Changes are expected to be introduced to avoid a repeat of Tuesday's disjointed meeting
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Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s first meeting was so dominated by bitter accusations and low blows that organisers have said they will change the rules of the remaining two debates.
During Tuesday night’s fiery meeting, the president interrupted Mr Biden a grand total of 73 times, or around once every minute and 20 seconds, according to analysis by CBS News.
Now changes are expected to be introduced to avoid a repeat of the disjointed meeting, which was widely described as chaotic.
The presidential debate commission said Wednesday that the debate "made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues”.
The commission is thought to be considering allowing the moderator to cut off the microphone of a participant if he keeps interrupting his opponent.
The 90-minute face off in Cleveland saw Chris Wallace struggle for control because of frequent interruptions, mainly by the president.
Mr Wallace, a Fox News anchor, repeatedly appealed to the two candidates for a more orderly discussion.
At one point, he told Mr Trump "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”.
"Ask him, too," Mr Trump said, referring to Mr Biden.
"Well, frankly, you’ve been doing more interrupting than he has," Mr Wallace replied.
On Wednesday, democratic candidate Mr Biden said he backed ideas to turn off the microphone of the candidate who is not speaking.
"It was a national embarrassment," he said. "I am not going to speculate what happens at the second or third debate."
US President Donald Trump during the first presidential debate with Democratic Presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden
Credit: AFP
New measures face criticism
Yet Republicans have been less than supportive of the possibility of new measures.
“Try getting a new Anchor and a smarter Democrat candidate,” Mr Trump tweeted in response.
Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director, said the commission was "only doing this because their guy got pummeled last night. President Trump was the dominant force and now Joe Biden is trying to work the refs.”
Others have directed criticism towards Mr Wallace for losing control of proceedings.
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough tweeted: "What is Chris Wallace doing? He has no control over the debate. He asks a question and lets Trump continue yelling. This is a disgrace."
Try getting a new Anchor and a smarter Democrat candidate! https://t.co/B9heSVV1OJ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2020
Chris Wallace: ‘Debate was a missed opportunity’
Moderator Mr Wallace called the debate a "a terrible missed opportunity" in an interview with the New York Times on Wednesday, adding that he has "never been through anything like this" before.
In some of his first comments since the chaotic debate, the veteran broadcaster said he had been too slow to recognise that the president was not going to follow the debate’s rules.
“I’ve read some of the reviews. I know people think, well, gee, I didn’t jump in soon enough,” Mr. Wallace told the New York Times. “I guess I didn’t realise — and there was no way you could, hindsight being 20/20 — that this was going to be the president’s strategy, not just for the beginning of the debate but the entire debate.”
Mr Wallace added that the debate — broadcast to tens of millions of people — failed to serve the American public.
“I’m a pro. I’ve never been through anything like this," he added.
Chris Wallace, the moderator of the first presidential debate
Credit: REUTERS
Trump denies he knows Proud Boys
As organisers scramble to find a solution, Mr Trump on Wednesday attempted to distance himself from some of the debate’s more inflammatory moments.
The president’s initial refusal to criticise alt-right group Proud Boys drew widespread criticism, but Mr Trump has since backtracked.
"I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. I mean, you’ll have to give me a definition, because I really don’t know who they are. I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work," he told reporters at the White House.
The Proud Boys describes itself as a club of “Western chauvinists” but has been categorised as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremism in the US.
During the debate, Mr Trump skirted denouncing "white supremacists and militia groups" amid rising violence and tensions maring US cities.
"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Mr Trump said.
Facebook Inc identified an "uptick" in content related to the Proud Boys on Wednesday, as the group’s leaders and supporters took to social media to celebrate the president’s comments.
More than 5,000 of the group’s members posted "Stand Back" and "Stand By" above and below the group’s logo.
White supremacy has no place in America.
We shouldn’t have to beg the President of the United States to say that.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 30, 2020
What’s next?
The second meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Biden is set for October 15, and will be held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.
Steve Scully, an anchor on public service network C-SPAN, will moderate the debate, which will take the form of a town hall with Miami residents in the audience given the opportunity to quiz Mr Trump and Mr Biden.
The two candidates will be given two minutes to answer each question and the moderator will be allowed an additional minute for follow-up questions.
During Tuesday night’s fiery meeting, the president interrupted Mr Biden a grand total of 73 times
Credit: REUTERS
Mr Scully has been dubbed “the most patient man in television” which, if the debate runs anything like the first round, is probably for the best.
The final presidential debate will follow a similar format to the first. It will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22.
The 90-minute meeting will be moderated by NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker and will be divided into 15-minute segments on prepared topics.
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