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Biden greets supporters and criticizes Trump's debate performance on train tour
From CNN's Eric Bradner
Joe Biden and wife Dr. Jill Biden listen to supporters on a train campaign tour Wednesday, September 30, in Alliance, Ohio.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Joe Biden saw some of his biggest crowds of the 2020 campaign today during an all-day train tour across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
In between eight stops, the former vice president and his wife Jill Biden sat in a nine-car Amtrak train his campaign chartered and spoke with supporters he had picked up along the way.
Biden also criticized President Trump’s bombastic performance in their debate Tuesday night.
In Pennsylvania, he greeted hundreds of people who lined the streets in Greensburg. He FaceTimed the widow of television’s Mr. Rogers in Latrobe. He picked up an endorsement in New Alexandria from the International Union of Operating Engineers and toured its training school.
Some history: The trip harkened back to the daily Amtrak trips that are a foundational part of Biden’s political identity.
After his wife and daughter were killed in a 1972 car crash, Biden made the 250-mile round trip between Wilmington, Delaware — where the Amtrak station is now named after him — and Washington, DC, daily, to tuck his two young sons in at night.
Biden has assailed Trump on class-based and economic terms, casting the 2020 race as pitting Scranton, his boyhood home in Pennsylvania, against Park Avenue in New York City, as he accused Trump of being out of touch with working-class Americans’ economic concerns and focused only on the stock market and the interests of his wealthy friends.
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New York Board of Elections finalizes plan to fix ballot envelope error
From CNN's Paul Murphy
The city of New York Board of Elections has finalized a plan to resend almost 100,000 new ballots to voters after a vendor printing error.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously objected resending new ballots and recommended only sending new envelopes.
Voters in New York’s borough of Brooklyn should expect to begin receiving replacement ballots the week of Oct. 9, the board said in a news release.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, Cuomo’s office had interjected in the board’s attempt to correct the error.
“We don’t control the Board of Elections but our recommendation was that sending corrected envelopes will ensure that any person that got an erroneous envelope can still vote,” Cuomo senior adviser Rich Azzopardi told CNN in a statement. “There is nothing wrong with the actual ballots and sending 100,000 duplicate ballots seems to be an overcorrection.”
Reiterating the promises it made in an executive meeting on Tuesday, the board also said it would “ensure that the second ballot will be the only one that is counted.”
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Federal judge dismisses Trump effort to stop mail-in voting in Montana
From CNN’s Andy Rose
A federal judge dismissed the Trump campaign’s effort to prevent Montana from allowing counties to issue mail ballots in the November election.
Judge Dana Christensen’s decision Wednesday is a victory for Gov. Steve Bullock, who is also running for US Senate.
“Central to some of the Plaintiffs’ claims is the contention that the upcoming election, both nationally and in Montana, will fall prey to widespread voter fraud,” wrote Christensen. “The evidence suggests, however, that this allegation, specifically in Montana, is a fiction.”
The judge wrote that the “plaintiffs have not introduced even an ounce of evidence supporting the assertion that Montana’s use of mail ballots will inundate the election with fraud,” and argued that stopping the mail-in ballots “would have profound, and most likely catastrophic consequences on the administration of Montana’s general election.”
An expert presented by the state said there is no evidence of even a single case of deliberate voter fraud in Montana in the past eight years.
The lawsuit was filed by the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee and joined by the Republican leaders in the Montana House and Senate. It argued that the mail-in ballots for voters who were not absentees amounted to changing election law without the consent of the legislature.
Montana Republican Party Executive Director Spenser Merwin said in a statement, “The state legislature has the sole authority to determine the time, place and manner of elections. Yet Governor Steve Bulock – the very person who the most to hain as a candidate on the ballot this November – unilaterally rewrote election laws in a broader effort to benefit his U.S. Senate campaign.”
Bullock said in a statement that he was pleased with the decision, adding that it “will enable hundreds of thousands of Montanans to vote safely – in person or by mail – this coming election.”
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Biden raised nearly $10 million last night
From CNN's Arlette Saenz
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Joe Biden’s campaign raised nearly $10 million from grassroots donors online between 9 p.m. and midnight on the night of the first presidential debate, a Biden campaign official said.
This came from over 215,000 donations during that three hour period, the campaign official said, adding that they had over 60,000 new donors.
The campaign announced last night that it’s single greatest online fundraising hour occurred during the 10 p.m.-11 p.m. hour during which they raised $3.8 million. The campaign official said 85% of the contributions during that hour were from mobile donations.
The campaign official also said that during the debate, they saw nearly 100,000 new supporter sign-ups to volunteer for the campaign.
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Pence: Trump "won that presidential debate hands down"
From CNN's Jason Hoffman
Brynn Anderson/AP
Vice President Mike Pence gave President Trump a glowing review of his debate performance, claiming Trump “won that presidential debate hands down,” becoming the latest administration or campaign official to offer effusive public praise of Trump’s debate showing.
“I said well, President Donald Trump’s going to take our case to the American people. And he’s going to take the fight to Joe Biden. … And that’s what he did. President Donald Trump knows how to fight for what we believe in, and he won that presidential debate hands down,” Pence said at the Faith & Freedom Coalition Policy Conference in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Despite all the praise in public, aides and allies of the President have privately worried about Trump’s performance in Tuesday’s debate.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported earlier Wednesday, in conversations with several people who work for Trump, advise him or support him, all acknowledged that Trump was too aggressive, touted few of his accomplishments and likely turned off the moderate voters he desperately needs. In private conversations, Trump’s performance was described as obnoxious, unprepared and lacking a cogent line of attack on Biden, like he did with Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In a poll of debate viewers immediately after the debate ended, 60% said they felt Biden won and only 28% said they thought Trump won.
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Group of Democratic governors pledge "democracy will be delivered in this election"
From CNN's Kristen Holmes
A group of Democratic governors pledged to preserve the integrity of elections in their states and that “all votes cast in the upcoming election will be counted and that democracy will be delivered in this election.”
In a statement Wednesday, 11 governors addressed President Trump’s recent comments on the presidential election, including his claims of ballots being thrown out and pushing his supporters to watch the polls closely.
The group also addressed a recent report that indicated the campaign and Republican state officials could have state legislatures overrule the popular vote and appoint their own electors if results take too long to count.
“All states must properly appoint electors in accordance with the vote. We will not allow anyone to willfully corrupt the democratic process by delegitimizing the outcome or appointing fraudulent electors against the will of the voters,” the statement said.
Notably, the signing governors included several swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nevada. Of those governors, Michigan and Wisconsin have Republican state legislatures.
“We recognize that democratically held elections are not an exercise in controlling power. By its very nature, democracy is an exercise in determining and honoring out the collective will of the American people, regardless of the outcome. Disenfranchising voters in order to retain power strikes at the very heart of this promise. We call on elected leaders at all levels, from both parties, to speak out loudly against such efforts in the weeks ahead,” the statement said.
The full list of governors include:
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam
Delaware Gov. John Carney
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
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Trump again refuses to explicitly condemn White supremacists
From CNN's Jason Hoffman
Carolyn Kaster/AP
President Trump again refused to explicitly condemn White supremacists and claimed he does not know who the Proud Boys are, one day after telling the organization to “stand back and stand by.”
When asked if he condemned White supremacists, Trump said, “I’ve always denounced any form, any form of any of that, you have to denounce,” before repeating his call for his Democratic rival Joe Biden to denounce Antifa.
Trump also claimed to not know who the Proud Boys are, before saying they should “stand down.”
“I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. You’ll have to give me a definition cause I really don’t know who they are” Trump said before departing the White House on Wednesday.
“I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work… But again, I don’t know who Proud Boys are, but whoever they are they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.” Trump said as he left the White House for Minnesota.
When asked if he misspoke when he told the group to “stand by” during Tuesday night’s debate, Trump said “look, law enforcement will do their work. They’re gonna stand down, they have to stand down.”
However Trump then pivoted to Antifa, saying “the problem is on the left and Biden refuses to talk about it, he refuses to issue to words law and order.”
Biden did say he wants to see “law and order with justice” during the debate last night. While Trump continues to point to Antifa as a major threat, in reality, White supremacists will remain the most “persistent and lethal threat” in the United States through 2021, according to Department of Homeland Security draft documents.
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Trump claims he's getting "tremendous" reviews for Tuesday's debate
From CNN's Betsy Klein
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
President Trump claimed victory in Tuesday night’s presidential debate, telling reporters Wednesday that he was getting “tremendous reviews,” despite allies privately — and some publicly — acknowledging his poor performance.
He continued, “But I thought it was a great evening, it was an exciting evening. I see the ratings were very high and it was good to be there, felt very comfortable and I appreciate all the good words.”
But as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported earlier Wednesday, in conversations with several people who work for Trump, advise him or support him, all acknowledged that Trump was too aggressive, touted few of his accomplishments and likely turned off the moderate voters he desperately needs.
In private conversations, Trump’s performance was described as obnoxious, unprepared and lacking a cogent line of attack on Biden, like he did with Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“A disaster,” one adviser called it.
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Trump plans to participate in next 2 debates, campaign says
From CNN's DJ Judd
Patrick Semansky/AP
In a statement to CNN, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh confirmed President Trump plans to participate in the remaining two presidential debates.
Yesterday, CNN’s Sarah Mucha reported that Biden campaign deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told reporters on a call following the chaotic debate that Biden was committed to doing the same.
“We are going to the debates, yes,” Bedingfield said, committing to the final two presidential debates.
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FBI and DHS warn of denial of service attacks targeting election websites
From CNN’s Brian Fung
Hackers may use denial of service attacks to disrupt the election by preventing Americans from accessing information about voting, law enforcement and Homeland Security officials warn. But these types of attacks, which are generally unsophisticated, are unlikely to interrupt the polls themselves, they said.
In a public advisory published Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks could theoretically block voters from finding out election results.
DDoS attacks are a type of spam attack wherein a hacker will flood a server or webpage with bogus traffic, overwhelming it and forcing it to shut down. DDoS attacks are more akin to vandalism than a data breach, which involves the access or loss of data.
Because of that distinction, CISA and the FBI said, the risk to ballots or polling systems due to DDoS attacks is low.
The alert’s existence, however, highlights the ongoing concerns about whether the country is prepared for a chaotic election and adequately defended from foreign and domestic meddling.
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We asked viewers what they thought about the first debate. From Alaska to Arizona, here's how they reacted.
From CNN's Melissa Mahtani
President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden faced off in a chaotic presidential debate Tuesday night. They were grilled on the Supreme Court, economy, coronavirus, race and violence, among other topics.
We asked our viewers across the country for their reaction to the debate:
Karen M Hatch, North Chesterfield, Virginia: “I muted the television and sat stunned in the silence in my family room last night after the first debate between President Trump and Vice President Biden was over. I expected President Trump to come out swinging, in full rally form, but I did not think he would succeed at transforming his debate appearance into a bully pulpit. He was a battering ram, a blunt instrument, and he assaulted us all with his toxic agenda. Worst of all? He told Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by.’ And Proud Boys will do just that. They will stand by for further instructions from our President. VP Biden’s winning message to Americans, and by far the most important take-home message from last night’s debate: ‘You determine the outcome of this election. Vote. Vote. Vote.’”
Ashok, Pittsburgh: “Both were despicable! It was disgusting and shameful. No winners! Both of them need to get the hell out of being considered for the job. We need to delay the election and find a new candidate. Biden is the contender – had to do better. His language was bad and animosity was too visible! Trump turned out a jerk!”
Barbara Lewis, Florida: “No surprise about Trump. He was as ignorant and inappropriate as ever. His racist ideology continues to be terrifying. Biden was in a no-win situation. If he fired back or attempted to get a word in edgewise, he would be contributing to the chaos, but if he remained quiet and followed the debate rules, he would be accused of being weak, as happened in the first presidential primary debate. It is clear, as it has been for four years, that Trump has serious mental problems, and it was frightening to watch him decompensate on camera last night. Van Jones’ comments moved me to tears to think there are people in this country that support that position. Perhaps the next debate (if there is one) should be held on Zoom. The moderator could control who speaks, and mute the one who is supposed to be silent.”
Jack Donachy, Chignik Lake, Alaska: “Given several comments made by the President last night, it is not possible that a person of good conscience could support Trump’s attempt to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy until after this election is legally settled.”
Deborah Fox, Arizona: “Trump may have accomplished his goal of suppressing voter turnout more effectively than all previous and ongoing tactics. Who among the already disillusioned who reluctantly tuned in will turn out for this election? The pathetic, boorish display by the POTUS would thwart even the most vibrant orator’s attempt at discourse. Biden was right when he quoted DJT’s callous Covid-19 death toll words, ‘It is what it is,’ and then, Biden added ‘because you are who you are.’ Fortunately, he really didn’t need to say anything else. That summed it up.”
Comey warns Trump's refusal to condemn white supremacists is like "spraying gasoline with a fire hose"
From CNN's From Jeremy Herb and Haley Burton
Pool
Former FBI Director James Comey said President Trump’s failure to condemn white supremacists at Tuesday’s presidential debate was like “spraying gasoline with a fire hose.”
“So how do these shameful comments of the President of the United States is outright refusal to condemn white supremacy dangerous white supremacy affect the psychology of groups like the Proud Boys and other violent extremist groups like them, other white nationalist groups that we have seen conducted carry out such violence, how does it affect those the psychology of these groups?” Booker asked.
Comey said he hoped the President would correct his remarks.
Comey added: “The FBI is fighting a fire of racist violence and with words like that, the President is using a fire hose to spray gasoline on that fire. And as maybe he misspoke maybe when he said, ‘stand down and stand by,’ he meant something else — I sure, for the sake of our whole country, he’ll say that today what he really meant and condemn these groups.”
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Commission on Presidential Debates mulling changes
From CNN’s Oliver Darcy
Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images
In the aftermath of the off-the-rails debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates said in a Wednesday statement that it is mulling structural changes moving forward.
The CPD added that it is grateful for Chris Wallace moderating the debate, despite his failure to keep control.
“The Commission is grateful to Chris Wallace for the professionalism and skill he brought to last night’s debate and intends to ensure that additional tools to maintain order are in place for the remaining debates.”
Moderator Chris Wallace steps in to restate debate rules:
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How GOP lawmakers are reacting to Trump's refusal to condemn white supremacy
From CNN's Capitol Hill team, Maegan Vazquez and Paul LeBlanc
President Donald Trump participates in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on September 29 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
President Trump refused during last night’s debate to condemn white supremacists for inciting violence at anti-police brutality demonstrations across the country, claiming instead during the presidential debate that violence was coming from “the left wing.”
The stunning moment came when moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was ready to condemn white supremacists and say they need to stand down during ongoing demonstrations across the country.
Here’s a look at how some Republican lawmakers are reacting:
Sen. Tim Scott
Asked on Wednesday whether he finds it concerning that President Trump refused to condemn white supremacists at last night’s debate, Sen. Tim Scott, the lone Black Senate Republican, said “I think he misspoke.”
Off camera, CNN’s Ted Barrett followed up with Sen. Scott after his meeting with Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday morning to see if he intended to speak directly with President Trump about whether he misspoke when he refused to condemn white supremacists last night.
“I’ve already sent my comments to the chief of staff,” Scott replied.
Scott said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had no specific response other than saying thank you.
Sen. Mitt Romney
Asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether he thinks the President should have condemned white supremacy at the presidential debate last night, Sen. Mitt Romney said, “Of course. Of course.”
When Raju followed up, asking what he thinks the impact will be of Trump refusing to denounce white supremacy, Romney replied, “I don’t know what impact, I’m not a political pundit, so I can’t tell you what impact that will have.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy argued President Trump condemned white supremacists during Tuesday night’s debate, although Trump refused to explicitly do so.
“I think the President has been very clear that he’s against anybody committing violence in the streets,” McCarthy said at an event Wednesday morning.
McCarthy noted that in Trump’s exchange with moderator Chris Wallace, Wallace asked if the President would denounce white supremacists, and Trump initially responded in the affirmative.
“How many times does he have to say it? If the question is would you denounce it and the answer is yes, he did that,” McCarthy said in response to a question from CNN’s Manu Raju.
But when pressed during the debate to condemn white supremacists and racists directly, Trump merely told members of the Proud Boys group to “stand back and stand by.”
McCarthy didn’t respond to Manu’s questions on whether that response was acceptable. He said Trump’s proposal to designate the KKK as a terrorist group shows his opposition to white supremacy. The plan unveiled by the President on Friday would also allow for the prosecution of Antifa as a terrorist organization.
“Not only did his words speak it, but his actions have taken it,” he said.
Sen. Todd Young
Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who chairs the election committee for Senate Republicans, repeatedly refused to criticize President Trump for not condemning White supremacy at Tuesday’s debate.
But, standing before cameras Wednesday, Young loudly declared that he opposes “White supremacy” and “all extremist groups,” separating himself — and perhaps the vulnerable GOP candidates he’s trying to help get re-elected — from the President’s controversial comments.
Young, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also refused to say if Trump’s comments or combative approach at the debate would hurt Republicans’ ability to maintain control of the White House or Senate and kept turning the conversation back to how Republicans are energized by the Supreme Court nomination.
Although, at one point, Young acknowledged that “we did not great clarity about the difference in vision for the future of the country and I did think that was unfortunate.”
Sen. John Thune
CNN’s Manu Raju asked Senate Majority Whip John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, if Trump should have condemned white supremacists at Tuesday night’s debate. “In his mind he did,” Thune said on Wednesday.
Asked if it were appropriate for Trump to tell the Proud Boys to “stand by,” Thune said: “That’s a question you’ll have to ask to them. I think it’s probably important for them to clear up that statement.”
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Trump tweets voting disinformation about New York ballot misprint
From CNN's Sam Fossum, Marshall Cohen and Ross Levitt
President Trump, seizing a ballot misprint in New York, is falsely claiming “Big Fraud” as he continues to sow doubt and spread disinformation about the US election and discourage people from mail-in voting.
“Wow! 100,000 Mail In Ballots in New York City a total MESS. Mayor and Governor have no idea what to do. Big Fraud, Unfixable! Cancel Ballots and go out and VOTE, just like in past decades, when there were no problems!” the President tweeted Wednesday.
Remember: CNN reported Tuesday that a misprint by a third-party vendor has caused roughly 100,000 Brooklyn voters to receive absentee ballot return envelopes with the wrong address and names.
On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office made a recommendation to the New York City board of elections to send corrected envelopes rather than new ballots to the affected voters, according to his senior adviser.
Problems with misprints are more likely to lead to voter disenfranchisement than voter fraud since there are multiple protections within the voting process to prevent someone from voting with someone else’s ballot.
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Biden says he's "looking forward" to the next two debates
Pool
Following last night’s first presidential debate, Democratic nominee Joe Biden said he’s “looking forward” to the next two.
The former vice president noted how often Trump interrupted him and moderator Chris Wallace and suggested debate organizers should find a solution.
“I just hope there’s a way in which the debate commission can control the ability of us to answer the question without interruption,” he said.
The second presidential debate will be a town hall on Oct. 15, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. Steve Scully of C-SPAN will moderate it. According to debates.org, Trump and Biden “will have two minutes to respond to each question and there will be an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate further discussion. The town meeting participants will be uncommitted voters selected under the supervision of Dr. Frank Newport, Senior Scientist, Gallup.”
The final presidential debate will take place on Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville. The debate, moderated by Kristen Welker of NBC News, will follow the same format as last night’s, meaning there will be six, 15-minute segments.
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Young voters say "Generation Z knows better" than to give up on election
From CNN's Rachel Janfaza
Young Americans told CNN they were disappointed but not surprised that the first presidential debate turned to chaos Tuesday.
While young voters were struck by President Donald Trump’s failure to condemn white supremacy, they say his rhetoric wasn’t shocking given his track record.
“I expected nothing different,” Zyahna Bryant, 19-year-old community organizer and activist in Charlottesville, Virginia, said of Trump’s rhetoric Tuesday.
Bryant, a Black woman, was in Charlottesville during the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in 2017.
“I remember being out on August 12 in Charlottesville, and watching [Trump] speak on the TV immediately following the car attack in downtown. I remember him equating social justice activists to vile white supremacists and racists who took to the streets that day. I have no high expectations for this president. I never have,” she told CNN.
Still, she noted: “Nevertheless, we must continue to fight and organize in our communities, because we keep us safe.”
Bryant and a number of other young voters say that while the President intends to stoke fear and division, young people can’t shy away from what’s at stake in the 2020 election.
“This debate reminds me that Generation Z knows better. We know better, and therefore must expect better.We cannot be convinced that it is not important for us to show up, in all ways, to the polls, and in our communities. Our work is not done,” Bryant said.
Sanaa Abrar, a 29-year-old Pakistani immigrant and the advocacy director for United We Dream Action PAC, said that while Trump continues to “operate on an agenda of fear,” young and first time voters must stay engaged.
“We know what’s at stake. You know what your parents and families are going through in this Covid crisis. You know what’s at stake with climate change and immigrant rights. We’re fighting for those issues,” Abrar said.
Young voters on both the left and the right say they are committed to fighting for a brighter future.
According to Mike Brodo, 20 and a co-founder of gen z gop, an organization which seeks to provide a home for young Republicans who feel lost in the current political landscape, the debate set a “bad precedent for young voters looking to formulate a positive vision for the country’s future.”
“I hope Gen Z voters can cut through this noise, now and in the future,” Brodo told CNN. He added that “the lack of respect” at the debate is motivating him to remain involved.
Parker Stohlton, 23 and a member of College Republicans for Biden, says the debate encouraged him to keep fighting for Biden.
“I’m feeling motivated to keep fighting for Biden. Tonight, Trump displayed his incompetency as leader of the free world. I found it especially concerning that he didn’t condemn white supremacy, and that he continued to sow seeds of doubt in the democratic process. I’m fed up with his lies and lack of decency,” Stohlton said.
Across the board, young voters felt a lack of representation during Tuesday’s debate and would have liked to hear more about issues pertaining to young people. According to Pew Research, one in 10 eligible voters in the 2020 election is a member of Gen Z and one in three eligible voters is non white.
While many young people appreciated moderator Chris Wallace’s question about climate change and Biden’s response — during which he expressed his commitment to fighting climate change — young voters would have liked to hear more from the candidates about gun violence, affordable health care, access to affordable education and immigration.
“I was disappointed that once again, the young people were left unaddressed,” Mana Shooshtari, 20 and a field organizer with Grassroots Democrats HQ, said.
We want to hear your thoughts. Leave them below and we may use them in a CNN article.
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White House press secretary says Trump believes he won the debate
From CNN's Sam Fossum and Joe Johns
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks during a news conference at the White House on September 24 in Washington, DC.
Patrick Semansky/AP
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday President Trump believes he won last night’s chaotic debate, and that the President was “in very good spirits” last night.
When asked about Trump’s chaotic style and whether there will be any adjustments moving forward, McEnany hinted that it’s possible and pointed to the second debate’s different format.
“One thing I’ll note is that the next debate is a much different format. It’s a townhall, he’ll be talking to voters, so by nature it will be a different format, a different tactic,” McEnany said, adding: “Because the President was on offense, the American voter left that debate with a distinct answer and look at this… candidate that they had not had previously.”
Asked about a potential criminal case following the New York Times bombshell report earlier this week on Trump’s personal finances, she said it was up to the Justice Department but did not hold back from criticizing the newspaper. The New York Times obtained Trump’s tax returns from someone who had legal access to them, per the paper.
“Look that’s up to the DOJ as to whether they open an investigation, but we’re very concerned when the private documents of the President of the United States or any American are leaked to a media outlet,” McEnany said.
Asked about the verdict from some commentators that Biden won the debate because he had no serious gaffes, she said: “I think no gaffes, that’s a really subjective interpretation,” before going on to attack Biden for his comments on Antifa. However, Biden last night was directly quoting Trump’s own FBI director when he asserted that Antifa is an ideology, and not a formalized group.
During Wednesday’s interview, McEnany was not asked about Trump’s refusal to directly condemn the Proud Boys when given a chance and his decision to instead tell the far-right group to “stand back and standby.”
She did not stop to gaggle with reporters after her hit, but did say there would not be a briefing today.
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Biden: Trump has "broken his promise" to "forgotten Americans he said he was going to fight for"
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event to launch a train campaign tour at Cleveland Amtrak Station September 30 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slammed Trump’s approach to the economy, saying the President has “broken his promise” and “forgotten the forgotten Americans he said he was always going to fight for.”
Biden spoke in Ohio before embarking on his campaign train tour across eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania that focuses on the economy and working families.
Biden was born in Pennsylvania, in the deep blue city of Scranton. The commonwealth’s 20 electoral votes went to Trump in 2016, but are in play this year, with Democrats hoping to win them over from the President.
