotional battles on immigration, foreign policy and racial tensions in America.

Trump walked into the debate on the Belmont University campus in Tennessee with more to prove and more at stake. Down double digits in polls national and single digits in virtually every battleground state in the country, it was the president – buffeted by the coronavirus and its economic consequences – who was most in need of reset heading into the Nov. 3 election.

“We’re learning to live with it,” Trump said of the virus early in the debate, arguing that coming vaccines and therapeutics would take care of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases cropping up in many states across the country. “We can’t lock ourselves in a basement like Joe does.”

Biden, who started off his debate by calling attention to the number of Americans who have died from the virus -- some 220,000 -- fired back by quoting the president’s own words back to him.

“He says we’re learning to live with it,” the former vice president said during one of the more poignant exchanges of the evening. “People are learning to die with it."

As expected, Trump went hard on accusations against Biden’s son, Hunter, and a recent report about the alleged contents of a computer hard drive purporting to document his Ukrainian and Chinese business ties. Federal authorities are investigating whether the material – supplied by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer – is part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Biden noted Trump’s foreign real estate holdings, including a Chinese bank account recently unearthed by The New York Times. Trump asserted, without providing evidence, that the account was closed before he became president.

A last-minute decision to mute microphones during some portions of the debate appeared to lower the temperature, giving both candidates two minutes to answer questions without interruption. In at least two instances, Trump appeared to have his microphone cut off as he ran over his allotted two minutes.

Trump and Biden fought bitterly over immigration and a recent report that the administration has been unable to locate the parents of some 545 children who were among the families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 and 2018. That turned into a much broader debate over immigration.

“Who built the cages, Joe?” Trump repeatedly asked, pushing an argument that it was the Obama administration that had separated families attempting to cross the border.

It was the Trump administration that implemented the "zero tolerance" policy in 2018 that separated migrant children and parents at the southern border. The administration later admitted that it began separating families under a pilot program in 2017.

Biden accused Trump of “ripping” parents from their children.

Veteran pollster Frank Luntz said that Trump did “much better” than in the first debate, but questioned whether the debate did enough to “change the electorate fundamentally.”

The mute button created a more civil environment – for the most part – but did not lead to any kind of breakthrough moment for either candidate, analysts said. It was probably a draw, they said, and that benefits the front-running Biden.

"Assuming this debate is perceived as close or a draw, it's a win for Biden since he came into the evening with the most to lose and avoided making a disqualifying gaffe," said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan.

Kall added: "This was the last opportunity in the campaign before tens of millions of people to change the election narrative and this didn't occur."

Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University, said Trump "again spoke only to his base," while Biden "appealed to those who may still have been on the fence."

— John Fritze, David Jackson and Courtney Subramanian

Trump to Americans who didn't vote for him: We have to get back to a pre-pandemic country

Welker asked both candidates what they would say on their Inauguration Day to Americans who did not vote for them. Trump began by saying that he wants to rebuild the country to what it looked like before the coronavirus wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy and killed more than 220,000 Americans.

"We have to make the country totally successful as it was prior to the plague coming in," he said before pivoting to attacking Biden.

"We are on the road to success, but I'm cutting taxes, and he wants to raise everybody's taxes and he wants to put new regulations on everything," Trump said of Biden. "If he gets in you will have a depression, the likes of which you've never seen. Your 401K's will go to hell and it'd be a very very sad day for this country."

— Courtney Subramanian

Biden: science over fiction, hope over fear

Biden said if elected, he would give an optimistic inaugural speech to Americans who didn’t vote for him based on plans to grow the economy, deal with racism and develop clean energy.

“I will say I’m an American president. I represent all of you, whether you voted for me or against me,” Biden said. “We’re going to choose science over fiction. We’re going to choose hope over fear. We’re going to choose to move forward because there are enormous opportunities.”

— Bart Jansen

Biden reiterates opposition to fracking ban

Biden reiterated his opposition to a ban on fracking – something that Trump continues to accuse Biden of wanting to do.

“I do rule out banning fracking,” Biden said, adding that the fossil fuel industry needs to be able to “transition” as the country takes action to improve the environment.

Biden has said he wants to stop new permits for fracking

“Excuse me. He’s against fracking. He has said it,” Trump said. Biden clarified that he’s against fracking on federally owned land.

-- Joey Garrison

Personal comparisons

The candidates got personal as Trump hammered away at one of his main arguments, that Biden had his chance during his many years in Washington and didn’t deliver.

“I ran because of you,” Trump said. “I ran because of Barack Obama because I thought you did a poor job.”

Biden facetiously said he hopes Trump does put the focus on him as that will help the voters.

“Because what’s happening here, you know who I am. You know who he is. You know his character. You know my character,” Biden said. “You know our reputations for honor and telling the truth. I am anxious to have this race.”

Trump tried to turn the discussion back to his campaign’s unproven charge that Biden accepted influence payments from foreign entities.

“Don’t give me this stuff about how you're this innocent baby,” Trump said. “Joe. They’re calling you a corrupt politician.”

As the debate turned to a discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement, Biden jabbed Trump for his boasts that no president since Abraham Lincoln has helped Black people more than he has.

"Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history,” Biden said of Trump. “He pours fuel on every single racist fire. Every single one”

— Maureen Groppe and Ledyard King

Biden and Trump spar over climate

Trump defended his decision to pull out of the Paris Accord to set international carbon emission standards, saying it would “have destroyed our business” and cost the country “trillions of dollars.”

“I will not sacrifice tens of millions of jobs,” Trump said, adding that the water and air have gotten cleaner during his administration

But Biden pushed back, saying the voluntary treaty would have addressed a looming crisis that scientists say is already damaging the country in terms of broader wildfires and fiercer hurricanes.

The former vice president called climate change an “existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it.”

His plan also calls for reaching “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050, a deadline laid out in the Green New Deal.

Biden has said he doesn’t support the Green New Deal that was introduced by liberal Democrats in Congress earlier this year. But he does support a plan that transitions the economy to a green environment that he said would provide “millions of good-paying jobs.”

But on his campaign web site, the former vice president calls the proposal a “crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face.”

— Ledyard King

Trump: ‘Least racist person in this room’

Facing questions about his past statements on white supremacy and other hate groups, Trump repeatedly claimed during the debate he was the “least racist person in this room.”

Trump and Biden battled over race in one of the more emotional moments of the debate. Trump repeatedly pointed to the 1994 crime deal that Biden helped shepherd through Congress, legislation that Biden acknowledged was a “mistake.”

Trump didn’t directly answer a question about his relationship with the Black Lives Matters movement but instead said his first impression of that movement was hearing anti-police chants following police-involved shootings of unarmed people of color.

— John Fritze

Biden says institutional racism exists in America

Biden said he believes there is institutional racism in America and accused Trump of taking the country backwards in terms of equality.

“A black parent, no matter how rich or poor they are, has to teach their child not to wear a hoody as they cross their street,” Biden said, reciting examples of how people of color confront racism in the U.S.

“The fact of the matter is, there is institutional racism in America,” Biden said, adding that the U.S. has never fully “lived up to” the principle that “all men are created equal.”

“We’ve constantly been moving the needle toward inclusion, not exclusion,” Biden said. “This is the first president who’s said, ‘We’ve got to put an end to that.’”

— Joey Garrison

Trump dodges question on family separations

The American Civil Liberties Union said in a court filing that they are unable to locate the parents of 545 children who were among the families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2017 and 2018.

When asked how he plans to reunite those families, Trump said: "We're trying very hard, but a lot of these kids come up without the parents. They come over through cartels and the coyotes," he said.

About two-thirds of the more than 1,000 parents who were separated from their children were deported back to Central America, according to the filing.

The president then insisted that the Obama administration instituted the policy and his administration carried it out but the Trump administration implemented the "zero tolerance" policy in 2018 that separated migrant children and parents at the southern border. The administration later admitted that it actually began separating families under a pilot program in 2017.

— Courtney Subramanian

Biden: 'We owe' dreamers a pathway to citizenship

Biden said one of the first steps he would take as president is proposed legislation to give some 11 million undocumented immigrants brought over by their parents or guardians at a young age a pathway to citizenship.

Those children, known as “dreamers” had a temporary reprieve under the Obama administration but now live in fear of deportation under Trump.

“They’re going to be immediately certified again to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship” rather than “sent home to a country they’ve never seen before,” Biden said of his plan. “Many of them are model citizens. Over 20,000 of them are first responders out there taking care of people during this crisis. We owe them.”

Asked why the Obama administration did not do more to protect them. Biden acknowledged that it “took to long to get it right.”

But Trump shot back that “he had eight years to say what he was going to do (and) he did nothing.”

— Ledyard King

Trump, Biden at odds on stimulus to boost economy

Trump said he hasn’t been able to reach an agreement on another stimulus to counter the recession from the pandemic because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., won’t reach an agreement before the election.

“Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want to approve anything because she’d love to have some victories on a date called Nov. 3,” Trump said. “We are ready, willing and able to do something.”

Biden said House Democrats approved a spending plan during the summer. But Trump blasted it for benefitting poorly run states and cities governed by Democrats.

“The bill that has passed in the House was a bailout of badly run, high crime, Democrat – all run by Democrats cities and states,” Trump said.

Biden said if elected he would serve as president of Democratic and Republican regions.

“I’m going to be an American president,” Biden said. “I don’t see red states and blue states. What I see is American, United States.”

— Bart Jansen

Biden backs $15 federal minimum wage; Trump doesn’t

Trump and Biden disagreed whether the federal government should institute a $15 minimum wage.

Trump said it would put many companies out of business and that it should be a state-by-state decision.

Biden said that it’s “simply not true” that it would hurt businesses.

“No one should work one job, two jobs below poverty,” Biden said, adding that many frontline health care workers during the pandemic are making below $15 an hour. “They deserve a minimum wage of $15 and anything below that puts them in poverty.”

— Joey Garrison

Biden: Trump ‘lecturing me’ on Medicare and Social Security?

Biden scoffed at accusations from Trump that he would seek to “destroy” Social Security and Medicare.

“When he's talking about a public option,” Trump said of Biden’s health care plan, “he's talking about destroying your Medicare and destroying your Social Security.”

Biden fired back: “This is the guy who's tried to cut Medicare. The idea that Donald Trump is lecturing me on Social Security and Medicare? Come on."

— Joey Garrison

Biden: ‘I beat all those other people’

Biden tried to swat away Trump’s constant labeling of the former vice president as a “socialist” by pointing out that he conquered far-left candidates during the Democratic primary to nab the nomination.

“I think he thinks he’s running against somebody else,” Biden said. “He’s running against Joe Biden. I beat all those other people because I disagreed with them.”

The moment echoed a recent visit to Wisconsin when Biden, upon being asked by a reporter about voters’ concerns he was too socialist, responded: “I beat the socialist,” a reference to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

— Ledyard King

Trump knocks another opponent: Obama; Biden says Trump is 'confused'

Trump has occasionally used this debate to criticize another political opponent: Barack Obama, hitting his administration over issues like health care, North Korea, immigration policy, and even its response to swine flu.

"They left me a mess," Trump said during a discussion of North Korea's nuclear threat.

Biden, who served the Obama administration as vice president, said Trump took over a prosperous and peaceful country but has cozied up to dictators like North Korea's Kim Jong Un and undercut the nation's health care.

"He's a very confused guy," Biden said of Trump.

— David Jackson

Mute button shuts down initial statement

In one of the first manifestations of the debate commission’s new policy on muting microphones, Trump appeared to have the final words of his opening response were cut off as he was answering a question on health care.

Both candidates were limited to two minutes in their initial response to a question. It appeared Trump went over that time as he was discussing his desire to end Obamacare.

Earlier in the debate, Biden’s microphone didn't flip on until after the former vice president began speaking for a second.

The new policy, imposed after a widely panned first debate defined by interruptions on Sept. 29, has had impact on the broader feel of the debate: Though the Trump campaign argued the rule was unfair, both candidates have had more time to speak without interruption during their initial answers.

— John Fritze

Trump says he would 'come up with a brand new, beautiful health care plan' if ACA is overturned

One of the most pressing questions hanging over the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett is a case backed by the Trump administration to strike down the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration's signature healthcare plan. The court will hear the case on Nov. 10, one week after Election Day.

Asked what he would do to help the 20 million people who get their health insurance through Obamacare if the court overturns the ACA, Trump said he would "come up with a brand new, beautiful health care" plan. Trump, who campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare, has offered few details on what a Republican plan would look like.

Trump instead boasted about the elimination of the individual mandate which required most Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine. He promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions, which is already enshrined under Obamacare but did not offer details on how he would do it under a new GOP plan.

— Courtney Subramanian

The heat’s turned up

The debate got more contentious as the night wore on with one of the most heated exchanges occurring about halfway through during a discussion on North Korea.

The candidates were battling over Trump’s relationship with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, whom he’s met with.

“He’s legitimized North Korea,” Biden said. “He's talked about his good buddy who's a thug, a thug.”

Trump responded that it’s important to have good relationships with other leaders.

“We’re not at war,” he said.

Biden shot back that the nation had a good relationship with Hitler before he invaded Europe.

During the next segment, on issues affecting families, when Biden made one of his frequent reference to his birthplace, Trump interrupted.

“He doesn't come from Scranton,” Trump said. “He lived there for a short period of time.”

— Maureen Groppe

Biden: North Korea a threat

Biden said Trump legitimized North Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite the totalitarian nuclear power that is developing more sophisticated missiles that would reach the United States.

“He’s a thug,” Biden said. “We’re going to make sure we control them and make sure they cannot hurt us.”

Biden said would only meet with Kim Jong Un if he agreed to reduce his nuclear stockpile.

“The Korean peninsula should be a nuclear-free zone,” Biden said.

But Trump said he improved relations that were troubled. He said relations are good and the countries aren’t at war.

“They left me a mess,” Trump said of the Obama administration that included Biden as vice president. “He didn’t like Obama.”

Biden scoffed.

“We had a good relationship with Hitler before he invaded the rest of Europe,” Biden said.

— Bart Jansen

Biden introduces ‘Bidencare’

Biden said he plans to pass Obamacare with a public option – and call it “Bidencare” – when asked what he would do if the Supreme Court were to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

The former vice president said his plan would reduce drug prices and premiums by allowing patients through the Medicare program to negotiate drug prices with insurance companies.

“We’re going to make sure we’re in a situation where we’re actually going to protect preexisting conditions” he added, accusing the president of failing to come up with a plan on this front despite promising one. “He’s never come up with a plan.”

— Joey Garrison

Biden accuses Trump of cozying up to foreign ‘thugs,’ including China

Biden said he would crackdown on China economically and move cut the trade deficit that has ballooned since Trump imposed tariffs on the foreign power.

“They have to play by the rules,” Biden said, discussing ways that China has tried to set boundaries that are not internationally recognized or their efforts to steal intellectual property from the U.S.”

The former vice president went on to criticize Trump for cozying up to “thugs” running China, Russia and North Korea.

“And he pokes his finger at all of our friends, all of our allies. We make up only 25% of the world’s economy. We need to be having the rest of our friends with us saying to China ‘these are the rules. You play by them or you're gonna pay the price for not playing by them, economically’,” Biden said. “That's the way I will run it. And That's what we did in upholding steel tariffs and a range of other things (under Obama).”

— Ledyard King

Trump acknowledges he has (or had) a bank account in China; Biden urges him to 'show us' his taxes

Trump acknowledges he has (or had) a bank account in China; Biden urges him to 'show us' his taxes

Trump acknowledged he has had a Chinese bank account and insisted he wants to release his tax returns – but also said he would continue to withhold them from the public.

Under pressure over the issue, the president said he has closed his Chinese account, but did not provide proof – which would be in the tax returns he is refusing to release because they remain under audit.

An audit does not obligate Trump to keep his tax returns private.

Biden told Trump there's a simple solution: Just release the documents.

"Show us – just show us," Biden told Trump. "Stop playing around."

— David Jackson

Biden says he’s ‘not taken a penny’ from foreign countries

Biden said he’s “not taken a penny” from any foreign country after Trump raised allegations that the former vice president made money in a business scheme involving China with his son Hunter Biden.

“I think you have to clear it up and talk to the American people,” Trump said, raising allegations elevated in a New York Post story last week that revealed purported emails from Hunter Biden and his former business associates.

“I have not taken a penny from any foreign source at any point in my life,” Biden responded. He then raised recent reports that Trump has a secret bank account in China. “He’s talking about me taking money from China? I’ve not taken a penny from any country. Ever. ever. Ever."

Biden pointed to Trump not releasing his tax returns after promising to do so for years, saying “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing was unethical,” Biden said of Hunter Biden’s role on the board of the energy company Burisma. “My son has no made money from China. The only guy who has made money from China was this guy,” he said, directing his comments at Trump

— Joey Garrison

Are smirks allowed?

The candidates were told not to interrupt each other but no one said they couldn’t physically react.

And Biden had plenty of facial expressions when Trump was asked about his criticisms of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert.

“This guy's a disaster,” Trump said of Fauci Monday. On Thursday, Trump said they didn’t have a problem.

“I get along very well with Anthony,” Trump said, as Biden smiled.

Trump then implied Fauci is a partisan.

“I think he’s a Democrat but that’s OK,” Trump said of Fauci, as Biden shook his head.

Trump got his turn when Biden was asked whether there was anything unethical with his son’s work for a Ukrainian energy company.

“The guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy,” Biden said of Trump as the president shook his head with a smirk.

— Maureen Groppe

Biden: Trump 'panicked' over coronavirus

Biden once again went after Trump for telling author Bob Woodward in February that he purposely played down the threat of coronavirus.

Woodward recently released an explosive new book on Trump titled "Rage", which included the president telling the journalist in a recorded interview weeks before the first death in the U.S. that despite knowing how "deadly" and serious the coronavirus pandemic would be, he wanted to "play it down" and would to continue to do so.

“He was told this was a serious virus that spread in the air and it was much worse than the flu,” Biden said. “He went on record … that he knew how dangerous it was but he didn’t want to tell us because he didn’t want us to panic. Americans don’t panic. He panicked.”

— Ledyard King

Biden: Countries that interfere with election will pay

Biden vowed to penalize any country that influences the U.S. election after intelligence officials said Russia, China and Iran are trying to interfere.

“Any country that interferes with us will pay a price because it is our sovereignty,” Biden said.

Biden said a former national security adviser accused Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, of being a Russian pawn by spreading misinformation. But Biden asked why Trump hasn’t challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What happens? Nothing happens,” Biden said. “I don’t know why this president is unwilling to take on Putin.”

Trump said he imposed sanctions on Russians.

“There has been nobody tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” Trump said.

— Bart Jansen

Trump shows up in Nashville combative, but more restrained

It was a question that had dominated the pre-debate coverage for days: Would a more subdued Trump show up to the debate stage in Nashville, or would the president hold firm to the pugilistic style he has embraced for much of the campaign.

In a way, in the early moments of the debate at least, he managed to do both.

Trump avoided the interruptions that marred the first the debate, giving Biden more room to speak – a strategy his aides had pushed him to embrace. But he still pressed hard against Biden as the Democrat slammed the administration’s coronavirus response.

“We’re about to go into a dark winter. And he has no clear plan,” Biden argued on COVID at one point.

“He was months behind me. He was way behind us,” Trump countered.

“We’re learning to live with it,” Trump said of the virus. “We can’t lock ourselves in a basement like Joe does.”

The back and forth was tense but less fiery and uncivil than the first debate on Sept. 29.

At one point Trump asked NBC’s Kristen Welker if he could respond to a Biden criticism. When Welker said he could, Trump responded: "Thank you, I appreciate that."

The exchange represented a departure from the more intense and combative exchanges he has had with the moderators of the first debate and a recent town hall.

— John Fritze and Maureen Groppe

Trump blames COVID-19 response on 'Democratic states'; Biden says the president is playing politics

Trump sought to shed blame for the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic problems by blaming Democratic state governors.

States, like New York and Michigan, led by Democrats Andrew Cuomo and Gretchen Whitmer, have failed to step up and are resisting re-opening their economies, Trump said.

Biden said New York and other states have "bent the curve" on COVID cases and are coming back, and added that Trump should not be dividing the country into "red states" and "blue states."

"We're all the United States," Biden said.

– David Jackson

Biden says he would ‘shut down the virus, not the country’

Biden did not rule out future shutdowns of businesses to combat the coronavirus if elected president, saying reopening must slow down if the rate of infections grows faster than it can be combatted.

But the former vice president said: “I’m going to shut down the virus, not the county.”

Biden blamed the “ineptitude” of Trump for putting the country in a situation where many businesses and schools are closed to fight the spread of COVID-19. Biden said he supported health precautions against COVID-19 that would still allow businesses to operate.

“He shouldn’t have been on his golf course,” Biden said of the president’s coronavirus response. “He should have been negotiating with Speaker Pelosi.”

Trump fired back: “All he does is talk about shutdowns,” he said, adding that Biden is just like Democratic governors who have enforced shutdowns in their states. “He’ll shut down the country if one person in our massive bureaucracy says close it down”

Biden responded: “Absolutely, not true. We should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.”

— Joey Garrison

'He says we're learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it'

Trump has repeatedly said we're "rounding the turn on the pandemic," which has killed more than 220,000 people but the president had a new message about the coronavirus.

Biden criticized Trump's optimistic message on the pandemic as several states are reaching new highs in average new daily cases and slammed the president for saying that the pandemic is going to be "over soon."

"We're learning to live with it. We have no choice we can lock ourselves up in a basement like Joe does," Trump said.

"He says we're learning to live with it. People are learning to die with it," Biden responded.

— Courtney Subramanian

No initial interruptions

Both Trump and Biden got through their first opening comments without interruptions.

After all the overtalking of the first debate, the debate commission announced that only the microphone of the candidate speaking would be turned on while that candidate had two minutes to give an initial answer to each of the debate topics.

“I’m going to ask you to please speak one at a time,” Kristen Welker, the debate moderator, requested at the start. “The goal is for you to hear each other and for the American people to hear every word of what you both have to say.”

Welker introduced the first topic, the coronavirus pandemic, and both Trump and Biden gave their initial responses uninterrupted.

— Maureen Groppe

Biden: Trump still has no plan

Democratic nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump for not doing more to prevent 220,000 Americans from dying of COVID-19 so far.

“Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” Biden said.

The former vice president said he would urge everyone to wear a mask for months, which could avoid half the projected 200,000 more deaths expected by the end of the year. He also proposed to create programs for rapid testing and national standards for reopening schools and businesses.

“We’re in a circumstance where the president still has no plan,” Biden said. “I will take care of this.”

--Bart Jansen

Trump takes first question on COVID

Trump took the first question in the debate – on COVID-19, and how his administration is going to deal with the latest surge in cases taking place in many states.

The president focused on the mortality rate in the country, which has decreased, and said asserted that states would climb out of their recent increases.

“We’re fighting it and we’re fighting it hard,” Trump said. “There’s some spikes and surges in other places, and they will soon be gone.”

Trump talked about his personal experience with COVID-19.

“It’s going away,” he said.

— John Fritze

Final presidential debate is underway

The final debate between Trump and Biden is underway in Nashville, an event that has been described as the president’s last, best chance to reset a campaign that is running behind in most of the nation’s battleground states.

Family members for both candidates have occupied the front rows in the Curb Event Center at Belmont University. An orange program and a pack of anti-bacterial wipes was placed on each seat in the hall, where about 200 people will watch the candidates square off in person.

The debate comes with less than two weeks to go before the Nov. 3 election, and as more than 40 million Americans have already cast a ballot. The candidates will discuss the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, racial tensions, national security and leadership, among other topics.

Buckle up: No matter what happens, the next 90 minutes will be among the most interesting and important of this rollercoaster of an election.

— John Fritze

Members of Trump family spotted in masks

Members of the Trump family including First Lady Melania Trump and the president's children Eric, Donald, Ivanka and Tiffany were spotted wearing masks as required by the debates commission. The family was criticized for refusing to wear masks at presidential debate at the Cleveland Clinic on Sept. 29, just two days before the president tested positive for COVID-19.

Lara Trump, a Trump campaign official and the wife of Trump's son Eric, sparred with Fox News' Chris Wallace, who moderated the debate, about whether the family was asked to wear masks indoors.

"We walked in with a mask on. We sat down - all the seats were socially distanced," she told Wallace earlier this month. "I want to be very clear, never one time did anyone from Cleveland Clinic come up and ask any member of our family to put a mask on."

— Courtney Subramanian

Trump invites Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden's former business partner, as debate guest

President Donald Trump is again taking a page from his 2016 playbook by inviting a guest to attack his opponent.

The Trump campaign has enlisted Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who has accused the former vice president of accepting influence payments from foreign entities. Bobulinski claims that Hunter Biden spoke to the former vice president often about his business dealings and "frequently referenced asking him for his sign-off or advice on various potential deals."

Joe Biden has insisted that his son Hunter's business interests have never influenced his policies.

Bobulinski's appearance comes after The New York Post reported on the alleged contents of a computer hard drive purporting to document the Ukrainian and Chinese business activities of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Federal authorities are investigating whether the material supplied to the Post by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, is part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates responded to the allegations by pointing out the former vice president released his tax returns, which show "there is no indication he ever got any money from anybody in these business deals."

"Joe Biden has never even considered being involved in business with his family, nor in any overseas business whatsoever. He has never held stock in any such business arrangements nor has any family member or any other person ever held stock for him," Bates said.

Earlier on Thursday campaign officials told reporters they expect Trump to attack Biden and his family. Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield warned that such accusations would be "amplifying Russian misinformation."

Bobulinski has agreed to cooperate with a Senate investigation into the Bidens and agreed to be interviewed by members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Finance committees on Friday.

For Trump, the move was a reprise of a similar stunt in 2016, when the president entered a debate with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with three women who had accused President Bill Clinton of inappropriate sexual behavior. At the time, Trump was still reeling from the release of the 2005 Access Hollywood recording in which he was heard bragging about groping women.

In what was billed as a campaign call "ahead of tonight's presidential debate," officials outlined allegations against Hunter Biden and his business activities in Ukraine and China. Aides refused to answer any question that did not pertain to Hunter Biden hours before the final match-up between Trump and Biden.

— Courtney Subramanian and John Fritze

No plexiglass to separate Trump, Biden

The plexiglass that separated the vice-presidential candidates during their debate this month will not be present on the presidential debate stage in Nashville.

The barrier was added to the stage following Trump’s diagnosis with COVID-19 and an outbreak at the White House. It was on prominent display when Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris debated in Utah on Oct. 7.

Health officials in Nashville originally recommended the plexiglass but after consulting with Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and taking Trump's negative test result into account, the glass was removed around 4:30 p.m. CT, according to Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Trump recovered from his bout with the virus and has held an active campaign scheduled. Both candidates have tested negative for the virus ahead of the debate.

On Thursday morning, Plexiglass barriers were seen between the podiums. But by Thursday afternoon, after the two candidates conducted their walkthroughs of the debate hall, they were gone.

— John Fritze, Joey Garrison and The Tennessean

Trump at downtown fundraiser; Biden awaiting debate at local home

The president and several members of the first family, including Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, were still at a downtown fundraiser late Thursday afternoon.

Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood were on hand at the JW Marriott hotel where the fundraiser is taking place.

Biden is staying at a local home while he awaits the debate.

— Natalie Neysa Alund and Adam Tamburin, The Tennessean

What time does the debate start?

The debate will air from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET, and will be moderated by NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker. Viewers can stream the match-up at USATODAY.com. The debate also will air on major networks and cable channels, including Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, PBS and C-SPAN.

Joe Biden invites North Carolina restaurant couple as guests for debate

A North Carolina couple struggling to keep their restaurant afloat during the coronavirus pandemic will join Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Nashville for Thursday night’s presidential debate.

Zweli and Leonardo Williams, owners of Zweli’s Kitchen, a Zimbabwean restaurant in Durham, N.C., will be in the debate crowd as the former vice president’s invited guests, according to the Biden campaign.

“They have really had to adapt in order to keep their business afloat,” Biden campaign senior advisor Symone Sanders said during a press call. “They are two of the many small business owners who have felt an economic impact of this administration’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

— Joey Garrison

Biden camp rebuts Hunter attacks

A Biden aide predicted Trump would attack the former vice president's son during Thursday night’s debate in Tennessee and said doing so would be "amplifying Russian misinformation."

Their pre-debate warning from Biden comes after The New York Post reported on the alleged contents of a computer hard drive purporting to document the Ukrainian and Chinese business activities of Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Federal authorities are investigating whether the material supplied to the Post by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, has part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

More: A tabloid got a trove of data on Hunter Biden from Rudy Giuliani. Now, the FBI is probing a possible disinformation campaign.

"We expect that Trump will attack Biden and his family,” Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said Thursday. “And every time he does that, all he's doing is reinforcing what we've said all along: He is acknowledging that he has no case for a second term."

– Joey Garrison

Trump tests negative for COVID

Soon after Trump’s COVID diagnosis this month a question emerged that the White House never fully answered: Was the president tested for the virus before he stood on stage with Biden for their first debate?

This time around, White House officials are being more clear.

“We tested him on the way here and he tested negative,” White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters traveling with the president to the debate in Nashville, Tennessee.

The White House announced Trump’s positive test result on the morning of Oct. 2. He took part in the debate with Biden days earlier, on Sept. 29. Trump has not directly answered whether he was tested on the day of the debate, a requirement from the Commission on Presidential Debates, and White House aides have been unwilling to answer questions about the timeline of his previous negative tests.

“I don't know, I don't even remember,” Trump said during a televised town hall on NBC last week. “I test all the time."

– John Fritze

Trump has much on the line in final debate with Biden

Trump faces a make-or-break moment in his campaign for a second term as he squares off Thursday against Biden in the final presidential debate of the 2020 election – and perhaps the final opportunity to reset the narrative of the race.

After a widely panned and frequently vitriolic debate Sept. 29, the two candidates will square off with less than two weeks to go before the Nov. 3 election. What to watch: Will Trump moderate his tone after facing blowback for coming in "too hot" during his first exchange with Biden? How will the decision by the Commission on Presidential Debates to mute microphones during portions of the debate affect the back-and-forth?

The final debate comes as Biden enjoyed double-digit leads in national polls and single-digit leads in most battlegrounds, findings the Trump campaign argues does not adequately capture the enthusiasm among the president's supporters for a second term.

More: How to watch the last presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump

The debate will air from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET, and will be moderated by NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker. Viewers can stream the match-up at USATODAY.com. The debate also will air on major networks and cable channels, including Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, PBS and C-SPAN.

– John Fritze

Trump will vote for himself Saturday in Florida

President Donald Trump has a special reason for spending Friday night at his home in southern Florida.

Voting.

"President Trump plans to early vote on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Florida," the White House said in a statement.

Trump is also campaigning in the Sunshine State on Friday and Saturday.

Four years ago, Trump voted for himself in New York City. Since then, the president has switched his place of residence to Florida, which just happens to be a key battleground state in his reelection race with Democrat Joe Biden.

— David Jackson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, Biden spar over China, economy, covid in last election debate