From Newsmax

Democrat Joe Biden renewed his attacks on President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic at Thursday’s final debate before the Nov. 3 election, while Trump leveled corruption accusations at Biden and his family.

And that was just in the first half-hour or so of a debate that allowed for occasional muting of candidate microphones to encourage more civil discourse than their first standoff.

Trump, a Republican, initially adopted a more restrained tone than he did during that first presidential debate in September, which was quickly derailed by constant interruptions. But Thursday’s clash still featured plenty of personal attacks between two men who evince little respect for each other.

The televised encounter in Nashville, Tennessee, represented one of Trump’s last remaining opportunities to reshape a campaign dominated by a pandemic that has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States. Opinion polls show Trump is trailing Biden, though the contest is tighter in some battleground states likely to decide the election.

“Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America,” Biden said.

Trump defended his approach to the outbreak and claimed the worst of the pandemic was in the past, while also reiterating his point that had he not acted quickly to close off travel from China, the toll would be many times higher.

“We’re rounding the corner,” said Trump, who has played down the virus for months. “It’s going away.”

Trump also claimed that a vaccine was potentially “weeks” away. Most experts, including administration officials, have said a vaccine is unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021.

Several states, including the election swing state of Ohio, reported record single-day increases in COVID-19 infections on Thursday, evidence the pandemic is accelerating anew.

After an opening segment on the pandemic, Thursday’s clash pivoted to rapid-fire exchanges over whether either candidate had improper foreign entanglements. It was here that the veneer of more civil interaction began to crumble as the discussion got increasingly personal.

Trump repeated his accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in unethical practices and influence peddling in China and Ukraine, referring to the contents of a laptop linked to the younger Biden. Biden called them false and discredited.

‘MALARKEY’

Biden defended his family and said unequivocally that he had never made “a single penny” from a foreign country, before pivoting to accuse Trump of trying to distract Americans.

“There’s a reason why he’s bringing up all this malarkey,” Biden said, looking directly into the camera. “It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family, and your family’s hurting badly.”

He also accused Trump of skirting his taxes, citing a New York Times investigation that reported Trump’s tax returns show he paid almost no federal income tax over more than 20 years.

“Release your tax returns or stop talking about corruption,” Biden said.

Trump, who has broken with decades of precedent in refusing to release his tax returns, said he had paid “millions.” He again said he would release his returns only once a longstanding audit was completed.

The candidates went on to clash repeatedly, as one might expect, on healthcare, China policy and — after months of anti-racism protests — race relations with Biden saying Trump was “one of the most racist presidents” in history.

“He pours fuel on every single racist fire,” Biden said. “This guy has a dog whistle as big as a foghorn.”

Trump responded by criticizing Biden’s authorship of a 1994 crime bill that increased incarceration of minority defendants while asserting that he had done more for Black Americans than any president with the “possible” exception of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860s.

“As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people,” he said. “I am the least racist person in this room.”

He pointed to criminal justice reform, prison reform, and Opportunity Zones during his tenure. “I took care of Black colleges and universities.”

AT ODDS OVER HEALTHCARE

Biden criticized Trump’s effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, the sweeping healthcare reform passed when Biden was vice president in President Barack Obama’s administration.

“People deserve to have affordable healthcare, period,” Biden said, noting that the law prevented insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

Trump said he wanted to replace the ACA with something “much better” that would offer the same protections, even though the administration has yet to propose a comprehensive healthcare plan amid promises one was forthcoming.

HUNTER BIDEN

Though Trump had been expected to attack Biden on recent allegations about Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine and China, it was Biden who brought up the subject, saying that Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who has been discussing the case in the media, is part of a Russian propaganda campaign.

Biden also brought up Trump’s recently revealed Chinese bank account.

That gave Trump his opening to fire back.

“I don’t make money from China. You do,” Trump said. “I don’t make money from Ukraine. You do. I don’t make money from Russia. You made $3 1/2 million dollars, Joe. And your son gave you — they even have a statement that we have to give 10% to the ‘big man.’ You’re the big man, I think.”

“I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life,” Biden said. “We learned that this president paid 50 times the tax in China, has a secret bank account with China, does business in China, and in fact is talking about me taking money?”

Further, Biden said he has released all his tax returns for the past 22 years, and slammed Trump for still not releasing his tax returns since the last election. Trump said his taxes are still under audit, and he will release them when he can.

“What are you hiding? Why are you unwilling? The foreign countries are paying you a lot. Russia’s paying you a lot. China’s paying you a lot. And your hotels and all your businesses all around the country, all around the world. And China’s building a new road to a new golf course you have overseas. So what’s going on here? Release your tax returns or stop talking about corruption.”

Relatively few voters have yet to make up their minds, and Trump’s window to influence the outcome may be closing. A record 47 million Americans already have cast ballots, eclipsing total early voting from the 2016 election.

The contentious first debate, when the two men traded insults, was watched by at least 73 million viewers. Trump passed up another planned debate last week after it was switched to a virtual format following his COVID-19 diagnosis.

On Thursday, the commission that oversees the debate removed plexiglass barriers separating the candidates after Trump provided proof he had tested negative for COVID-19, a source familiar with the matter said. It was noted that the two candidates were also positioned 12 feet apart.

The commission also muted the candidates’ microphones to allow each to deliver two-minute statements on each new topic before turning them back on, in an effort to avoid the chaos of the first debate.

The approximately 200 attendees had their temperatures checked before entering the venue, and everyone was required to wear a medical mask at all times.

Newsmax’s Greg Richter and Jeffrey Rubin contributed to this report.

© 2020 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.

For more on this story go to: NEWSMAX