Amid the name-calling and petulance throughout the first presidential debate Tuesday night, Americans were looking for help to get a clearer understanding of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden’s positions on matters affecting their livelihoods.
“Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio and Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams were following what were supposed to be six debate topics, the economy being one of them. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation on what they gleaned from the event.
David Brancaccio: What did voters actually learn?
Kimberly Adams: It was really hard to sort through and get to the policy. And some important topics did come up: the Supreme Court and what President Trump’s pick might mean for the Affordable Care Act, climate change, the reopening of the pandemic economy.
Brancaccio: All right, let’s try, for instance, on health care, the Affordable Care Act?
Adams: This is really something the Biden campaign is highlighting around the Supreme Court fight, arguing that if President Trump puts his nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, in that role, it would further risk the ACA.
Joe Biden: What’s at stake here is the president’s made it clear, he wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. He’s been running on that, he ran on that and he’s been governing on that. He’s in the Supreme Court right now trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, which will strip 20 million people from having insurance health insurance now.
Adams: Now, President Trump highlighted a series of health-related executive orders he’s issued, including one on preexisting conditions, but that’s largely symbolic without Congress on board.
Brancaccio: Now to pandemic, including the best way to reopen the economy.
Adams: They debated the shape of the recovery, whether it’s benefiting everyone or just the wealthy. Trump continued to say he wants the economy opened more quickly and continued to dispute his own scientists on whether it was safe to do so. Biden wants to take a more cautious and slow approach, basically arguing the risks aren’t worth it.