Presidential debate: Key quotes from the last Biden-Trump head-to-head

Candidates tackled the pandemic, national security, immigration and race, among other topics

It was a very different scene in Nashville, Tennessee, than we saw in the first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the end of September.

The president was more disciplined and kept in check by the newly imposed rule that muted a candidate’s microphone while his opponent gave a two-minute uninterrupted response to a question from moderator Kristen Welker of NBC.

A more structured approach allowed both candidates to reel out their favoured lines from the campaign trail, with each playing their greatest hits while allowing for the inclusion of some new material along the way.

With just 12 days to go before the election on 3 November, here is a selection of some of the best lines of the night.

Coronavirus pandemic

Mr Trump was first asked about the pandemic: “We're fighting it and we're fighting it hard… We’re rounding the corner.” he said, repeating again his claim that the virus is going away.

He added: “I caught it. I learned a lot”, before saying: “We have to recover. We can't close up our nation.”

After Mr Trump claimed that other countries had congratulated him for what the US has been able to do in response to the coronavirus, Mr Biden responded: “220,000 deaths. If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States.”

Later, Mr Biden said: "This is the same fellow told you this is going to end by Easter last time. This is the same fellow who told you that, don't worry, we're going to end this by the summer. We're about to go into a dark winter, a dark winter, and he has no clear plan."

Mr Trump responded: “I don't think we're going to have a dark winter at all, we're opening up our country. We’ve learned and studied and understand the disease.”

The president also said: “We’re learning to live with it. We have no choice,” leading his opponent to retort: “Learning to live with it? C’mon, we’re learning to die with it.”

National Security

A lot of attention was paid to North Korea in this section, with Mr Biden saying that Mr Trump has legitimised the regime and referred to Kim Jong-un as a thug.

Mr Trump, at the end of his opponent’s remarks, said: “Having a good relationship with leaders of other countries is a good thing.”

Mr Biden responded: “We had a good relationship with Hitler before he, in fact, invaded the rest of Europe. Come on.”

On election interference, Mr Biden threatened action against those who try to impinge on American sovereignty: “This election, Russia has been involved. China has been involved to some degree. And now we learned that Iran is involved. They will pay a price, if I'm elected. They're interfering with American sovereignty."

He also took a shot at the president for not challenging Vladimir Putin.

“We are in a situation where we have foreign countries trying to interfere in our elections. His own national security adviser told him what is happening with his buddy … Rudy Giuliani. He’s being used as a Russian pawn, he’s being fed information that is not true,” Mr Biden said.

“Everything that is going on here is about Russia wanting to make sure that I do not get elected the next president of the United States because they know I know them, and they know me,” he added.

“I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life,” Biden said before bringing up recent reports of Mr Trump having an undisclosed bank account in China, and his refusal to release his tax returns.

The former vice president said: “It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family.”

Immigration

The candidates sparred over the child separation policy that led to thousands of children being separated from their parents, with more than 500 now unable to be reunited with them.

“These 500+ kids came with their parents. They separated them at the border to make it a disincentive to come to begin with,” Biden said. “It makes us a laughing stock and it violates every notion of who we are as a nation.”

“Their kids were ripped from their arms and separated… it's criminal. It’s criminal!” said an angry Mr Biden.

Mr Trump responded: “They are so well taken care of," and taunted his rival over the Obama administration’s failures on immigration : “Who built the cages, Joe?” 

On why voters should trust him to reform immigration when the Obama administration did not, Mr Biden admitted failings and said: “I'll be President of the United States, not Vice President of the United States."

Race in America

Mr Trump repeated his claim: “Nobody has done more for the Black community than Donald Trump … with the exception of Abraham Lincoln – the possible exception – but the exception of Abraham Lincoln, nobody has done what I’ve done.”

Mr Biden mocked his opponent in his response: “Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we've had in modern history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire — every single one.”

He also said: "This guy is a dog whistle as big as a foghorn.”

“The character of the country is on the ballot.  Our character is on the ballot.  Look at us closely,” said Mr Biden.