We Counted Every Single Time Trump Interrupted During the First Presidential Debate

[catbyte]

By JEREMY STAHL
SEPT 30, 2020

Tuesday night’s presidential debate was not the first one featuring Trump to feel more like a schoolyard taunting contest than an actual debate. But even so, it stood out for one key metric: the sheer number of interruptions.

By my count, Trump interrupted former Vice President Joe Biden or debate moderator Chris Wallace at least 128 times. This number dwarfed the 51 times Trump interrupted Hillary Clinton during the first presidential debate in 2016. For his part, Biden interrupted dozens of times—at various points either trying to get a word in edgewise or correct flat lies by the president—but his interruptions were no match for Trump’s.

Wallace’s efforts to control the debate were valiant, but ultimately futile. Trump interrupted both men during both questions and answers. He muttered snide remarks under his breath. He talked over the moderator and his opponent. And he just plain cut them off over and over again. Wallace asked the president at least 25 times to stop interrupting and obey the debate rules: “Sir, you’re debating him not me, let me ask my question.” “Please let the vice president talk.” “You’ve made your point, please let him answer.” “You’ve agreed to two minutes, please let him have it.” “No, no, no Mr. President.” “Mr.—President Trump, President Trump, the interruptions.” When Wallace said, “Mr. President, can you let him finish, sir?” and Biden replied, “He doesn’t know how to do that,” Trump interrupted in response to being asked to stop interrupting: “You’d be surprised, you’d be surprised. Go ahead, talk, Joe, talk.”

At one point, Wallace noted that Trump’s campaign had agreed to a rule that allowed each candidate two minutes to answer a question before an open debate period, and that Trump was flagrantly violating that rule. At another point, there was this surreal exchange:

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https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/09/trump-interruptions-first-presidential-debate-biden.amp

[SharonClark]

1. Wallace should have told trump to stand in the corner until it was his time to share.

[DinahMoeHum]

2. All I could think was. . .

[FakeNoose]

13. This is perfect!

Made my day. Thanks!

[Newest Reality]

3. They should have...

They should have had a dunce cap ready with the rule: if you break the rules and decorum of this debate more than x times, you have to wear this dunce cap for the rest of the program.

Trump would have had it on right near the beginning.

[dubyadiprecession]

4. Pure desperation was what came out of trump last night.

His ego may not allow him to take this loss in November.
He might go out the same way as the fanatical Adolf Hitler.

[lagomorph777]

7. I sure hope so. He does look jacked.

[Johnny2X2X]

5. Said Biden interrupted dozens of times

I'd like a count, I bet it was less than 30, and it would have been almost zero if not for the standard set by Trump.

[lagomorph777]

6. Hasn't anybody ever heard of a mute button?

This is so simple, people!

[catbyte]

8. For who? The moderator? Because if viewers use it, you'd miss half of what Biden had to say.

[lagomorph777]

9. Yes, for the moderator.

[catbyte]

15. I heard a discussion about that this morning & apparently that's something both campaigns

must agree to and you know that will never happen.

[lagomorph777]

16. So cancel any further "debates."

Pointless shitshow.

[catbyte]

18. Exactly. I only watched that shitshow for about 2 minutes last night & had to stop

because I knew I'd have PTSD today if I watched any more of it--and I'm not exaggerating. I don't think the country can live through another one.

[BSdetect]

10. Wallace should have called a "time out" for drumpf to compose himself.

[July]

11. What I'd love to see if it happens next time:

The moderator steps onto the stage and calls for the crew to shut it all down.

TV time is like oxygen for Trump. He’d hate to lose it, and he’d hate even more being seen as the reason for a shutdown.

[2naSalit]

12. After the first ten minutes...

I was wondering if he would do that. It was just so awful.

Some of my pals called me to express their horror, I was on the phone for a while. I hope they cancel the rest of them, this not helping anyone.

[honest.abe]

14. I would also like to see the minutes of talking compared.

I suspect Trump must have double the time Biden had.

[lagomorph777]

17. And four times as many syllables per minute.

That totals up to 8x as much noise; 100% nonsense.

[Liberty Belle]

19. Biden interrupted when it was Biden's turn to talk and Trump wasn't letting him.

That should NOT count as an interruption.

It should only count if the candidate is interrupting when it's the other candidate's turn to speak - not when you're trying to interrupt the interruptor hogging your time. Media needs to make that clear.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. +1

[TheRickles]

24. +2

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. The self-styled "Law and Order" president can't even obey debate rules. . . . nt

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Debate Commission should end this farce and give them independent time on TV

As a debate it was a fail. Rules enable free speech. Absent Debate Police it's not going to work well.

Serious discussion should be about how to best use the remaining 2 scheduled times to best inform the public.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. Most of Biden's interruptions were when IQ45 was interrupting

[Stinky The Clown]

25. How is Biden "interrupting" when it is his time and it is being stolen?