GOP lawmaker calls Trump-Biden debate ‘an embarrassment’

Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell (Mich.) expressed his frustration with the Tuesday night presidential debate, calling it an “embarrassment.”

The debate between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was riddled with personal attacks and constant interruptions. Subsequently, less time was spent discussing the two politicians’ policy differences. 

“I watched the presidential debate last night, like many Americans and people around the world,” Mitchell tweeted. “The inability to have a civilized discussion about our beliefs, values, and policies is not helpful, and the debate was an embarrassment.”

I watched the presidential debate last night, like many Americans and people around the world. The inability to have a civilized discussion about our beliefs, values, and policies is not helpful, and the debate was an embarrassment.

— Rep. Paul Mitchell (@RepPaulMitchell) September 30, 2020

The debate was moderated by Fox News’s Chris Wallace, who struggled to enforce the rules of the debate and at one point scolded Trump for repeated interruptions. 

A CBS poll immediately after the debate found 69 percent of those watching said that the debate made them feel “annoyed.”

Several major media hosts — most of whom have moderated presidential debates themselves — also expressed concern with how the debate played out. 

CNN’s Dana Bash called the debate “a shitshow,” and her colleague Jake Tapper called it a “hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.” MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow tweeted, “Perhaps we could also debate by mail.”