Skip to main content

Twitter Watching the Debate: Why Did No One Mute the Mics?


Last night marked the first presidential debate for the 2020 election. Aside from chilling moments like President Donald Trump’s refusal to denounce white supremacists, Chris Wallace’s failure to pin down any new and vital information from either party, and no progress on COVID policies, Twitter users have a large issue with the constant interruptions by Trump toward both the moderator and Joe Biden, which Slate reports occurred “at least 128 times.”

Advertisement Hide

Months leading up to the debate, both presidential campaigns agree on a set of rules. One specific rule—that each candidate would have two minutes of uninterrupted time to answer each question—went mostly ignored. Instead, Trump intervened almost every time Biden responded to a question and cut off Wallace each time he tried to get him to respect the rules. Biden also interrupted Trump at times with one-worded remarks. This interruption took place during the entire 90-minute debate, causing many Twitter users to voice their frustration online. The new consensus afterward? Can we please mute the mics next time?

Advertisement Hide

As Jen Ortiz tweeted, “have we learned nothing from Zoom?”

One hour and 13 minutes into the debate, the moderator reminds the president that he’s been violating the rules he agreed to. — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 30, 2020

Advertisement Hide

free idea: mute the mics when they're not supposed to be talking have we learned nothing from Zoom — Jen Ortiz (@jenortiznyc) September 30, 2020

MUTE TRUMPS MIC — Parker (@ParkerKitHill) September 30, 2020

Advertisement Hide

There were always fights in hockey because people in charge allowed fights. There was stupidity in the debate because the debate producers allowed Trump to yell like a tantrum-throwing child. Simply turning off his mic when he broke rules would‘ve spared America this disgrace. — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) September 30, 2020

Advertisement Hide

It’s not fair to have the debates conducted in this manner. This was absurd. Mute Trump’s mic if he can’t follow the rules. #Debate2020 #PresidentialDebate — Opal Tometi 🇳🇬🇺🇸 #BlackLivesMatter (@opalayo) September 30, 2020

The constant speaking out of turn made it difficult for viewers to follow along while simultaneously allowing less time for full, thorough responses to be given. Many Twitter users noted that the debate felt more like an argument or quarrel than a productive, political discussion.

Advertisement Hide

this debate has the vibe of two uncles arguing over who gets to drive the rental car — mike ginn (@shutupmikeginn) September 30, 2020

am i watching a comedy, a horror, a terrible school play, 2 drunk guys arguing outside of a bar, or a presidential debate — scottysire (@ImNotScottySire) September 30, 2020

Advertisement Hide

The debate sounds like me and my siblings arguing over who has to tell our mom we broke something — kenz (@makenzyelaine) September 30, 2020

Advertisement Hide

Wallace did not have the authority to cut anyone’s mic and regulations would have to change in order for that to take place before the next debate. An article from the Los Angeles Times in 2016 notes the same issue with interruptions during 2016’s presidential debate between Trump and Hilary Clinton. “Monday night, both candidates interrupted, but Donald Trump interrupted far more eagerly than Hillary Clinton did — 25 times in the first 26 minutes,” Mark Oppenheimer wrote. Twitter, for one, thinks it’s time for stricter rules.

Today’s top stories

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wray: FBI deemed Jan. 6 attack domestic terrorism

FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that officials have classified the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by former President Trump Donald TrumpProsecutors focus Trump Organization probe on company's financial officer: report WHO official says it's 'premature' to think pandemic will be over by end of year Romney released from hospital after fall over the weekend MORE's supporters as domestic terrorism. "That attack, that siege, was criminal behavior, plain and simple, and it’s behavior that we, the FBI, view as domestic terrorism," Wray told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Wray said the FBI has received more than 270,000 tips from Americans that have helped the bureau identify the numerous people who allegedly participated in the attack. ADVERTISEMENT "Citizens from around the country have sent us more than 270,000 digital media tips. Some have even taken the painful step of turning in their friends or their family members,” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend to cooperate with federal authorities in sex trafficking investigation

Washington (CNN) Federal authorities investigating alleged sex trafficking by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz have secured the cooperation of the congressman's ex-girlfriend, according to people familiar with the matter. The woman, a former Capitol Hill staffer, is seen as a critical witness, as she has been linked to Gaetz as far back as the summer of 2017, a period of time that has emerged as a key window of scrutiny for investigators. She can also help investigators understand the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving alleged payments for sex, the sources said. News of the woman's willingness to talk, which has not been previously reported, comes just days after the Justice Department formally entered into a plea agreement with Joel Greenberg, a one-time close friend of Gaetz whose entanglement with young women first drew the congressman onto investigators' radar. CNN reported last week that investigators were pressing for the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Biden Wants to Hire 87,000 Additional IRS Agents to Go After Wealthy Tax Dodgers

The Biden administration is proposing hiring 87,000 new workers for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), effectively doubling the agency’s size, as part of a plan to beef up enforcement efforts and find billions of dollars in tax revenues that go uncollected each year. Enforcement efforts would primarily target individuals and corporations with higher incomes and profits, the administration has suggested. The hiring, which would be part of President Joe Biden’s overall $80 billion spending plan to increase enforcement efforts at the IRS, would not happen all at once. Instead, it would be carried out in phases, with a 15 percent growth in employment at the agency per year until that 87,000 hiring benchmark is reached. The move would help recoup (and go beyond) some of the employment losses the agency has seen over the past decade, as the IRS has lost more than 33,000 workers over the past decade. The drop in employment at the agency has resulted in fewer audits, particularly for filers w...
Post a Comment
Read more