Highlights From Trump's Town Hall

Candidates host dueling forums
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2020 7:46 PM CDT
Updated Oct 15, 2020 8:42 PM CDT
Highlights From Trump's Town Hall
President Trump speaks during an NBC News Town Hall at Perez Art Museum Miami Thursday.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

It was a night of dueling town halls. Joe Biden appeared on ABC News, and you can read highlights here. This file has highlights from President Trump's town hall on NBC News, via the AP, USA Today, Politico, and the Washington Post:

  • Trump said he has no more symptoms of COVID-19. "Nothing whatsoever." He said he wasn't sure whether he was tested on the day of his debate with Biden. "Probably," he said.
  • Trump opted not to issue a blanket disavowal of QAnon. “I know nothing about QAnon,” he said. "I do know that they are very much against pedophilia. I agree with that."
  • The president chafed at moderator Savannah Guthrie's question on whether he denounced white supremacy. “You always do this,” Trump said. “I denounce white supremacy. What’s your next question?” He added that he's "denounced white supremacy for years."

  • Trump said he might owe more than $400 million related to his family business empire, as the New York Times has reported, but he said it wasn't owed to Russia or "sinister people." When asked if he owed to any foreign entities, he said, "Probably." Trump also maintained that his debts were relatively small: "$400 million is a peanut."
  • Trump opted not to weigh in on Roe v. Wade, saying he did not want his critics to suggest he was sending a signal to Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. "I don’t want to do anything to influence anything right now," he said, adding that he did not ask Barrett about the case.
  • Trump said he would replace ObamaCare with a cheaper, more effective alternative, but he did not provide details when pressed.
  • He asserted that mail-in voting is plagued by widespread fraud, but when Guthrie said there is no evidence of that, he shot back, "How can you say that? You do read newspapers? You do watch the news?"
  • One questioner drew a smattering of applause when she complimented the president's smile. "You're so handsome when you smile."
  • At the end, when asked to make a plea to undecided voters on why they should vote for him, Trump said he deserves it because he's "done a great job" and "next year is going to be better than ever before."
(More Election 2020 stories.)

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