First presidential debate a chaos as Trump derails the night with insults and interruptions: Top Quotes

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden

Highlights

Here are some of the quotes making news at the first U.S. 2020 presidential debate on Tuesday between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden ahead of the Nov 3 election

SUPREME COURT

Trump, asked about whether Judge Amy Coney Barrett should be nominated to the Supreme Court before the election: "We won the election. Elections have consequences.

"We have the Senate and we have the White House and we have a phenomenal nominee respected by all.

"... I think that she (Barrett) will be outstanding. She will be as good as anybody who has ever served on that court. We won the election and therefore we had the right to choose her."

Biden: "We should wait, we should wait and see what the outcome of this election is."

Pivoting to the Affordable Care Act, Biden said: "I'm not opposed to the justice. She seems like a very fine person. But she's written ... that she thinks the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The president's made it clear he wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. He's been running on that."

Trump interjected: "As far as a say is concerned, the American people have already had their say. ... I'm not elected for 3-1/2 years."

Responded Biden: "He's elected until the next election. ... The election's already started."

HEALTHCARE

Biden, told by Trump that he had adopted former Democratic presidential rival Bernie Sanders' "socialized medicine" proposals: "Everybody here knows he's a liar. ... You picked the wrong guy on the wrong night at the wrong time."

"... Folks, do you have any idea what this clown's doing? I tell you what, he is not for anybody needing healthcare."

After Trump explained his health proposal, Biden said: "He has no plan for healthcare. ... The fact is this man has no idea what he's talking about."

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Biden to Trump: "You should get out of your bunker and get out of the sand trap and ... the golf course and go in the Oval Office and (put) together Democrats and Republicans, and fund what needs to be done now to save lives."

Trump to Biden: "You didn't think we should've closed our country (to China) because you thought it was terrible."

"... We've done a great job. But I tell you, Joe, you could never have done the job we've done. You don't have it in your blood."

Trump on Biden's proposed approach to developing coronavirus vaccines: "People like this would rather make it political than save lives."

Biden: "Guess what, a lot of people died, and a lot more (are) going to die unless he gets a lot smarter a lot quicker."

Responded Trump: "There's nothing smart about you, Joe.

Biden on Trump's mask policy: "He's a fool on this."

RACE RELATIONS

Biden, speaking of Trump: "This is a president who has used everything as a dog whistle to try to generate racist hatred, racist division."

Trump to Biden, citing Biden's support for the 1994 crime bill: "You've treated the Black community about as bad as anybody in this country."

Biden: "Yes, there's a systemic injustice in this country in education and work and in law enforcement, and the way in which it is enforced."

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND URBAN UNREST

Trump: "The top 10 cities and just about the top 40 cities are run by Democrats in many cases, radical left, and they've got you wrapped around their finger, Joe, to a point where you don't want to say anything about law and order. And I'll tell you what the people of this country want and demand law and order, and you're afraid to even say it."

Biden said Trump had done nothing to calm down the protests. "He just pours gasoline on the fire."

Responding to Trump attacking him on the suburbs, Biden said: "He wouldn't know a suburb unless he took a wrong turn. I know suburbs."

Trump to Biden: "Name one law enforcement group that has come out and supported you. One. Think. We have time."

Biden: "Under this president, we've become weaker, sicker, more divided and more violent."

WHITE SUPREMACISTS

Wallace: "Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence or the number of these cities as we saw in Kenosha, and as we've seen in Portland?"

Trump: "I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right. ... I'm willing to do anything. I want to see peace."

Wallace: "Then do it sir."

Biden: "Do it, do it. Say it."

Trump: "You want to call them. What do you want to call them? Give me a name."

Biden, referring to a right-wing group: "Proud Boys"

Trump: "Proud Boys - stand back and stand by."

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Trump: "I believe that we have to do everything we can to have immaculate air, immaculate water, and do whatever else we can that's good."

Biden: "The first thing I will do, I will rejoin the Paris Climate Accord."

Pressed by Wallace to explain the spending needed to fund the Green New Deal, Biden said, "The fact is it's going to create millions of good paying jobs."

Trump, of Biden's plan: "So, why didn't you do it for 47 years?"

ELECTION INTEGRITY

Biden encouraged mail-in voting by saying Trump does it, too. "He sits behind the Resolute Desk (in the White House) and sends his ballot to Florida."

Biden: "He cannot stop you from being able to determine the outcome of that election. ... If I win, that will be accepted. If I lose, that will be accepted.

"If we get the votes, he's going to go. He can't stay in power."

Trump: "We may not know for months" who won.

Trump: "Don't tell me about a free transition. This is going to be a fraud like you've never seen. This is not going to end well."

Biden: "You will determine the outcome of this election. Vote, vote, vote. If you're able to vote early in your state, vote early. If you're able to vote in person, vote in person - whatever way is the best way for you. Because he cannot stop you from being able to determine the outcome of this election."

Asked if he would urge his supporters to stay calm and pledge not to declare victory until the election is certified, Trump said, "I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully."

Trump: "If I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with it.

Biden: "The fact is I will accept it and he will too. You know why? Because once the winner is declared after all the ballots are counted, all the votes are counted. That'll be the end of it, that'll be the end of it."

INTERRUPTIONS

At one point, while being interrupted by Trump, Biden said: "Will you shut up, man. This is so unpresidential. ... Keep yapping, man."

Wallace to Trump: "I think the country would be better served if we allowed both people to speak with fewer interruptions. I'm appealing to you sir to do that."

Trump, referring to Biden, responded: "And him, too."

Wallace: "Well, frankly you've been doing more interrupting."

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