5 takeaways from the dueling presidential town halls

Voters got to see a presidential debate after all Thursday night.

But it wasn’t between President Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden. It was between Trump and NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie, who moderated one of the dueling town hall meetings held simultaneously in place of a second debate that was canceled after Trump tested positive for covid-19 and declined to participate in a virtual debate.

Political scientists who spoke with the Tribune-Review about Thursday night’s town halls said Guthrie’s aggressive questioning of the president during his event in Miami, along with the more reserved performance of ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during Biden’s event in Philadelphia, served as one of the key takeaways from the town halls.

Dueling town halls

Both televised town halls aired at 8 p.m., forcing Americans who wanted to tune in to go back and forth between ABC and NBC for at least an hour until Trump’s hourlong town hall ended or to record the events and watch them one after another.

“I think it was unfortunate that the town halls were held at the same time. It made things more difficult for people who wanted to see what both candidates had to say. It would have been better if they had been held at different times,” said G. Terry Madonna, director of Franklin & Marshall College’s Center for Politics and Public Affairs.

Everything in moderation

The town hall format is designed to feature voters who are given a chance to ask the candidates questions directly. But Thursday’s moderators stole some of the limelight, particularly Guthrie, who spent much of the first 20 minutes of Trump’s hourlong town hall grilling the president on a range of issues and then aggressively peppering him with follow-up questions to ones asked by voters during the rest of the town hall.

“I thought she was totally biased, and she didn’t give him an opportunity to fully articulate his positions. She took over the program, and I think that’s unfortunate to say the least. You’re supposed to go there to moderate, not be the center of attention,” said Joseph DiSarro, a political science professor at Washington & Jefferson College.

Madonna added, “At times Savannah Guthrie and Trump were almost engaged in a debate, with a lot of give and take and a lot of sparring. I found it interesting. It was the opposite with Stephanopoulos. There were almost no follow-up questions and almost no engaging Biden in a discussion. Because of the moderators’ approaches, the town halls were like Venus and Mars in terms of the styles.”

Trump more composed

While Trump’s town hall was contentious at times, DiSarro felt Trump acquitted himself better than he did during the first debate, which was defined by the president and, to a lesser degree, Biden interrupting and insulting each other.

“By and large, Trump was on point, he was articulate, he demonstrated composure and he was presidential. He did not talk about his opponent much, which shows a level of class that was not evident in the debate,” DiSarro said.

As for Biden, DiSarro said, “I think he did what he needed to do. Stephanopoulos was far more cordial toward Biden, and that gave him an opportunity to do something he’s very good at it, which is talk directly with the voters.”

Slip-ups?

DiSarro said Trump should have focused more on his economic plans, his strongest issue, and provided more details about his health care plans when questioned about the Affordable Care Act and his desire to replace it.

Madonna felt Biden’s vague response to questions about whether he’d support packing federal courts with appointees should he become president provided no clarity to voters on an issue that has hounded the vice president.

Trump’s handling of questions about the QAnon conspiracy group, taxes he’s paid and debt he owes, and whether people should wear masks during the pandemic also could pose problems with some voters, as could Biden’s desire to roll back many of Trump’s tax cuts and his support for a 1994 crime bill that he called a “mistake.”

Impact of the town halls

“I don’t think the town halls are likely to move voters one way or another. It will probably just reinforce the views that people already have of the candidates. I didn’t see any game-changers. Overall, I don’t think there was a moving moment out of the town halls that will change or reshape the race,” Madonna said.